Hollandse Garnalen met Citroenmayonaise

In Yerseke, the tide table told us when mussels arrived, but the little grey shrimp belonged to the quay in a different way. You bought them already cooked, still faintly salty from the North Sea, and if you were lucky someone had peeled them by hand before impatience ruined the afternoon. Hollandse garnalen, Dutch grey shrimp, are not impressive at first glance. That is their trick.

But let me tell you a secret: these small brown-grey creatures are one of the great luxuries of the Dutch coast. They are cooked aboard or soon after landing because they spoil quickly, then peeled, traditionally by hand, a task so fiddly it makes you understand why a bowl of them feels like a gift. The flavour is delicate, sweet, mineral, almost nutty. If you drown it in sauce, you have paid good money to taste mayonnaise. For obvious reasons, this is a poor bargain.

So we keep it simple. Hou het altijd simpel, always keep it simple. A little lemon, a soft mayonnaise, buttered brown bread, maybe chopped chives or parsley, and the shrimp kept cold until the last moment. The cook's work is restraint. Let the sea speak first, then pass the bread.