Re: [CH] Kosher Salt (was: Here it is - Tabasco recipe)
The Old Bear (oldbear@arctos.com)
Sun, 23 Aug 1998 10:55:54 -0400
In ChileHeads' Digest, v.5 #24, Kath Hodgson wrote:
>Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1998 17:34:17 +0100
>From: Kath Hodgson <kath@kandk.demon.co.uk>
>Subject: RE: [CH] Here it is - Tabasco recipe
>
>Sounds ideal for using some of my Hab glut - just one question,
>what is 'Kosher salt' ?
>
>Kath.
It is a coarse-grained version of ordinary table salt, having
the same chemical composition (NaCl - sodium chloride) but with
larger, irregularly shaped crystals. It is commonly sold in US
supermarkets along side ordinary salt, coming in rectangular
cardboard boxes rather than the familar cardboard cylinder used
for table salt.
It is called kosher salt because it is used in the preparation of
meat by Jews who observe the traditional kosher dietary laws.
You can see a very interesting photograph of a grain of kosher
salt on the web at < http://www.mos.org/sln/sem/ksalt.html >.
This photo (from the Museum of Science in Boston) is at 75x
magnification. As you probably know, salt has a cubic crystal
shape. A grain of kosher salt is composed of many cubes stuck
together in an irregular shape. With its larger surface area, it
can absorb more moisture than a similarly-sized cubic salt crystal.
This is why it is used in curing meats (a process which involves
absorbing the blood from the raw meat) and in the preparation of
vegetables like eggplant (aubergine) or chiles where the process
involves removing excess water from the vegetable.
Note that kosher salt is much smaller in grain than rock salt. Rock
salt is used for melting snow and ice on roadways and for depressing
the freezing temperature of the ice brine used in home-style ice
cream making.
Here is a recipe which uses kosher salt to absorb excess moisture
from the shrimp:
Super Hot Rock 'n Roll Rock Shrimp
----------------------------------
Ingredients for the Shrimp:
1 1/2 lbs raw rock shrimp
2 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 egg whites, beaten
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp sambal chili paste
1 scallion, thinly sliced
salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
1/4 cup fine corn meal
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
peanut oil for frying
Ingredients for the Sauce:
1/2 English cucumber, chopped
4-6 fresh mint leaves
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/8 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup peanut oil
Directions:
1. Rinse shrimp with cold water, place in a mixing bowl
and mix well with the kosher salt. Cover and
refrigerate for 20 minutes.
2. Combine the egg whites with the garlic, chili paste,
scallions and white wine.
3. Rinse shrimp well to remove the salt, pat dry; combine
with the egg white mixture and set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the corn meal, corn
starch, thyme, salt, cayenne, paprika and black pepper.
5. Roll the shrimp in the cornmeal mixture, making sure
each is well coated. Refrigerate until use.
6. Combine the sauce ingredients in a food processor or
blender and blend until smooth.
7. Heat 3 to 4 inches of peanut oil in a large, heavy
skillet to a temperature of 365-375°F.
8. Fry the shrimp in small batches for 1-1 1/2 minutes,
turning once to color and cook evenly.
9. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on paper
towels. Pile the rock shrimp on a platter and serve
with sauce and lemon wedges.
source: WTBS Superstation
'Dinner and a Movie' Recipe
Remember, like everything else you read on the internet, be sure
to take all this with grain of salt. ;)
Cheers,
The Old Bear