Hello Everyone,

As promised, here is the recipe I prepared on the the “Weekend Today Show.” This is a fun and festive recipe to make that is sure to impress your dinner guests. At my restaurant Felidia  in New York City,  Chef Fortunato Nicotra makes his version of this dish- try one or both ways at home. Buon Appetito!

~ Shrimp with Lemon Sauce in Baked Red Onion ~
(Lidia’s Version)
Serves 6 as an appetizer

Prepare the onions first: 
6 medium to large red onions with skins on
Enough rock salt to cover onions
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash onion, cover completely with rock salt and place on baking sheet.  Cook in the oven for approximately 1 to 1 ½ hours.  You can test the onion with a long skewer.  It should be soft, but still firm. 

Remove onions from the oven and cut the tops of each one like you would a pumpkin, saving the tops.  Scoop out most of the onion so that you are left with the skin and two layers of the outer part.  Slice the onions that were scooped out and sauté in a sauté pan over very low heat, in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Caramelize over very low heat for approximately 30 minutes until very soft.

For the Shrimp:
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing dish
3 garlic cloves, chopped fine
2 pounds extra-large (about 25 to the pound) shrimp, completely shelled, deveined and cut crosswise into 3 pieces
1 tablespoon chopped chives
¾ cup dry white wine
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
3 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Salt
1 lemon, cut into slices
Whole chives and/or parsley sprigs, optional 

In this dish, high heat and speed heat are essential. Make sure the pan is good and hot when you add the shrimp and that it is wide enough to hold all the shrimp pieces in a single layer (so it doesn’t cool down as they go in). And be sure to have all your ingredients right by the stove– once the shrimp go into the pan, it is ‘full speed ahead.’         

Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet, over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, shaking the pan, until light golden, about 2 minutes. Raise the heat to high, add the shrimp and toss until they are bright pink and seared on all sides, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chives, then add the wine, butter and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and boil until the shrimp are barely opaque in the center and the sauce is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley.

In the meantime divide and spoon the caramelized onions in the cavity of each baked onion (it should be hot) top with shrimp and sauce and cover gently with the saved onion top.

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~ Gulf Shrimp with Garlic- Lemon Sauce and Salt-Baked Red Onion ~ 
(Chef Nicotra’s Version)
Serves 6

 Onion Ingredients:
6 large red onions
Enough rock salt to cover onions
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus 3 tablespoons to sauté the shrimp
1 tray of cornstarch
24 jumbo shrimp, peeled and butterflied

 For the Onions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Wash onion, cover completely with rock salt, and place on baking sheet. Cook in the oven for approximately 1 to 1 ½ hours. You can test the onion with a long skewer. It should be soft, but still firm.

Remove the onions from the oven and cut the tops of each one like you would a pumpkin, saving the tops. Scoop out the onion so that you are left with the skin and two layers of the outer part. Slice the onions that were scooped out and set aside. In a sauté pan over very low heat, add two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, then add the scooped onions and caramelize over very low heat for approximately 45 minutes, until very soft.

For the Shrimp:
Pat the shrimp in the cornstarch and shake off any excess. Heat three tablespoons of olive oil and sauté shrimp until crispy, about 3 minutes total. Remove from pan and pat dry.

Sauce Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons toasted pinenuts
Salt
Pepper

 Sauce:
Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the garlic and boil for 10 minutes. Remove the garlic and cook with heavy cream over low heat until the garlic dissolves, approximately 3 to 4minutes. Add lemon juice, salt, pepper and pinenuts. Mix, add the shrimp, and turn until the shrimp absorb almost all of the sauce (it should stick like a glaze). Remove the shrimp from the sauté pan.

Assembly:
Pour the onion mixture into the whole onions, add two shrimp to each onion, and cover with the saved onion top.