< Previous11Poultrythe ultimate crispy fried chickenKAY RENTSCHLER AND BRIDGET LANCASTER, May/June 2001Fried chicken is patently American, but what makes it so great? First, the crust . Crisp and crackling with flavor, the crust must cleave to the chicken itself, not flake off in chips, and it should be a deep, uniform mahogany with no evidence of greasiness . As for the chicken, it should be tender, seasoned, and flavorful .But frying chicken at home is a daunting task—a messy tableau of buttermilk dip and breading, hot fat, and splatters . The results are often not worth the mess: greasy, peeling chicken skin and dry, unseasoned meat .BOOSTING THE BRINEFor our recipe, we decided against poorly butchered packaged chicken in favor of a whole bird cut at home into manageable pieces . Our first decision was what type of pretreatment to give the chicken . In our first stove-side excursion, we fried up several batches of chicken, half of which had been brined for 2 hours while the other half had not . The tasting results were unequivocal: Unbrined chicken earned marks far below those of its well-seasoned, juicy, brined competition .We also knew, however, that soaking chicken pieces in some kind of liquid before breading is traditional . We examined a num-ber of soaking solutions and found that the bright, acidic flavor and clinging viscosity of buttermilk produced the best flavor accents and the richest browning during cooking . Appreciating the tang of a buttermilk soak but unwilling to forgo the succulence of brined chicken, we decided to add the saline blast of a brine to the buttermilk, doubling the rewards and minimizing the number of steps . We boosted the buttermilk brine’s fla-vor by adding crushed garlic, crushed bay leaves, and sweet paprika . This remarkable “twofer” won high marks indeed—well above those garnered by a soak or brine alone . We also spiked the brine with 1/4 cup of sugar—not enough to sweeten it but enough to bring other flavors out of hiding .DOUBLE DIPPINGTo find out what kind of coating was best, we tested straight flour against a panoply of options: matzo crumbs, ground saltines, cornflakes, ground Melba toasts, cornmeal, and panko . In the end, plain flour—requir-ing in this instance no seasoning whatsoever since the chicken had been brined— won out thanks to the integrity and lightness of the crust it produced .Many fried chicken recipes use a single breading process in which the chicken is dipped first into beaten egg and then into flour or crumbs . A double, or bound, bread-ing requires dipping the chicken first into flour, then egg, and finally flour or crumbs . We were surprised to discover that single breading is actually messier than double breading; the latter’s dry first flouring main-tains tidiness and establishes control before the egg dip . The double breading offered a superior base coat without being overly thick or tough .AIR PLAYAnother practice that has made its way into many fried chicken recipes is air-drying breaded chicken before frying, which sup-posedly crisps up the skin . We tested the effects of air-drying the chicken before and after breading and compared the results with chicken that had undergone no air dry-ing . The air-dried-first chicken proved best, with a lighter, crispier, and flakier texture .While this version initially seemed ideal, we noticed that its delicate crispness suc-cumbed to sandiness and porosity over the course of a few hours . The memory of a particularly light but resilient crust of a chicken-fried steak recipe persuaded us to add baking soda and baking powder to an egg wash bolstered with buttermilk . Stirred into the wash, 1/2 teaspoon of soda and 1 teaspoon of powder produced just enough carbon dioxide to lighten the breading to perfection—and also keep it crisp as it cooled .FRY TIMEWe ruled out deep frying in favor of pan fry-ing, which is much more manageable for home cooks . With this method, only half the chicken is submerged in the fat at any point and must be flipped . The oil stays hot-ter and, theoretically, produces less of a mess . After judging several different oils for smoke point, flavor, and crust crispness, we preferred peanut oil .While a cast-iron skillet seemed the obvi-ous choice for pan frying, splatters were dra-matically reduced when we used a Dutch oven . In fact, a cast-iron Dutch oven main-tained temperature significantly better than anything else we tried . Covering the Dutch oven during the first half of frying did one better: It reduced splatters to a fine spray, maintained oil temperature impeccably, and fried the chicken through in about 15 min-utes total, versus the 20 minutes per side rec-ommended in many recipes . This time- efficient frying method made up for the fact that the chicken needed to be fried in two batches . As much as we would have liked to find a way to fit 10 pieces into a 12-inch Dutch oven all at once, success eluded us . But it was really no big deal . It