Sautéed Shrimp with Fresh Navel Oranges – Summer & Winter versions

Summer version

When I saw Sara Foster’s Sautéed Tangerine Shrimp on my friend Penny’s blog, Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen, last winter, I knew at first glance it would be a recipe I would love. Penny told her readers, “The warmed sections of tangerine in this dish are a sweet surprise with the shrimp.” And she was right.

Sara Foster is one of the country’s most well respected experts on simple, honest food, prepared with fresh, local seasonal ingredients. Sara also recommends clementines in this recipe in the winter, which are available in the US from late October through February. Clementines are the tiniest of the mandarin oranges. Imported from Spain, Morocco, and other parts of North Africa, they are a cross between a sweet orange and a Chinese mandarin. I’ll never forget the first time I tasted a clementine. I was in the check-out line at the supermarket and the person in front of me had a crate of the tiny oranges. Never having tasted a clementine, I asked, “Are those good?” He promptly made a slit in the mesh covering the clementine’s and handed one to me. “Try it,” he said. “You’ll always remember this day.” What a generous gesture from a stranger.

When we were in Florida last winter, I made this dish with a combination of local Florida tangerines and winter blood oranges and it was every bit as good as I’d thought it would be. I’ve also made it with Spanish clementines and it was equally divine. The problem was I never got around to posting it. For the recipe of winter version of Sara Foster’s dish, go to Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen. Here’s my photo of the winter sautéed shrimp with tangerines & blood oranges. As you can see, the peeled tangerines give a cleaner, less messy look to the dish than the sectioned Navel oranges, but the taste in both dishes is scrumptious.

Winter version

The other day my husband requested the dish again. Since it’s almost summertime I substituted Navel oranges with great success.  So whether you make this in the summer or winter, you’ll find this dish full of flavor and freshness.

Summer version

Sara Foster’s Sautéed Shrimp with Fresh Navel Oranges – Summertime Version
Adapted from Fresh Every Day, More Great Recipes from Foster’s Market by Sara Foster

Serves: 4 to 6
Level: Easy

Juice of 3 - 4 Navel oranges
2 – 3 Navel oranges, peeled, sectioned, seeds removed
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (from a 1-inch piece)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 ½ pounds large wild caught shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Combine the orange juice and orange sections, ginger, garlic, and peeled shrimp in a bowl and toss to coat the shrimp. Cover and marinate the shrimp in refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours, no longer.

Heat half of the oil and half of the butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until the butter melts. Remove the shrimp from the marinate, reserving the marinade. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels, season with salt and pepper, and place half of the shrimp in the skillet to sauté for 1 to 1 ½ minutes per side, until they turn pink. Place the cooked shrimp on a platter covered loosely with foil to keep warm. Add the remaining butter and oil to the skillet and cook the remaining shrimp.

When all of the shrimp are cooked, pour the marinade and orange sections into the skillet, along with the chopped fresh rosemary. Increase the heat to high and boil the marinade until it has reduced by half, about 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed and serve the shrimp warm with the orange sauce and sections spooned over them. Serves 4 to 6.

Cook’s notes: Don’t leave out the cilantro, because it gives the dish a real brightness. Rice with little green English peas makes a lovely base for the shrimp and oranges.

Winter version