Active Time

　　20 min

　　Total Time

　　1 day

　　In Spanish, escabeche refers to placing already cooked seafood into a marinade—a pickling of sorts—but this subtle shrimp salad is gentler than anything you might expect from the term pickled. Complemented by silky thin-sliced onions, the shrimp get their tender-firm texture from slow-poaching followed by marinating.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 8 servings

　　1 small red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

　　1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

　　1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

　　2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

　　2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California

　　2 garlic cloves, smashed

　　1 teaspoon black peppercorns

　　2 pound large shrimp in shell (21 to 25 per pound), peeled, leaving tail intact, and deveined

　　

Step 1

Toss together onion, vinegar, oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt in a shallow glass or ceramic dish.

　　

Step 2

Simmer oil, bay leaves, garlic, and peppercorns in a small saucepan 10 minutes, then let stand until ready to use.

　　

Step 3

Add shrimp to a medium pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 4 quarts water), then remove from heat and let stand, uncovered, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain well, then stir into onion mixture along with oil mixture.

　　

Step 4

Chill shrimp in escabeche, covered when cool, stirring occasionally, at least 12 hours. Discard bay leaves and serve shrimp cold or at room temperature.

　　Cooks' note:

　　Shrimp in escabeche can be chilled up to 2 days.