“ I’m going to lean right back up against you and you’ll right back up against me that way we don’t have to sleep with our heads in the mud. You know why we’re a good partnership? Because we’d be watching out for each other, like brothers and stuff. There’s something I’ve been thinking about, I got a very important question to ask you, how would you like to go into the shrimping business with me? I got it all figured out too so many pounds of shrimp to pay off the boat, so many pounds for gas, we can just live right on the boat, we don’t have to pay any rent, I’ll be the Captain and you can be the first mate. I’m telling you we’ll split everything down the middle I’m telling you fifty, fifty and we’ll have all the shrimp we can eat..”

― Bubba Blue, Forest Gump 1994

Finally, it is 80 degrees in the valley! Summer has officially arrived, and with it all the marvelous activities, social events, and long daylight hours. I love summer. I live for summer. Hike before work (not too hot), eat lunch outside in Ketchum town square, and without even trying there is daylight left for an after work bike ride or fishing session. Live music? Sure it’s happening everywhere and anywhere for the next two months. It’s the season for BBQ’s and “just-because” parties , fundraisers and gatherings for do-gooders and the arts. Summer is fleeting in the valley, so there is no way you are not going to take advantage of it. Which is why, my philosophy for the season is cook fast and eat slow. Though I love to stand in the kitchen for hours, I would rather be on the porch soaking in all the sunshine. So I limit the cooking time meals and maximize the time I spend gathering around the table (or picnic blanket).

In honor of the first 80+ degrees, I made these shrimp rolls as a nod to quintessential California coastal days. Atkinsons’ Market has an incredible seafood selection and is meticulous about quality. Any day of the week you will find excellent grade seafood. If rock shrimp is not available, just ask whoever is working at the counter for the raw shrimp of choice for the week. Cooking the shrimp comes together in minutes (literally two minutes!), followed by a quick whip-up of a slaw. Toast the buns, add crunchy lettuce, and serve with ripe watermelon slices. Ta-da! Lunch or dinner in twenty minutes or less, and only two minutes of cooking. Now, open a bottle of chilled sauvignon blanc, set up the cornhole set, and you’ve just set the stage for summer’s opening act.

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb raw rock shrimp or fresh raw shrimp of the week, peeled
• 1/4 Cup kosher salt
• 5 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/4 tsp celery seeds
• 1/2 small white onion, minced
• 2 ribs of celery, minced
• 1/4 purple cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot julienned or grated
• black pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1 head butter leaf lettuce or endive
• 4-6 potato rolls or hotdog buns
• 4 Tbsp butter

Summer Rock-Shrimp Rolls
4-5 Servings
20 Minutes Time

Recipe

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boil, and add the 1/4 cup salt. In a large bowl, prepare an ice bath with cold water, set aside.
2. Season the shrimp all over with kosher salt, and turn off the heat under the boiling water. Wait 1 full minute before dropping the shrimp into the hot water. Let shrimp cook just until they lose their translucence, 1 to 2 minutes. Strain, then plunge into the ice bath just until cooled, no more than 2 minutes. Pat shrimp dry, and transfer to a cutting board. Roughly chop the shrimp until shrimp is cut into medium, bite-size pieces. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl whisk mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, celery seeds to combine. Add onion, celery, cabbage and carrots to dressing and toss to coat.
4. Transfer shrimp to bowl with slaw, and stir in chopped dill. Season to taste with kosher salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Cover and chill until ready to use.
5. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium. Evenly butter the interior and exterior of each hot dog bun. Working in batches, toast the buns inside and out in the skillet until golden brown. (I love as much buttery griddled surface area as possible.)
6. To assemble, remove the buns from the skillet. Layer washed, dried, and torn butter leaf lettuce onto each bun. Evenly distribute the shrimp salad among the buns. Sprinkle each roll with a little kosher salt, a short grind of fresh black pepper. Serve with wedge of lemon and slice of watermelon.