This is a mid-afternoon pick-me-up or appetizer before dinner.
It’s traditional to let the acids cook the shrimp but since these
were large I decided to poach them briefly.
Start with 6-8 large raw shrimp (20 count or lower) and a pot
filled with a bottle of beer. Bring the beer to boil (skim off
the suds before they spill over), put in the shrimp, turn off
the heat, cover and steep for 2 minutes. (Don’t over cook the
shrimp.) Remove the shrimp and set aside in the fridge. Fine dice
a shallot or half a red onion and place in a glass bowl. Add 2
tablespoons of drained capors. Squeeze two large lemons and add
the juice to the bowl along with an ounce of orange juice and
an ounce of sweetened rice wine vinegar and a pinch of cayenne.
Cut each shrimp in half if you think they are too big. Stir and
place all in a nice bowl, cover and fridge for an hour or so.
If you want to use the shrimp raw, let them steep in the acid
for a few hours until they have lost all their transparency. Salt
to taste but note that the capers are salty. (Speaking of capers:
see Flavor Enhancement Tricks, lower down on this page.)