simply meant that by the time the second batch was fried up, the first batch was cool enough to eat .A buttermilk brine and a rest in the fridge before breading work wonders to create a perfect crackling crust.12COOK’S ILLUSTRATED REVOLUTIONARY RECIPESThe Ultimate Crispy Fried ChickenSERVES 4 TO 6Note that the chicken needs to brine for at least 2 hours and then air-dry for at least 2 hours before frying. Avoid using kosher chicken in this recipe or it will be too salty. Use a Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts or more. Maintaining an even oil temperature is key here.8 cups buttermilk3 garlic heads, cloves separated, peeled, and smashed½ cup plus 2 tablespoons salt¼ cup sugar2 tablespoons paprika3 bay leaves, crumbled1 (3½-pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (4 breast pieces, 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs), wings and giblets discarded3-4 cups peanut oil or vegetable shortening4 cups all-purpose flourCUTTING UP A WHOLE CHICKEN FOR FRYING1. With sharp chef ’s knife, cut through skin around leg where it attaches to breast. 2. Pop leg joint out of its socket. Use chef ’s knife to cut through flesh and skin to detach leg from body. 3. Cut through joint where line of fat separates thigh and drumstick. Repeat steps 1 through 3 with other leg. 4. Bend wing out from breast and cut through joint. Cut through cartilage to remove wing. Cut through joint to split. Repeat with other wing. 5. Using poultry shears, cut along ribs to completely separate back from breast. Discard backbone. 6. Place knife on breastbone, then apply pressure to cut through and separate breast into halves. Cut each breast in half crosswise.1 large egg1 teaspoon baking powder½ teaspoon baking soda1. Whisk 7 cups buttermilk, garlic, salt, sugar, paprika, and bay leaves together in large container . Add chicken and turn to coat . Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 hours .2. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet . Rinse chicken, place on prepared wire rack, and refrigerate, uncovered, for 2 hours . (Chicken can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 6 hours .)3. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees . Line large plate with triple layer of paper towels . Set second wire rack in second rimmed baking sheet . Add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures about 3/4 inch deep and heat over medium-high heat to 375 degrees .4. Meanwhile, spread flour in shallow dish . Lightly beat egg, baking powder, and baking soda together in medium bowl, then whisk in remaining 1 cup buttermilk (mixture will bubble and foam) . Working with 1 piece at a time, dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess, then dip in buttermilk mixture, letting excess drip off . Dredge chicken in flour again, shaking off excess, and return to wire rack .5. When oil is hot, carefully transfer half of chicken to pot, skin side down . Cover and fry, adjusting burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature of 325 degrees, until deep golden brown, 7 to 11 minutes . (After 4 min-utes, check chicken for even browning and rearrange if some pieces are browning faster than others .) Flip chicken and continue to cook until breasts register 160 degrees and drumsticks/thighs register 175 degrees, 6 to 8 minutes longer . (Smaller pieces may cook faster than larger pieces . Remove pieces from pot as they reach correct temperature .) Let chicken drain briefly on prepared plate, then transfer to second prepared wire rack and place in oven to keep warm .6. Return oil to 375 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken . Serve .13Poultryfastest weeknight chickenLAN LAM, March/April 2017A juicy, crisp-skinned roast chicken is always welcome in my house, but achieving it on a weeknight can seem like wishful thinking . A few years back, we made this goal more manageable with our Weeknight Roast Chicken, which cut a good 50 minutes off the usual 21/2-hour prepara-tion time . That recipe eliminates brining (and salting, which must be done overnight) and calls for starting the bird in a preheated skillet in a very hot oven and then turning off the heat midway through cooking . The hot skillet jump-starts the cooking of the thighs, while finishing the bird in a cooling oven ensures that the breast stays moist and tender . Though a roast chicken that clocks in at 1 hour and 40 minutes from start to finish is impressive, I wondered if I could speed things up even more .RACKING UP SOLUTIONSOut of the gate I knew that, as in our previ-ous recipe, I would skip salting and brining to save as much time as possible . Next, I made a big decision: I wouldn’t roast my chicken . Instead, I would broil it . An oven takes 20 minutes to preheat, while a broiler requires just 5 minutes . Beyond that, roast-ing relies on the air in the oven to transfer heat to the chicken, and air is a poor con-ductor . A broiler heats the chicken