SERVES 4
This cooking technique is my favorite way to prepare shrimp to eat out-of-hand. It’s super-easy and foolproof. And because they are cooked so gently, the shrimp are never tough or rubbery.
INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
1 bay leaf
2 lemon slices
1 pound extra jumbo shrimp (U-15), peeled and deveined
Combine the salt, coriander seeds, bay leaf, and lemon slices in a medium saucepan, add 6 cups water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the shrimp and immediately remove the pot from the heat. Let the shrimp sit in the water for 5 minutes (8 minutes if you are using a large shrimp, size U-8).
Remove 1 shrimp and cut in half; it should be just cooked through (if not, set the timer for 1 minute and check again).
Remove the cooked shrimp from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate to cool. Chill until ready to serve.
MEET: ROCCO, MASTER SHUCKER AT CRU OYSTER BAR NANTUCKET
The raw bar at CRU is considered by many to be the restaurant’s signature, the place where fans don’t mind standing shoulder-to-shoulder, three-deep at the bar waiting for their turn to order. Overseeing it all is Rick Sorocco, better known as Rocco, responsible not only for every detail of the operation but also for its fun vibe.
“I love talking with the customers. My guys and I work facing them and it’s like being on stage. We’re always educating newcomers, talking about the different oysters we’re offering that day, making suggestions.”
All of CRU’s raw bar items are shucked to order, never in advance, which means the shuckers need to be quick. How quick? CRU serves more than 200,000 oysters on the half shell per year (actually, the restaurant is only open May through October, a brief six months), so Rocco selects and trains his crew well. “Most have been working with me for three or four years. They come back every season because they love what they do.”
SHUCKING AMAZING
Still, Rocco remains the “master shucker,” a title bestowed by CRU’s partners—Jane, Erin, and Carlos—during the restaurant’s second season, in awe of his amazing prowess. Customers agree, returning as much for the pleasure of hanging out with Rocco as for the unparalleled offerings of the raw bar. The fact that he personally opens thousands of oysters every season—all while welcoming customers, answering questions, and making everyone feel like they’ve just stepped into the best party on the island—continually confirms his status. He does it all with style and grace, exactly what you’d expect from a former Eagle Scout.
He’s had a lifetime of training for his role; as a boy growing up on Nantucket, Rocco went clamming every chance he got, and at age ten, his dad said, “It’s time for you to learn how to shuck these yourself.”
The island was the perfect childhood home for someone who likes the natural world as much as Rocco. “I like to bike, being outside, the beach, sailing, digging my own clams, fishing. I even thought about being a park ranger for a while.” Nowadays, when CRU closes for the season, he spends two months fishing commercially for Nantucket Bay scallops.
Like CRU’s three founders, Rocco loves to travel during the off-season and has spent quite a bit of time in Japan, where he finds the food “inspiring,” giving him ideas to share with Chef Erin.
For those who ask, Rocco gives tips on how to shuck oysters and clams at home: “Take it slow. Always protect your hand with a folded towel or glove—oyster shells are razor-sharp, and the shucking knife can slip and hurt your hand, too.”
Other tips: “An oyster has one adductor muscle so open it at its back, at the hinge. A clam has two adductor muscles, so you go in through the front, working the knife under the meat and to the hinge.”
Best way to eat an oyster: “First, sip the liquor, then pop the oyster in your mouth and chew a bit before you swallow it. Eat the first one unadorned to get the full spectrum of its flavors, then add lemon, black pepper, cocktail sauce—whatever you like—to the next.”
THE BEST JOB, THE PERFECT PLACE TO BE
“One of the things I love about oysters is that, like wine, they can have completely different flavor profiles even when they come from the same region. Nantucket oysters from deep water at the head of the harbor are briny, oceany, while those from Polpis Creek have more minerality and are slightly sweeter.” With eight to ten different oysters offered a day, Rocco encourages trying a platter with two of each.
To put in twelve-hour days, seven days a week, six months of the year at CRU takes commitment and passion. Rocco has both in spades. He’s exactly where he wants to be and considers himself lucky. “I love it. I have a beautiful ‘office’ with a view of the harbor. I get to ride my bike to work every day. It’s just serenity.”