Fennel-poached shrimp with pistachio aioli

I recently had the pleasure of sharing my Sicilian shrimp "martini" at the Charleston Wine and Food Festival! My amazing team and I carefully piped aioli into 300 2-ounce martini glasses, creating the perfect base. Each glass was topped with fennel-poached shrimp, tossed in an olive brine salsa verde, and garnished with Olinda olives on a skewer. To finish it off, we added a delicate edible flower petal from Ghost Grow 843. It's always a joy working alongside my friends and vendors—there's a true sense of teamwork as we make sure everyone stays busy and well taken care of! Check out my shrimp recipe below.

Fennel-poached shrimp

2 pounds of peeled and deveined medium-to-large shrimp (you can buy it that way from Crosby's or Miss Paula's in Charleston, or peel it yourself)

2 heads of fennel, quartered

2 dried bay leaves

Juice of 3 lemons

1/2 cup white wine

In a large pot, bring a gallon of water, fennel, bay leaves, lemon juice, and white wine to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Add the shrimp and gently poach for about 3 minutes, until just cooked. Using a spider, slotted spoon, or colander, drain the shrimp and let them cool completely. Toss with the olive brine salsa verde (recipe below).

Olive brine salsa verde

¼ cup capers, drained

1 tablespoon olive brine

2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated

1 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped

¼ cup basil leaves, finely chopped

½ an orange, zested and juiced

1 lemon, zested and juiced

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Honey, to taste

Chives, thinly cut, optional

1/3 to ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl! That is it!

Pistachio pesto aioli

makes 1 cup pesto

½ cup pistachios, shelled, roasted, unsalted

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1-2 tablespoons drained capers

2 cups fresh mint

1-2 cups fresh basil

Zest and juice of ½ to 1 lemon

¼-1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, to taste

Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, optional

In a food processor (or using a mortar and pestle), combine the pistachios, garlic, and capers until roughly chopped. Add mint, basil, lemon zest, and juice. While the processor runs, slowly add oil until the pesto reaches a spreadable consistency. Fold in Parmigiano-Reggiano, if desired.

For the aioli, mix 4-5 cups mayo with 1 cup pesto. You can halve the pesto recipe and use 2-3 cups mayo for a smaller batch.