directly via waves of radiant heat, which transfer heat much more efficiently .Flattening the bird by butterflying it was the essential first step . If I didn’t do this, the skin on the breast, which would be situated close to the heat, would burn before the thighs, located farther away, would cook through . With a good pair of kitchen shears, the task took just a few minutes . After applying a thin coat of oil, I generously seasoned both sides with salt and pepper . But before I could start broiling, I needed to settle on a rack position . While one might reflexively use the top rack for broiling, it’s not always the best option . Think of the broiler ele-ment in an electric oven as a collection of hot lights affixed to the top of the oven . The farther the food is from the “lights,” the more diffuse and uniform the illuminated area, while placing food closer to the ele-ment will create concentrated spots of “light .” To cook the chicken evenly and effi-ciently, I needed to set the oven rack far enough from the element to minimize the number of hot spots but not so far away that the chicken cooked too slowly .I broiled a few birds, placing the rack about 6 inches from the element and moving it progressively farther away . As I expected, the farther away I placed the rack, the more even the cooking and browning became—but too far and the chicken cooked through before I got enough browning on the skin . Twelve to 13 inches from the broiler was the sweet spot . I preheated the broiler, placed my butterflied chicken on a baking sheet, and slid the sheet into the oven, rotating it once halfway through the cooking time .The results were promising but not per-fect . I’d shaved off about 30 minutes (it took me 1 hour and 20 minutes start to finish), and after the prep, it was totally hands-off except for the quick rotation . But though I’d stopped cooking at our usual target done-ness temperature of 160 degrees, the breast was dry and overcooked, while the leg quar-ters were undercooked . Plus, there were problems with the skin . Despite the fact that I’d flattened the bird and rotated it during cooking, the skin had blistered and black-ened in spots, particularly on the legs, which had contracted due to the intense heat and drawn up away from the sheet, closer to the heat source . The fat also hadn’t rendered away completely, leaving the skin rubbery in places . I wanted to fix these problems, and I wanted to shave off even more time .THE HEAT IS ON (AND OFF)To help the fat deposits under the skin ren-der better, I used a paring knife to pierce the skin in multiple spots, which would allow the fat to escape . As for getting the dark and white meat to reach the right doneness tem-peratures at the same time, I needed to slow down the rate at which the white meat cooked while speeding up the dark meat . My solution was two-pronged . First, I swapped out the baking sheet for a skillet and pre-heated the skillet on the stovetop before add-ing the chicken . Second, I didn’t preheat the broiler but rather put the chicken in a cold oven and then turned on the broiler . This allowed the legs to begin cooking as soon as the chicken went into the hot pan, while the breast side, held slightly away from the pan by the ribs, would cook from above at a slower rate . To further ensure that the legs wouldn’t scorch, I tied them together with kitchen twine to keep them from drawing up toward the heat source .As yet another safeguard against over-cooking, I decided to remove the chicken from the oven a little sooner . A chicken roasted until the breast meat reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees carries over about 5 to 7 degrees, but because of the broiler’s more intense, direct heat, the meat was carry-ing over more—an extra 10 to 15 degrees . This left the lean breast meat dried out and chalky . Removing the chicken from the oven when the breast reached 155 degrees allowed it to carry over to just the right temperature and helped keep it moist . The thighs reached about 180 degrees, above our usual target of 175 degrees, but with their extra fat for pro-tection, they could handle it . As a bonus, pulling the chicken out earlier shaved off a couple more minutes .We harness the intense heat of the broiler to produce juicy meat and crisp skin.14COOK’S ILLUSTRATED REVOLUTIONARY RECIPESPOKING HOLESNow my chicken was much more tender and juicy . But the skin wasn’t what I had imagined—it was still too dark in spots . Upon closer inspection I saw that the portions of skin that I had pierced had stayed flush against the meat and were perfectly browned . But the remaining unpierced areas were blis-tered and blackened . Here’s why: Water exuded by the meat was turning into steam . In areas where that steam couldn’t escape, it inflated the skin away from the flesh . The closer the skin was to the broiler element, the more it charred . The fix was simple . When I pierced the skin at 3/4-inch intervals