Honey Glazed Shrimp

This is a recipe based on a 2500 year old document called "The Banquet of Philoxenus" that was translated in The Classical Cookbook by Sally Grainger.

The Classical Cookbook said the recipe for the sweet and sour glazed shrimp was suggested by a few words in a remarkable document called The Banquet of Philoxenus from around 400 BC, "Honey-glazed shrimps besides, my love" is all there was to work with. Grainger, with her encyclopedic knowledge of the cuisine of the period, put together the recipe using appropriate ingredients and techniques from those few words –– a well-educated guess.

Honey-glazed Shrimps
from The Classical Cookbook by Sally Grainger

8 oz (225 g) cooked, peeled shrimp
1 T (15 ml) olive oil
2 T (30 ml) fish sauce
1 T 930 g) honey
2 t chopped fresh oregano
black pepper

If using frozen shrimps, ensure that they are well defrosted and drained. Place the oil, fish sauce and honey in a saucepan and add the shrimps. Saute them gently in the cooking liquor for 2 or 3 minutes until they are tender. Remove them with a perforated spoon and keep warm. Continue to cook out the liquor until it has reduced by half. Add the chopped oregano and pout the sauce over the shrimps. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Serve as a first course with a crusty loaf and a simple salad.

Serves 2