This simple dish was one of Dmitri’s signatures
Simple ingredients turn shrimp into a spicy, garlicky appetizer from chef Dmitri Chimes.
Part of the allure of Dmitri Chimes’ homestyle Greek cooking at his Dmitri’s was the simplicity.
“I grill fish, with olive oil, salt and pepper, and lemon juice — nothing else,” he told Inquirer columnist Jim Quinn in June 1990, when the original Dmitri’s was still a pre-Yelp secret in Queen Village. “I go down to the food distribution center every day and buy whatever is freshest. Whatever I like that’s freshest.”
Panfried smelts were fresh, just rolled in flour, crisped, and served with a light bread and olive oil and garlic skordalia sauce.
Another memorable Dmitri’s dish, not on the original menu but served for more than a quarter-century, was shrimp pil pil, a Spanish dish that actually debuted at Pamplona, another Chimes’ restaurant. With the zing of chili paste and a punch of garlic, shrimp pil pil was a terrific prelude.
After he shared the recipe and a tip (”use garlic powder, not real garlic”), I asked Chimes if he remembered how it was plated. He reached into his home kitchen cabinet and pulled out a 9-inch oval plate with green rings around the edges. It was the same dishware pattern he’d used for years, a leftover from the Northern Liberties location. When I re-created the dish at home and slid on the steaming shrimp, it was 1997 again.
Adapted from the recipe by Dmitri Chimes
1 teaspoon chili paste (sambal oelek)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon water
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
16 medium fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons olive oil
All-purpose flour for dusting
Combine chili paste, garlic, lemon juice, water, and parsley in a bowl.
Rinse shrimp, dust in flour, and saute in oil, tossing till browned. Stir in the chili mixture and cook one more minute.
Makes two appetizer-size servings.