all over, sure enough, the chicken emerged from the broiler with deeply and evenly browned, well-rendered skin .After transferring the bird to a carving board, I contemplated the drippings left in the skillet . They were nicely seasoned and had an intense chicken flavor . Could I turn them into a pan sauce with minimal work? I stirred in a smashed garlic clove and some thyme sprigs and let them infuse while the chicken rested; then I skimmed the fat from the sur-face with a spoon . The impact was impres-sive; I had a simple but surprisingly full- flavored sauce to serve alongside the chicken .When I glanced up at the clock, I saw that I had cut the cooking time down to 45 minutes and the total time to 1 hour and 5 minutes . Here was a golden-brown, juicy, tender, hands-off broiled chicken and sauce fit for any night of the week .One-Hour Broiled Chicken and Pan SauceSERVES 4If your broiler has multiple settings, choose the highest one. This recipe requires a broiler- safe skillet. In step 3, if the skin is dark golden brown but the breast has not yet reached 155 degrees, cover the chicken with aluminum foil and continue to broil. Moni-tor the temperature of the chicken carefully during the final 10 minutes of cooking, because it can quickly overcook. Do not attempt this recipe with a drawer broiler.1 (4-pound) whole chicken, giblets discarded1½ teaspoons vegetable oilKosher salt and pepper4 sprigs fresh thyme1 garlic clove, peeled and crushedLemon wedges1. Adjust oven rack 12 to 13 inches from broiler element (do not preheat broiler) . Place chicken breast side down on cutting board . Using kitchen shears, cut through bones on either side of backbone . Trim off any excess fat and skin and discard backbone . Flip chicken over and press on breastbone to flatten . Using tip of paring knife, poke holes through skin over entire surface of chicken, spacing them approximately 3/4 inch apart .2. Rub 1/2 teaspoon oil over skin and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper . Flip chicken over, sprinkle bone side with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and season with pepper . Tie legs together with kitchen twine and tuck wings under breasts .3. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in broiler -safe 12-inch skillet over high heat until just smoking . Place chicken in skillet, skin side up, and transfer to oven, positioning skillet as close to center of oven as handle allows (turn handle so it points toward one of oven’s front corners) . Turn on broiler and broil chicken for 25 minutes . Rotate skillet by moving handle to opposite front corner of oven and continue to broil until skin is dark golden brown and thickest part of breast registers 155 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes longer .4. Transfer chicken to carving board and let rest, uncovered, for 15 minutes . While chicken rests, stir thyme sprigs and garlic into juices in pan and let stand for 10 minutes .5. Using spoon, skim fat from surface of pan juices . Carve chicken and transfer any accumulated juices to pan . Strain sauce through fine-mesh strainer and season with salt and pepper to taste . Serve chicken, pass-ing pan sauce and lemon wedges separately .FOR PERFECT BROILED CHICKEN, KEEP IT OUT OF THE SPOTLIGHTFor even cooking and browning, the butterflied chicken must be placed at the right distance from the broiler element. Though electric and gas broilers are designed differently, both work the same way: The radiant heat is more focused and intense near the element and becomes more diffuse the farther away it gets.SPOTTY COVERAGEWhen the oven rack is placed too close to the broiler element, the heat radiating from the “spotlights” is concentrated, resulting in burnt skin and uneven cooking.UNIFORM COVERAGEWhen the oven rack is placed farther from the broiler element, the heat radiating from the “spotlights” is diffused, which results in browned skin and even cooking.PREVENT BLACKENED SKINIn our early tests, the chicken’s skin bubbled up from the meat, which put it closer to the broiler and caused it to burn. Our solution? Pierce the skin at 3/4-inch intervals all over the bird, which provides enough vents for steam to escape.Trapped steam causes skin to blister and burn17Vegetable Sidesa new way to cook broccoli rabeSTEVE DUNN, September/October 2016In the past I rarely, if ever, cooked broccoli rabe . (Rabe, or rapini, as it’s known in Italy where the vegetable is a mainstay in the cuisine, is actually more closely related to spicy turnips than to regular, more-mellow broccoli .) While I’m a fan of this green’s bitter, mustardy bite, I seem to be in the minority on this . As a result, the majority of recipes you find jump through hoops to subdue its characteristic flavor . One of the most popular approaches calls for chopping, blanching, shocking, draining, and sautéing the pieces with strong -flavored aromatics—a lengthy ordeal that wipes out just about any trace of the