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Shrimp-and-Tomato Salad
Peel 6 firm ripe tomatoes, cut a piece off of the top and remove the centres. Fill the hollow with cold boiled shrimps, then set each tomato on a lettuce leaf and pour mayonnaise over all.
A four-line assembly that lives or dies on the tomatoes and the mayonnaise. Everything should be cold before it meets anything else.
- YieldSix stuffed tomatoes, one per person as a first course or light lunch. Allow about 3-4 oz of peeled cooked shrimp per tomato, so roughly 1 1/4-1 1/2 lb picked weight for the six.
- Peeling the tomatoesScore a cross in the base, dip 15-20 seconds in boiling water, then into ice water; the skins slip off. Do it just before filling, as peeled tomatoes weep quickly.
- Drain the shellsAfter scooping the centres, salt the hollows lightly and stand them upside down on a rack for 15 minutes. Otherwise the tomato water thins the mayonnaise into a pink puddle on the plate.
- "Cold boiled shrimps"Small shrimp cooked in salted water for 2-3 minutes, until just opaque and curled, then chilled. Anything longer turns them squeaky. Pre-cooked shrimp from the counter works if you rinse and dry it.
- The mayonnaiseMayonnaise of this period was generally made at home rather than bought. If using homemade with raw yolk, keep it refrigerated and serve the same day; pasteurised-egg or commercial mayonnaise is the safer choice for a dish that sits out.
- Seasoning the original omitsThe recipe assumes the cook will season. A little salt, pepper, lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne through the shrimp before filling makes the difference between a salad and a plate of components.
- Don't waste the centresChop the scooped pulp, drain it, and fold a spoonful through the shrimp, or save it for stock or a dressing.