POACHED CAROLINA SHRIMP SUMMER MELONS, LEMON BALM
I HAVE combined shrimp and melon in many different ways, but sometimes, as in this simple presentation, we just let the ingredients speak for themselves. Poached lemon balm–infused shrimp seem to watch over an aureole of several different melons. My favorite shrimp come from the Gulf Coast in South Carolina. I would compare their flavor to the French crevettes roses or bouquet shrimp from the North Atlantic.
Servings
6
Servings
6
Ingredients
Pickled Watermelon Rind
Poached Shrimp
Compressed Melons
Lime Sauce
Lime Gelée
Charentais Melon Coulis
To Finish
Instructions
For the Pickled Watermelon Rind
  1. Use a small knife to trim and discard the green skin from the white part of the rind. With a mandoline, slice the white rind into ⅛-inch-thick slices. Cut the slices into 1-inch strips and then cut the strips on a diagonal into diamonds. Place the diamonds in a small, heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the pickling liquid and Szechuan peppercorns and bring to a simmer. Pour over the watermelon rind, cover, and infuse at room temperature for 5 minutes. Reserve, chilled.
For the Poached Shrimp
  1. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 quart of the court bouillon to a boil and stir in the lemon balm. Pour the remaining 1 quart court bouillon into a bowl set over ice. Arrange the shrimp in a single layer in a baking dish and pour the hot liquid over the shrimp, making sure they are submerged. Steep for 2 minutes, or until the shrimp are cooked through. Strain the shrimp and transfer them to the court bouillon set over ice; stir until chilled. Trim the ends of the shrimp so they can stand. Reserve, chilled.
For the Compressed Melons
  1. Place melon slices in a single layer in sous-vide bags, dividing them by variety, and divide the lemon balm into the bags. Vacuum-seal the melon and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 4 days.
For the Lime Sauce
  1. With a vegetable peeler, peel the zest from the limes in long strips. Squeeze and reserve the juice from the limes. Use a paring knife to remove any remaining white pith from the strips. Place the strips in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a simmer. Strain and repeat the process 3 more times. Strain, return the zest to the pan, and add ½ cup water and the sugar. Simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Transfer the mixture to a blender with 3 tablespoons of the lime juice (save the remaining juice for the gelée) and puree until smooth. Stream in the olive oil until emulsified. Pass the puree through a fine-meshed sieve, transfer to a piping bag, and reserve, chilled.
For the Lime Gelée
  1. In a small saucepan, whisk the egg white until frothy, then whisk in the lime juice. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, allowing the egg white to rise to the surface and clarify the juice. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve. In a separate saucepan, bring ½ cup water with the sugar to a simmer until dissolved. Whisk in the strained lime juice and the agar-agar and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and pour onto a rimmed dinner plate or small baking dish. Refrigerate until firm, then use a ½-inch ring cutter to punch out discs of gelée. Reserve, chilled.
For the Charentais Melon Coulis
  1. Place the melon and sachet in a medium sauté pan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring, until the melon begins to break apart and its juice reduces to a syrup, about 5 minutes. Add the heavy cream, bring to a simmer, and reduce by one-third, about 8 minutes. Discard the sachet, transfer to a blender, add the xanthan gum and salt, and puree until smooth. Pass through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl set over ice. Stir until chilled and thickened. Transfer to a piping bag and reserve, chilled.
To Finish
  1. Season the poached shrimp with olive oil and salt and pepper.
  2. Cut the compressed melon into desired shapes and divide among 6 chilled salad plates. (For the photo, the melon was cut with a ring cutter into half-crescent moon shapes and arranged into a pinwheel.)
  3. For each serving, brush the melon with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stand 5 shrimp around the melon and garnish with 3 lime gelée discs, 4 watermelon rind pickles, several dots of lime sauce and charentais melon coulis, and a few small lemon balm leaves. Drizzle lemon balm oil onto the plate.