green’s pungency and leaves you with a sink full of dirty dishes . I wanted to figure out an efficient way to temper rabe’s bitterness but not eliminate it entirely . And since this green would offer much more character than most vegetables, it would need little or no dressing before it hit the plate . Broccoli rabe gets its bitter flavor from enzymes that are stored mainly in its florets and that get released when the plant is cut or chewed . The upshot of this was that the way in which I cut the rabe seemed likely to be at least as important as how I cooked it . I proved this with a quick side-by-side test: I divided a bunch of rabe in half and fully chopped one portion, florets and all . Then, I cut the remaining stalks roughly where the leaves and florets start to branch off from the stems, leaving the leafy parts intact, and cut the stem segments (where less of the bitter- tasting enzyme resides) into bite-size pieces . I simply sautéed both batches and took a taste . Sure enough, the intact pieces were considerably more mellow . It also turns out that there was another factor at play: The high heat of cooking deactivates one of the enzymes in the vegetable and thus stops the reaction that contributes most of the bitter flavor in the first place .I could have stopped right there and cre-ated a recipe for sautéing chopped stems and whole leaves and florets, but I’d found a few recipes that called for roasting the rabe, which was an interesting alternative . I hoped that the rabe would brown deeply and take on a rich caramelized flavor that would bal-ance out the remaining bitterness . I prepared another batch using my new cutting tech-nique, tossing them with simple flavorings and roasting them on a rimmed baking sheet in a 400-degree oven .After 10 minutes, the rabe had caramelized nicely, and the leaves now also offered a delicate crunch—that part was good . But tex-turally, the stems had suffered, turning soft and stringy by the time they had browned .Part of the problem was that the water droplets left over from washing the rabe were taking a long time to burn off and therefore delaying browning . Going forward, I got serious about drying the greens by rolling them in clean dish towels to blot away as much moisture as possible . I also cranked the heat to 450, but even then the stems were limp by the time they were browned .It was time to take it up a notch to the broiler . I adjusted the oven rack 4 inches from the heating element, popped in another batch, and kept a close watch . I tossed them halfway through to make sure they cooked evenly . A few minutes later, the results were perfect: lightly charred, crisp leaves and flo-rets and perfectly crisp -tender stalks .Broiled Broccoli RabeSERVES 43 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil1 pound broccoli rabe1 garlic clove, minced3/4 teaspoon kosher salt¼ teaspoon red pepper flakesLemon wedges1. Adjust oven rack 4 inches from broiler element and heat broiler . Brush rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil .2. Trim and discard bottom 1 inch of broccoli rabe stems . Wash broccoli rabe with cold water, then dry with clean dish towel . Cut tops (leaves and florets) from stems, then cut stems into 1-inch pieces (keep tops whole) . Transfer broccoli rabe to prepared sheet .3. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons oil, garlic, salt, and pepper flakes in small bowl . Pour oil mixture over broccoli rabe and toss to combine .4. Broil until half of leaves are well browned, 2 to 21/2 minutes . Using tongs, toss to expose unbrowned leaves . Return sheet to oven and continue to broil until most leaves are lightly charred and stems are crisp-tender, 2 to 21/2 minutes longer . Transfer to serving platter and serve immediately, passing lemon wedges .NIPPING BITTERNESS IN THE BUDCutting and chewing broccoli rabe releases compounds that are bitter. Since more of these compounds are in the florets, we leave the leafy part whole. Broiling the rabe also reduces bitterness, as heat exposure deacti-vates the enzyme (myrosinase) that causes the bitterness.We carefully cut and then broil broccoli rabe to tame its bitterness and give it complex flavor.18COOK’S ILLUSTRATED REVOLUTIONARY RECIPESgreat roast shrimpANDREW JANJIGIAN, January/February 2013When I set out to find the best way to make roasted shrimp, I thought I’d hit the jackpot . Quick-cooking shrimp make an easy weeknight dinner, and the idea of roasting them until they develop deep, flavorful browning seemed so natural that I figured there were plenty of good recipes out there to learn from .Imagine my surprise, then, when the hand-ful I tried produced pale, insipid shrimp that looked as though they’d been baked, not roasted . Some of the missteps seemed obvious, such as crowding lots of small shrimp (tossed with oil and aromatics) on a sheet pan or in a baking dish, where their exuded moisture caused them to steam and prevented browning . Some