Canoce in Saor

Name: Canoce in Saor
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Veneta
Ingredients: 800 g mantis shrimp; 700 g white onions; 60 ml Extra virgin olive oil; 120 ml white wine vinegar; 30 g sultanas; 25 g pine nuts; 2 piece Bay leaves; 6 piece Black peppercorns; 5 g Fine sea salt

Mantis shrimp layered with slow-cooked sweet and sour onions, sultanas, and pine nuts. Known in standard Italian as canocchie in saor.

🇮🇹Italy· Veneto

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 60 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Medium
Calories: 380 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 9 gathered

Servings

800 g mantis shrimp — whole and fresh, rinsed
700 g white onions — thinly sliced
60 ml Extra virgin olive oil — plus extra for drizzling
120 ml white wine vinegar — good quality
30 g sultanas — soaked in warm water and drained
25 g pine nuts — lightly toasted
2 piece Bay leaves — fresh or dried
6 piece Black peppercorns — whole
5 g Fine sea salt — to taste

Equipment

•Large saucepan
•Deep frying pan
•Kitchen scissors
•Slotted spoon
•Wide ceramic dish

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 380 kcal
fat: 18 g
carbs: 22 g
fibre: 3 g
protein: 28 g
calories: 380 kcal

Instructions

1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil with one bay leaf and the peppercorns.
2
Add the rinsed mantis shrimp to the boiling water and cook for exactly three minutes.
3
Lift the shrimp out using a slotted spoon and let them cool completely on a tray.
4
Use kitchen scissors to snip off the sharp lateral spines, legs, and tail tips of each shrimp.
5
Cut a shallow slit down the underside of each shell to make peeling easier later.
6
Heat olive oil in a wide frying pan over low heat and add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt.
7
Cook gently for twenty minutes until the onions collapse, turn soft and translucent, without letting them brown.
8
Pour in the white wine vinegar, add the remaining bay leaf, and simmer until the sharp aroma mellows.
9
Stir in the drained sultanas and toasted pine nuts, then remove the pan from the heat.
10
Arrange a layer of warm onion mixture in the base of a clean ceramic dish.
11
Lay the prepared mantis shrimp across the onions, then cover completely with the remaining warm onion marinade.
12
Cool to room temperature, cover tightly, and refrigerate for at least twenty-four hours before serving.

Chef's tips

Always trim the sharp spiny edges along both sides of the mantis shrimp so guests can open them cleanly without injury. The dish must rest for at least twenty-four to forty-eight hours in the refrigerator so the delicate crustacean meat absorbs the sweet-sour marinade.

Ingredient substitutions

mantis shrimp → fresh langoustines or unpeeled large prawns
white wine vinegar → mild apple cider vinegar

Storage

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and consume within three days.

Reheating

Do not reheat; bring to room temperature for thirty minutes before serving.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Serving the dish immediately instead of allowing the saor marinade to rest and mellow for at least a day.
•Browning or crisping the onions, which makes the saor unpleasantly bitter.
•Failing to trim the sharp lateral spines on the mantis shrimp shells before layering.

Serving suggestions

Serve at room temperature alongside grilled slices of white Venetian polenta.Offer as a traditional bàcaro cicchetto on thick slices of crusty sourdough bread.