The other night I helped make the fennel salad that went on top of the veal carpaccio. I watched from a distance as Nino pounded the meat and drizzled lemon and olive oil and then sprinkled salt, pepper, and seasonings. But, today I was given a personal lesson in how to make carpaccio. Not just beef or veal carpaccio, but shrimp carpaccio.
He begins by butterflying three shrimp, cleaning out "the vein", and placing them on a piece of parchment paper. We seasoned with salt and pepper, then squeezed a lemon and a few drops of vanilla oil. He doused them in extra virgin olive oil as well. Folding the paper so that the shrimp are carefully tucked inside, we used a meat mallet to gently pound them into flat rounds. Very thin and delicate, we placed them on a plate and formed a square with the shrimp. We topped it off with some Italian seasoning, lemon juice, and a bit more extra virgin olive oil.
To complete the dish we placed a quenelle of Dory-fish tartare on top and decorated with fresh basil leaves. The acid cooks the protein (meat or fish) so that it is safe to eat and utterly scrumptious.
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