- There's a lot of hard work that goes into sourcing fresh shrimp.

And as a chef, I really appreciate it.

Today I'm picking up some fresh shrimp that I'm excited to cook up later on.

(upbeat music) I'm Lauren Furey, and "Now we're Cookin'."

(upbeat music) (waves splash) (upbeat music) Well, I have a very special guest today.

Gaylinn Fast, the one and only.

Well, I call her G-Money really.

(both laugh) She's a very dear friend of mine.

Thank you so much for coming.

- It's a pleasure.

- Gaylinn lives in Connecticut and came down to Folly Beach to film a Sicilian salad recipe with us today.

And I picked this recipe for particular reasons because we love Sicily.

- We do.

- And Gaylinn and I both went to Sicily a couple years ago.

- We met each other in the airport, passing each other.

- Yes, yes.

- Basically.

(both laughing) - But we'll have to go back one day together.

- We will.

- I'm always fascinated by you because you are also a DJ, the hostess with the mostest.

(both laugh) So how did you get into DJing?

- I had a bed and breakfast, and I did a lot of events in Connecticut and New York City.

And a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to DJ a Chanel party in New York.

- Wow.

- For an opening that they were doing.

And I said I've never done anything like that.

And he goes, but you play great music.

And so that was my first job was doing a Chanel party.

And then I did some other parties, and now I just kind of make playlists.

- This fennel and orange salad definitely makes the whole kitchen smell super yummy.

And it will remind us of Sicily.

So you ready to get to it?

- I am.

- All right, cool.

So the first step in this fennel and orange salad is to make sure you get ingredients that make you very happy.

And so that means fresh herbs.

And with a Charleston twist, we're gonna add some local shrimp, which are so good.

So as y'all can see, there's many layers to fennel.

And just like people, you know, many layers.

(both laugh) Would you like to break these into layers?

- Sure.

- And then just put this in the bowl.

- All righty.

- All right.

It feels just like the old days Gaylinn, cooking on the yacht together.

And we're gonna save these fronds.

As you can see, they're very thin and dainty, and they make a nice garnish for our salad.

And you are so good at using every part of each ingredient to add to your cheese boards or whatever you're making.

How do you know how to make everything look so pretty?

- Gosh, I think a lot of it is just practice, honestly.

I mean, I think after you just keep making 9 million charcuterie platters, it just comes naturally.

But, and I think, you know, looking at other, you know, looking at things online or when you travel or you're going to a restaurant, you know, you just look at what other people are doing too.

I think that helps.

- Perfect.

All right, you made that look so easy.

So we're going to save these stalks and set 'em aside 'cause we're gonna use them later in our salad.

All right, so Gaylinn, would you like please demonstrate how to thinly slice this fennel?

- I'll do my best.

- All right, Gaylinn, what are some components that make a great salad?

- I think diversity, you know, the different kinds of lettuces, different kinds of herbs if you have those.

Keeping it seasonal.

If you can use, you know, like I've been doing a lot of fresh things from the garden.

You know, whatever looks good.

Keep it fun, and, you know, interesting.

- Keep it fun.

- Yeah.

- Keep it fun, that.

- Keep it fun.

- That's a good one.

That's important.

- Yes.

- It's just a salad.

Gotta have fun with it.

- It's just a salad.

- My favorite fruit is definitely oranges.

And we have a variety that we're gonna use today.

So next up, Gaylinn, will you supreme this cara cara orange for me?

- Okay.

- Supreme-ing an orange, were separating the segments.

- [Gaylinn] Right.

- [Lauren] And removing the skin, and as you can see, Gaylinn is very beautifully taking the skin off this orange.

- Do you usually try and get down as much as you can to the flesh?

- Yes, yep, we get down to the flesh because the white pith is super bitter.

- Mm hm, okay, how's that?

- Don't wanna pith our guests off.

(Gaylinn laughing) Sorry, that was pretty zesty.

(both laughing) - All right, so then we're looking for just where the segments are.

- Yeah, and so I use the term supreme-ing, and that is perfect.

- Yeah?

- Yes.

- And throw it in.

- Absolutely.

I like to think of cara cara oranges, like the navel orange's cooler cousin.

- Yeah.

- And so they're a little chic.

They're slightly sweeter and floral.

And the juice that they provide is quite beautiful.

- [Gaylinn] The color is gorgeous.

- Yes, all right now I gotta tell you, one of my after dinner party secrets.

- Uh oh, okay.

- I don't know if I ever told you before?

- Probably not.

- So when I go cook for events, I always keep a cold orange in my fridge afterwards.

It's like my refreshing treat.

- Really?

- Yes.

- So you do the work, you have the party, and then you enjoy an orange.

- Yes.

- That's so healthy.

I love that.

- Yes, it's the simple things.

- And so then do you usually just squeeze this into the bowl?

- Oh yeah.

- Because I got - Look at those muscles.

- Pretty much all the segments out of there.

All right.

Voila.

- Voila.

Right here.

- Merci.

- All right.

And now, Gaylinn, it's time for you to juggle these.

- Okay, it's probably not gonna happen, but, whoa.

- You're multi-talented.

So next, Gaylinn, we're gonna do the juice and zest of one orange.

And I'll do that, okay.

