Who the heck was Nate…and when did he start pickling prawns?  The origin of Nate’s Original Peel & Eat Pickled Prawns seems muddled with antiquity.  This classic appetizer product was created decades ago by a Pacific Northwest native and is still in limited distribution hereabouts.  We’ve loved the taste, but price and availability have long restricted our consumption.  No more, thanks to some experimentation in our kitchen.

Farmed shrimp are now in abundance on the market at reasonable prices and the following recipe will convert them to a gourmet hors d’oeuvre treat worthy of royalty. Pickling dampens their delight as an accompaniment to wine, but they are wonderful with beer…a fact that confirms our belief they were created as a snack for Northwest taverns.

   Pickled Prawns

 3 dozen medium raw, unpeeled Shrimp
 ¾ cup Kosher Salt
2 quarts Water

Dissolve Salt in Water, soak Shrimp, refrigerated, for 24 hours, drain and rinse. Note: use only Kosher Salt, which has a more intense flavor than either ordinary or Rock Salt (as we discovered to our sorrow when substituting Kosher in a cucumber pickling recipe).

2 cups White or Cider Vinegar
5 cups Water
2 ½  tbsps. Pickling Spice
2 tbsps. Old Bay Spice Mixture (widely available Maryland product created to season Crab when boiling)

Stir above ingredients, bring to a boil and add Shrimp, cooking very briefly until pink…remove from heat, cool and bottle the shellfish in the boiling liquid.

Speaking of Shellfish

Steamed Clams are a staple of Northwest cuisine, but far too often, they are cooked in water.  No water is needed to coax open either Clams or Mussels in the shell.  The natural sea juice in the live shellfish will provide all the steam you need…and produces a flavorful broth ideal for break dunking when enhanced as in the following recipe:

   Steamed Shellfish

 2 lbs. live Clams or Mussels
 ¼ tsp. White Pepper
 6 Green Onions, thinly sliced
 ¼ lb. Unsalted Butter
3 generous dashes Tabasco
1 cup, White Vermouth

Heat Butter, Vermouth and stir…add Shellfish and Onions, cover the pan and continue cooking at a simmer until the shells open (7-8 minutes).  Remove shellfish, set aside.  Stir Tabasco and Pepper into cooking liquid.  Place shellfish in serving bowls, pour the broth over.  This will serve 2-4.

Or use your oven

Simplicity can be tasty; and your oven will prove it with the following shellfish recipe:

  Roasted Mussels

 4-5 lbs. live Mussels in shell
 2 tbsps. Unsalted Butter
 2 cloves Garlic, finely minced
 ¼ cup minced fresh Parsley
 
Preheat oven to 400.  Place Mussels on two rimmed baking sheets in a single layer, place sheets in oven and bake 7 minutes, or until Mussels open.  While Mussels are roasting, melt Butter. add Garlic and saute’ for 3 minutes, add  Parsley, stir and remove from heat.  Remove open Mussels to a large bowl, with any liquid you can recover.  Drizzle the butter sauce over the Mussels and toss.  Serve from the large bowl.

Pot Lickin’s…if you have a Japanese market in your vicinity, ask for Kasu, which is the dregs (lees) from Sake brewing, and mixed with Sake, is a sublime fish marinade…if you want a crash course in all that’s edible (and delicious) from Northwest waters, visit Seattle’s Pike Place Market, or Vancouver’s (B.C.) Granville Island Market…at either venue, seek Singing Scallops in the shell and Spot Prawns…can the Copper River really support all those spendy Salmon being promoted across the country?…look for Dry White Cider at your local dispensary, an ideal summer sip being produced in our region.

©2002 Oregon Magazine