of the oven temperatures were also strangely low—around 300 degrees . I was sure I could do better, while keeping the technique simple enough for an easy weeknight meal .THE HEAT IS ONMy challenge was clear from the start: The goals of roasting—a juicy interior and a thoroughly browned exterior—were impeded by the fact that lean shrimp cook through very quickly . Knowing that, I made two immediate decisions: First, I would crank the oven temperature very high to get good browning on the exterior of the shrimp— 500 degrees seemed like a fine place to start . Second, I would use the biggest shrimp I could get . That meant skipping right past even the extra-large size and reaching for the jumbo (16 to 20 per pound) shrimp, which would be the least likely to dry out in the heat . Using larger shrimp would also mean that there would be fewer pieces crowding the pan, and their smaller total amount of surface area would mean that less steam would be created— therefore making browning possible . As a test run, I oiled and seasoned 2 pounds of peeled shrimp with nothing more than a little salt and pepper (I’d explore flavorings once I’d nailed down a cooking method) and slid them into the oven on a sheet pan .I thought the 500-degree blast would get the shrimp good and brown in a hurry, so I hovered around the oven and checked on their color every couple of minutes . Trouble was, the color never came—and while I waited and waited for the browning to kick in, the shrimp turned from tender and slightly translucent to fully opaque . I knew before I plunged a fork into them that they were overcooked . Clearly, high heat alone wasn’t going to cut it, so I started experimenting . “Searing” them by preheating the baking sheet in the 500-degree oven helped, but only a little, since the pan’s temperature plum-meted as soon as the shrimp hit . Blasting the next batch under the broiler finally delivered some decent browning to the topsides of the shrimp, but their undersides were still damp and utterly pale .Part of the problem was air circulation . When we roast beef or pork, we often elevate them on a rack so that hot air can surround them, drying out and browning even the underside of the meat . With that in mind, I tried broiling my next batch of shrimp on a wire rack set in the baking sheet—and finally started to see some real progress .But the approach wasn’t perfect . The heat of my broiler, as with all broilers, was uneven, which meant that I had to rotate the baking sheet halfway through cooking to prevent the shrimp from scorching under the element’s hot spots, and even then I got a few desiccated pieces . In addition to using jumbo shrimp, the situation demanded a foolproof buffer against the heat, and the obvious answer was to brine the shrimp . The extra moisture that gets pulled into the lean flesh with the salt helps it stay moist even in a hot oven . Thanks to the shrimp’s relatively small size, just a 15-minute soak in brine ensured that inside they stayed nice and plump—not to mention well seasoned throughout . Outside, however, they still shriveled under the broiler’s heat before they had a chance to develop deep “roasted” color and flavor .AN A-PEELING SOLUTIONI hoped that a thorough coat of olive oil (I’d been lightly glossing my shrimp) might stave off evaporation, but while the extra fat did keep the shrimp a bit more moist, it did nothing to even out browning . The idea of giving the shrimp a protective layer inspired another idea, though: What if I took advan-tage of the shrimp’s natural protective coat-ing and roasted them in their shells? Surely their “jackets” would prevent the surface of the meat from shriveling and, being drier than the meat, would probably brown quickly, too . The downside would be that shell-on shrimp are messier to eat, but if the results were good, having to peel them at the table would be worth it .To make deveining and (later) peeling the shrimp easier, I used a pair of kitchen shears to split their shells from end to end without removing them from the flesh, and then I proceeded with my brine-and-broil technique . The results were stunning: shrimp that were moist and plump inside and evenly browned outside . In fact, the depth of the shrimp’s “roasted” flavor exceeded my expectations and prompted me to mention the results to our science editor, who replied with some surprising intel . Turns out that the shells were doing much more than protecting the crustaceans’ flesh: They are loaded with sugars, proteins, and other flavor-boosting compounds that amplify the rich seafood flavor . Juicy, deeply browned shrimp complete, I moved on to tackle flavorings . I was already splitting the shells across the back and devein-ing the shrimp, so I took the technique one step further and butterflied the exposed flesh, cutting through the meat just short of sever-Butterflying shell-on shrimp allows the heady flavors of garlic and spices to thoroughly coat the flesh.Next >