Candied Tangerine Wild Shrimp

Description

The warm, soft, spicy musk scent of the cumin compliments the tangerine's intensely sweet, almost floral, citrus scent. When cooked together, they combine to make both a memorable fragrance and full flavor on your palate.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium tangerines, zested and juice reserved
1 cup water
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
16 jumbo wild Florida shrimp, peeled, de-veined and cleaned
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Preparation

To Prepare:
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, and lightly oil the foil. In a small pot, combine the tangerine zest with the water and the sugar. Bring to a boil, then lower temperature to a simmer. Cook until liquid becomes syrupy, approximately 10 minutes. Drain the zests and spread out evenly on the baking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes until dried. Let cool completely, then grind to a powder in spice grinder. Combine the tangerine zest with cumin, black pepper, thyme and salt. Generously season and rub spice mixture over the shrimp.

To Cook:
In a medium-size sauté pan, warm the olive oil over high heat. Just before it starts to smoke, add the shrimp. Sear the first side lightly and add the garlic. Lower the heat and continue to cook for 2 minutes on the other side, until the flesh turns rosy and the edges are golden brown.

To Serve:
Pour in the tangerine juice and finish with parsley. Remove shrimp from pan. Reduce the pan juices to a glaze, then drizzle around the shrimp.