Snap, crackle, and pop! This dish is a signature appetizer at all of STK’s restaurants, including it’s soon to open location in Orlando’s Disney Springs.
It features garlic and chili seasoned shrimp, fresh basil, puffed, crisped rice crackers, and a generous serving of sriracha-spiked lobster bisque poured over the dish, tableside. Indulgent, spicy, and quite delicious! Pair it with a light cocktail or dry, sparkling wine.
STK’s Shrimp Krispies
by Chef Liran Mezan, STK
Serves 6-8
For the Shrimp:
Shrimp marinade
- 15 large shrimp (U12-U10) peeled, deveined
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbs chopped garlic
- 2 tbs chopped basil
- 1 tsp Chili flakes
Directions:
Marinate the shrimp for 2-4 hours. To serve, remove from the marinade and brush off most of the marinade ingredients. Season each with salt and pepper, and grill until cooked fully. Set aside.
For the shrimp chips – also known as Prawn Crackers:
**Found in Asian grocery stores, usually hailing from China, Vietnam, or Thailand. They are multi-colored and look like transparent plastic disks.
Fry the chips:
Heat 1-2 quarts of vegetable oil to 300º in a medium pot with a candy thermometer. Be careful not to overheat the oil and be careful not to fill the pot more than half way as oil expands slightly and can overflow. In a food processor, break up ½ cup of raw chips. Place the broken chip fragments into the hot oil and fry until they puff up but do not allow them to caramelize. Set aside.
For the Lobster Bisque
STEP 1
- 2 lbs lobster shells, cleaned of guts and gills, rinsed
- 1 medium Spanish onions, peeled and sliced
- 1 leek, rinsed and sliced
- 1 carrots, rinsed and sliced
- 1 stalk of celery, rinsed and sliced
- ½ head of fennel, rinsed and sliced
- 5 tbs tomato paste
- 1 thyme sprig
- 1 rosemary sprig
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbs white peppercorns
- 1 tsp star anise
- ½ cup sherry wine.
- 3 qt water
Directions:
Rub the lobster bodies with olive oil and place in a 500º oven. Roast until lightly caramelized and golden brown. Set aside.
Heat a medium to large pot with the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion, leek, carrot, celery and fennel and sauté until translucent, approximately 4-5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir to coat the vegetables and caramelize for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the cooked lobster bodies to the pot. Add the herbs and spices, and cook for a few minutes more. Deglaze with the sherry wine. Once the wine has almost dried out, add water to just cover the ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 2-3 hours.
Remove from the heat and use an immersion blender (or in a food processor in batches) to crush and puree the lobster bodies.
Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into another pot. Heat to medium high and reduce by half. (The bisque can be made to this point, cooled, covered, and refrigerated overnight in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat gently before proceeding.)
Yields about 3-4 cups finished product.
To Prep for Shrimp Krispies Dish
STEP 2
- 3-4 cups lobster bisque
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp sriracha
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- Salt and pepper
Heat up the cream and reduce by half. Add the reduced lobster stock and reduce slightly. Add the Sriracha, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
Yields about 2-3 cups finished product.
To Plate:
In 6 small bowls, place ½ tsp of Sriracha in the center and cover with ¼ cup of the fried shrimp chips. Place 2 grilled shrimp in the center on top of the chips. Serve and pour 2-3 oz of lobster bisque per bowl, tableside. Serve with lime wedges and chopped basil for garnish.