Reem Kassis’ Artichoke Shrimp with Turmeric and Preserved Lemon
This beautifully balanced dish, adapted from The Arabesque Table by Reem Kassis, gets brightness from fresh lemons and salty depth from preserved ones; together they play beautiful with artichoke hearts and turmeric. Light cream in the form of half and half smooths it all out. In her headnote, Kassis says it is a “breeze to prepare,” and it is — using canned artichoke hearts. If you’re starting with peeled, deveined shrimp, it comes completely together in about 15 minutes.
Kassis calls for fresh, frozen, jarred or canned artichoke hearts. We tested it using canned ones, as they’re easier to find than frozen, far less labor intensive to prep than fresh, and we didn’t want the flavors of the marinade from jarred ones to interfere.
Serves four.
Ingredients
7 ounces (200 g) artichoke hearts (canned or thawed frozen, drained)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound (454 g) peeled and deveined shrimp
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lemon, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup (or more to taste) half-and-half
1 tablespoon finely chopped preserved lemon rind
The leaves of one sprig of thyme
Instructions
1. Line a plate or cutting board a couple of layers of paper towels. Lay the artichoke hearts on them and pat gently with another paper towel to dry.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp, salt, turmeric and pepper, and cook until the shrimp are just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes depending on size. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
3. To the same pan, add the artichokes and fry over medium heat, tossing now and then, until browned in a few places, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the same bowl as the shrimp.
4. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, add the garlic and lemon slices and cook over medium heat until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Return the shrimp and artichoke hearts and any accumulated juices to the pan. Add the half-and-half, stir to combine, and cook just until the half-and-half bubbles up, about 1 or 2 minutes more.
5. Remove from the heat, stir in the preserved lemon rind, taste and adjust seasoning. Sprinkle with the thyme leaves and serve immediately.
Reem Kassis' Artichoke Shrimp with Turmeric and Preserved Lemon
Ingredients
- 7 ounces (200 g) artichoke hearts (canned or thawed frozen, drained)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound (454 g) peeled and deveined shrimp
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 lemon, very thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup (or more to taste) half-and-half
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped preserved lemon rind
- The leaves of one sprig of thyme
Instructions
- Line a plate or cutting board a couple of layers of paper towels. Lay the artichoke hearts on them and pat gently with another paper towel to dry.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp, salt, turmeric and pepper, and cook until the shrimp are just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes depending on size. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- To the same pan, add the artichokes and fry over medium heat, tossing now and then, until browned in a few places, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the same bowl as the shrimp.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, add the garlic and lemon slices and cook over medium heat until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Return the shrimp and artichoke hearts and any accumulated juices to the pan. Add the half-and-half, stir to combine, and cook just until the half-and-half bubbles up, about 1 or 2 minutes more.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the preserved lemon rind, taste and adjust seasoning. Sprinkle with the thyme leaves and serve immediately.
