Do you want the perfect appetizer for New Year’s Eve that will be the hit of the party?  If you answered yes to that question, read on.  This is a winner!  All you have to do is marinate shrimp and artichokes for 24 hours in an oil and vinegar marinade. That’s it.  It could not be easier.

I have to give credit to my friend Jane for this recipe.  Jane and I go on almost every vacation together.  Our vacations are always in remote areas with many challenges that present themselves daily while trying to cook for our families. We usually have a small camp stove which we hope works for the duration of our trip. Running out of fuel for the stove or better yet, having the fuel tip over onto our box of food can test even the most creative cook. The grocery stores can be 5-6 hours away or more making it essential to get all provisions days in advance.  Not to mention there is a huge output by our group each day creating a hunger that would put a 16 year old boy to shame.  We eat a lot of pasta and bagged salad (yes the kind that comes with the little bag of croutons, dressing, and cheese inside).  Sometimes we jazz things up with a meal as chic as quinoa but most often it is solid, hearty food that will fuel us for the day’s activities.  Jane is a foodie like me – so when we are preparing these camp meals we often talk about what we really like to cook and eat when we are home.  I asked her for one of her top recipes and immediately she said, “you have to make my shrimp and artichoke appetizer”.  And so, here it is, courtesy of my friend Jane – no modifications – straight up.  I saved it for New Year’s Eve because it is a special recipe that is perfect for a fun, festive New Year’s celebration!  Thank you Jane and I look forward to planning our 2014 vacations and menus!

Ingredients

2 pounds medium or large sized frozen cooked shrimp (tails on)
1 large red onion, sliced thin
2 8.5 oz cans artichokes, drained and quartered
16 bay leaves

Marinade:

1 1/2 cups canola oil
1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
2 tsp ground celery seed (or 1 Tbsp celery seed)
6 Tbsp capers with juice
1 Tbsp salt (have a light hand with the salt)
20 drops Tabasco sauce (or hot sauce of your liking)

Method

Thaw shrimp in cold water.  Place shrimp, sliced onions, artichokes, and bay leaves in a large Tupperware.  Mix marinade in a separate bowl and then pour over shrimp mixture.  Marinade for 24 hours, flipping container a few times during the 24 hour period to make sure the marinade it mixing with well.

To serve, drain most of marinade and place shrimp mixture in a bowl.  I was worried about it being messy but nobody cared. Most people just grabbed the shrimp tail with their fingers and popped it in their mouth (and they weren’t afraid to dig in to the artichokes with their fingers either).  I had plenty of napkins and toothpicks nearby just in case someone preferred a more civilized approach!

Bring It

Make sure you have a good seal on your Tupperware because if this spills en route, your vehicle is going to smell like shrimp marinade for quite some time!  Maybe not the worst thing but at least you’ve been warned.