Pan Tomate with Sous Vide Espelette Shrimp

f you’ve ever visited Spain or even dined at a rustic Spanish restaurant, you know the joys of pan tomate. A slice of grilled bread is first rubbed liberally with a garlic clove, then a cut-half of a perfectly ripe tomato, before being drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. The bread soaks up all that lovely tomato pulp to create something all together simple yet glorious. Few things can improve upon such a classic. But juicy shrimp sure can. Especially if they're seasoned with Piment d’Espelette, a Basque dried pepper that boasts a fruity, smoky flavor with restrained heat. And particularly if that shrimp is cooked sous vide, with a gentle heat that imparts an almost lobster-like lusciousness to the texture of the shellfish. Piment d’Espelette is available at Spanish or gourmet markets. Use the best summer tomatoes available; they are key to this dish. Then, sit back and indulge in a taste of Spain in your own home.

Author

Carolyn Jung

Carolyn Jung is a James Beard Award-winning Bay Area food journalist, whose work has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Coastal Living, Via magazine, Food Arts, Edible Silicon Valley, Wine Spectator and other publications. She is the former staff food writer for the San Jose Mercury News. Her debut cookbook "San Francisco Chef's Table'' published in December 2013. She is also the creator of the acclaimed blog, FoodGal.com.

Prep Time: 00:15

Recipe Time: 00:25

Temperature : 122F / 50C

Ingredients

• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• 3/4 teaspoon Piment d’Espelette
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 loaf high-quality bread, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 garlic clove, halved
• 2 beefsteak tomatoes, 1 sliced in half horizontally and 1 cut into wedges for serving
• Flaky sea salt

Directions

1. Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 122ºF (50ºC).
2. In a large bowl, mix shrimp with olive oil, Piment d’Espelette, and a pinch of kosher salt. Transfer the mixture to a large zipper lock or vacuum seal bag. Seal the bag using the water immersion technique or vacuum sealer on the moist setting.
3. Place the bag in the water bath and set the timer for 25 minutes.
4. About 5 minutes before the shrimp are finished, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Add the bread slices in a single layer on the pan. Toast until golden brown on both sides. Remove bread from the pan and rub one side of each slice with the cut side of the garlic clove.
5. Rub the tomato halves repeatedly over the toast so that the bread soaks up the tomato pulp. Divide between serving plates.

Finishing Steps

1. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Remove the shrimp from the bag, and discard the cooking liquid.
2. Return the grill pan to medium-high heat. Place the shrimp in one layer on the hot grill pan. Sear for 10 seconds on each side and transfer to a plate.
3. Divide the shrimp between the tomato bread. Drizzle olive oil over the shrimp and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve with tomato wedges.