Taylor Swift: In Your Kitchen
Grilled & Chilled Shrimp 'n Tartar Starter with a Secret Ingredient (or Two)
Yes, I’m about to write about Taylor Swift. And about my identity as a still-in-shrink-wrap, blindingly shiny, brand spankin’ new SWIFTIE.
For years, I proclaimed that I didn’t like Taylor Swift’s music. Because, well, I didn’t. I formed assumptions about her artistry based solely on my toe-dip into her super pop-y singles. The hype around her current world tour had me thinking “I just don’t get it” and “I’d rather pay for Bey.”
And then… I went to her concert last weekend, which may seem odd, considering the above preamble. But the GF is a low-key superfan and we got a hookup with tickets. As I began opening my ears to the buzz, my sentiments of “who cares” began morphing into “why not’s.”
The day of the show, I crammed, listening to her 3 ½ hour set list– made public on Spotify– while I breakfast’ed, laundry’ed, and transplanted’ed a fig tree. The tracks had breadth, depth, even… soul. I liked what I heard. I realized, like a fool, that I had never really dived into her albums. With each new song, I racked up another notch on my I’m-a-Believer (not to be confused with Belieber) belt.
By EOD, I was straight-up pumped.
The show was 210 minutes full of spectacle and glitz and impeccably tight vocals. I swayed and sync’ed and held my heart with the rest of ‘em. I’ve since added 14 of her songs to my running mix and am currently on a first name basis with her in my head. I’m now referring to my transformation as the Taylor Swift Phenomenon (hereinafter: TSP).
My conversion to Swiftdom got me thinking, “What else have I been closed off to? What else have I shooed away without a fair chance? What are the other things in life that people seem to enjoy that I’ve resisted?”
And by extension… What if the lesson learned from my massive shift in mindset about Taylor Swift could be applied to someone’s resistance to cooking? In short, what could YOU be missing out on?
Here’s the bottom line: I used to be a hater, dismissively changing the music anytime big hits like Shake It Off or Love Story would come on. Now, I find myself sinking into the lyrics of marjorie, the last great american dynasty, and The Man, listening on repeat. All this time, I had simply been listening to the wrong songs.
For those of you who aren’t always into cooking, maybe the recipes you’ve tried have been your Shake It Off. Maybe there’s a certain part of the cooking process that doesn’t resonate with you, or that sours your experience, like elaborate prep, or knife-work and chopping, or dirty dishes at the end of a meal. What if all this time, you’ve simply been cooking the wrong things?
To the non-cooks out there: in the spirit of my recent metamorphosis, I’m asking you to open your ears just a bit. And– without resistance– dive into my “catalog.” Think of my backlog of NOODLE recipes as a curated mix tape, meant to Pump. You. Up. With a little bit of guidance (below), I’m hoping that you, too, can have a TSP moment. In the kitchen. (With the candlestick. And Professor Plum.)
For when you don’t want to do many dishes: Calabrian Chile Oil-Drenched Chicken-in-a-Pot with Vidalia Onion Rings, Whole Lemons, and Quickie Zippie Mayo
For when you don’t want to spend a lot of time at the stove: Shaved Fennel Salad with Dill, Pecorino, Lemon, and Caramelized Raisins
For when you want to make something outstanding with only 2 ingredients (plus salt): Ride or Die Creamy Coconut Rice
For when you need entirely hands-off cooking: Fennel + Coriander Fall-Apart Pork Shoulder with Meyer Lemons, Cream, and a Very Important Garnish
For when you really, really, really don’t wanna cook: THE Drink of the Summer: Celery-Citrus Spritz
For when you wanna cook meat but nervous you’ll mess it up: Grilled Lemongrass Short Ribs with Sweet Pickled Jalapeños + Crispy Rice
For when you want to bake something impressive but not stressy: Ricotta-Filled Buttermilk Cornbread with Chiles
For when you want a hearty meal with less-than-hearty prep: Salt + Vinegar Buttermilk Chicken with Tomatoes and a Carb
For when you want to browse my entire discography: NOODLE’s Recipe Roundup
The New Release: Grilled & Chilled Shrimp ‘n Tartar Starter with a Secret Ingredient (or Two)
Ready to wash only three dishes? Want to keep your knife in the knife block? Meet your new favorite recipe, with zero chopping required. Active time? Eight minutes (if you buy your shrimp deveined). No grill? Just follow the recipe and use a ripping hot cast iron skillet instead. ALL GOOD.
With five ingredients in the shrimp and four in the tartar (not including S&P), this dish is as low-lift as they come. I grill shrimp with the shells on, because I love a good peel ‘n eat moment, in this case, with a spicy-sweet-lemony jus that coats your fingers, begging for interaction with your boca. And the shell protects the delicate shrimpy flesh, too, allowing you to char them just a touch long than if they were shell-less. I like using head-on shrimp when I can because I find them more flavorful, and my fingers do, too. That’s up to you, though.
