When I was in NYC I had the chance to dine at Jean Georges for lunch and I had the most amazing shrimp dish with Kabocha squash. As expected, I went straight home and tried to do my best at duplicating it with a few touches of my own.
Kabocha squash is an Asian variety of squash and has the most creamy texture when roasted. In this recipe, Seared Shrimp & Shishitos in Kabocha Broth, I added Shishito peppers for a little kick. Shishitos can be found at some farmers markets, higher end grocery and at Trader Joe’s. Most Shishitos are mild except for 1 in 10 — which have real heat. I think Shishitos keep you on your toes when dining.
Ingredients
1 4-5 lb Kabocha squash
1 quart chicken broth
1/2 an onion
1 jalapeno
2 cups shishito peppers, or thickly sliced bell peppers
12-16 jumbo shrimp – cleaned, peeled and deveined, less needed if serving only 2
2 tablespoons fresh dill, or other fresh herbs
olive oil
salt
pepper
(2-6 Servings)
To Prepare:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut your Kabocha squash in half and then slice each half into 3 or 4 pieces.
2. Remove the seeds with a spoon and save some on a paper towel. If you have a small garden, let them dry for planting. If not, you can disgard them. Place the wedges of squash a an oiled sheet pan.
3. Put the pan in the oven to roast for 1 hour 10 minutes or until the squash are fork tender and caramelized. Let the squash cool for 20 minutes for easier handling.
4. Scoop out the pulp of all the wedges except for two. Reserve them for later and add the pulp to the food processor, add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper to the squash.
5. Pulse several times until mostly smooth and then add 1/2 cup of chicken broth to the pulp and continue to puree until creamy.
6. Dice the onion and slice the jalapeno in half (mine is from my garden and it’s a little two-toned.)
7. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion and sweat for 4 minutes while stirring.
8. Next, add the rest of the chicken broth to the stockpot and turn the heat up until the broth comes to a low boil.
9. Add half the jalapeno (more if you really like it hot) and all, but 1 cup of squash puree.
10. Whisk the squash into the broth and continue to cook for 4 minutes, then turn the heat down to simmer. If the broth is too thick add a little water to thin slightly, salt and pepper to taste.
11. In a medium skillet add 3 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat. Add the Shishito peppers and saute for 3 minutes or until they are lightly blistered.
12. Remove the peppers from the pan and place them in a bowl to reserve them for later. Next, add the shrimp to the same pan and cook on medium high for 3 minutes.
13. Flip the shrimp over and cook for 3 more minutes, remove them from the heat. Do not overcook!
14. Slice the remaining wedges into 3 or 4 pieces, it depends on how many you are serving.
15. To serve – dollop the reserved puree into the bottom of individual bowls.
16. Next, layer the shrimp on top of the puree, about 3 or 4 shrimp per person.
17. Then the Shishito peppers and a slice or two of the roasted squash.
18. And finally, ladle the hot Kabocha broth over the top, until it is about 1/3 full.
19. Sprinkle the dish with fresh dill and Enjoy!
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