SPILL IT: THE SECRET INGREDIENTS
Honey in the shrimp: A squeeze of honey in the marinade inspires flames from the grill to lick up and kiss those shrimp shells, providing quick caramelization and a welcome char.
When something grills for just 2 minutes per side, a sweet lil’ encouragement can make all of the difference. Furthermore, when finished with a lavish squeeze of lemon juice and olive oil, the honey offers balance to the acid and spice, and body to the sauce.
Dried dill in the tartar: Allow me to proclaim: the only dried herbs that are worth pennies from your purse are dried oregano, dried mint, and dried dill. (Think otherwise?!)
Dried dill carries the essence of ranch, grass, and sour cream n’ onion, which you definitely want all up in your tartar. Adding dried dill is such a genius hack; it carries so much herbaceousness that you can rely on fewer ingredients. (The inclusion of caper brine climbs aboard the bang-for-your-buck train, too.) Best to make this a few hours ahead of time, or even better, a day in advance, to let the dill really bloom.
The recipe makes a bit extra: I like serving the shrimp and sauce with toasty bread and summer tomatoes— both slathered with the tartar— which’ll deliver a hefty dose of TSP to just about anyone.
GRILLED AND CHILLED SHRIMP ‘N TARTAR STARTER
Serves 4 as a starter
REMEMBER, BEST PRACTICE: READ THE RECIPE ALL THE WAY THROUGH BEFORE YOU START COOKING!
If you don’t have a grill, no stress! Use a preheated cast iron skillet, swirl in some olive oil before you add the shrimp, and cook over high heat for the same amount of time as the recipe indicates.
I like using peel-on shrimp here. When grilling, the shell protects the shrimp and yields more tender meat. Plus, there’s so much flavor in the shell itself, so when peeling and eating, expect a full sensory experience.
A note about head-on shrimp: if you can find them, go for it. Again, more flavor!
I love serving these shrimp and tartar with crusty bread and sliced tomatoes. The tartar makes a bit extra for slathering.
1 pound (U-16-20) shrimp; peel-on and deveined (slightly smaller shrimp work just fine, too)
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for drizzling
1 tablespoon honey
¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons capers, plus 2 teaspoons brine
2 teaspoons dried dill
Vegetable oil, for grilling
2 lemons
Mixed herbs, such as basil, mint, parsley, cilantro… whatever you like!
Toasted and olive oil’ed crusty bread, for serving (optional)
Sliced (hopefully summer) tomatoes, for serving (optional)
1. If your shrimp aren’t deveined, do so now: with a small, sharp pair of scissors, snip down the back of each shrimp, all the way to where the tail begins. (It’s ok if you cut into the flesh.) Lay each shrimp flat on a work surface and, using the blade of a paring knife, scrape and pull the vein out of each shrimp. I like to use a paper towel underneath the shrimp so that the vein can have something to stick to as you scrape. And when the paper towel gets dirty, just fold it in half for a new, clean surface. Continue folding the paper towel as it dirties to give yourself a clean work surface as you go.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, honey, red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons of salt, and a super generous dose of freshly ground black pepper. Mix to combine. Add the shrimp, toss gently to coat, and transfer to the refrigerator, ideally for at least an hour and up to one day in advance. The longer you marinate, the more chance the seasoning has to penetrate. (I know, duh.)
3. Make the tartar sauce: Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, capers and brine, dried dill, and ½ teaspoon salt to a small bowl. Mix to combine and season to taste with additional salt or caper brine, if desired. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to serve. This is great made a few hours or even a day in advance, to let the dry dill really bloom!
4. When ready to grill, heat a grill to high. When hot, use a grill brush to clean the grates. Dip a clean rag or a double layer of paper towel folded in quarters into a small bowl of vegetable oil. Swiftly brush the grates. (Careful, the flames will flare up.)
5. Add the shrimp to the grates and grill until charred on the undersides, about 2 minutes. Flip, and continue to grill until the second side is caramelized and the shrimp is oh-so-slightly firm to the touch, 1-2 minutes more. Remove to a plate and squeeze the entire juice of 1 lemon over the top. Generously drizzle with olive oil. Transfer to the refrigerator until well-chilled, about 45 minutes.
6. When ready to serve, transfer shrimp to a serving platter or plates with any accumulated juices, along with the tartar sauce, handfuls of herbs, and lemon wedges. If desired, serve with crusty bread and tomatoes!
You are brilliant. This made me try to smell my device.❤️😂❤️ You have a real gift. Thank you for sharing your inspiration.
Yes! Thank you. Taylor and lots of meal options.