How about we cut this orange into half moons.

All right, so we'll take the skin off and cut the orange in half and then.

- [Gaylinn] Okay.

- In half again.

So we have the sweet oranges in the salad.

We're gonna add a little bit of lemon to add some acidity.

So I'm taking the zest and juice of half the lemon.

You can always add more if you like things to have a little extra bite.

So, and then I take the zest out.

- Yummy.

- I would be like a zestatarian if that was a thing.

- It is now.

- It is now.

- [Both] Now we're cookin'.

(both laughing) - You're so much fun to have in the kitchen, Gaylinn.

- Okay, I'm a liability, but.

- Yeah, oh.

You've taught me how to always make sure to have a good time.

- Yes.

- No matter what you're doing.

Hand and juice, - You gotta have fun.

You think about how many hours you're in a small, you know, space cooking.

- Yes.

- And I think that's challenging, you know, as a chef.

You don't get to move around a lot.

You're in this little space.

So you have to keep it fun and interesting.

- Keep it fun.

- Yeah.

- Now we are going to just mix this up.

We're gonna let it sit and all the flavors absorb, and they play so well together, the fennel and the orange.

- Yum.

- And you know, fennel is crunchy, right?

And so the oranges will help soften it, and it will become almost like a slaw type consistency.

- Yeah, sounds delicious.

- It is delicioso.

- Delicioso.

(Lauren laughing) - And so would you like to add just about a tablespoon?

- Sure.

- Just measure with your heart.

- [Gaylinn] Okay.

- And this is extra virgin olive oil.

- [Gaylinn] Voila.

- All right, so let's add a little bit of the fennel fronds.

- Sure.

- And so the fennel fronds are on the top of the bulb of the fennel.

And they provide flavor, beauty, all the good stuff.

And that's perfect, Gaylinn.

- All right.

- Let's do a little bit of salt which will also help soften everything.

Bring out the flavor of our ingredients, pepper.

You know, I used to be a pepper mill girl, and I do love them so, but in this case, I love just pinching it 'cause then I can go like, woo.

- Ooh.

(both laughing) - So if you wanna use your, should we get met?

I'll do one side and you do the other side.

- Okay, ready?

- You ready?

- Dig in.

- Set, go.

(both laughing and humming) Cooking with Gaylinn.

- Yippee.

Okay.

- [Lauren] All right, we goin' let it sit.

- [Gaylinn] Now that it's all mixed.

- We say goodnight, goodbye for now.

And we're moving on to the shrimp.

You ready?

- I am.

- All right, let's do it.

- Okay.

- Okay.

High five with our orange hands.

- Ooh.

(both laughing) Oooh.

- Oh, no.

All right, Gaylinn, so I know you are a pro at peeling and deveining shrimp because you do shrimp cocktail, pickled shrimp, all the yummy things.

So why don't you show us how it's done today.

Peel and deveining shrimp.

- Okay, Lauren, I will.

So you just have to dig your nail around the shell.

And carefully go down the body of the shrimp down to the tail.

And then, you know, make sure his little legs are gone.

You can squeeze the tail to release it from the shrimp.

And then I take a knife and I just carefully run it, not too deep, down the back and open it up and take out the vein.

So he's nice and clean.

Ready to cook.

- We're ready to cook.

Are you ready to cook?

- And now we're cookin'.

Let's go.

- Now we're cookin'.

- Yes.

- Let's do this thing.

- All right.

- It's about time to dial these shrimp up a little bit.

What you think?

- Yeah, they look great.

- So we let them dry on a little piece of paper towels, and we're gonna just put these shrimp in the bowl.

And since I have shrimp hands now, would you be so kind, my friend, to just dress them up with some olive oil.

- And then we'll put some salt.

And some pepper.

- Yeah, I like how you say that.

- Pepper.

How's that lookin'?

- Excellent.

- Okay, and then mix it?

- [Lauren] Yeah.

- [Gaylinn] Get in there.

- Mix, mix, mix.

I'm giving them a nice deep tissue massage.

So the shrimp are evenly coated in this beautiful olive oil, salt and pepper, and once you see that nice shimmer on 'em, it's time to get a little sizzle on 'em.

- Got it.

- All right?

- Okay.

- Let's rock.

Let's sear up these shrimp, and we have a little extra virgin olive oil.

Oh yeah.

- Oh, look at that.

(shrimp sizzling) (upbeat music) - Well, I think we're about ready to finish these up and make our salad over here.

Plate it up.

What do you think?

- [Gaylinn] Sounds perfect.

- All right, Gaylinn, what do you say we put this thing together?

- Sounds good.

- All right.

So if you just wanna plate about half of that salad, and we have pistachios here with no shell on them, and pistachios are one of my favorite ingredients because they are slightly sweet, they're definitely nutty, just like me.

(both laughing) And as y'all can see, I'm just coarsely chopping this.

Just so we get some texture.

And I'll hand you this fennel.

- All right.

- So we can add the fronds, the little pieces there.

And I'm gonna add some fresh mint to add some herby flavor.

And here is the shrimp for you.

- Okay, let's see.

- [Lauren] Perfect.

- [Gaylinn] How pretty, look at how nice that looks.

- [Lauren] It's gorgeous.

Well done.

- [Gaylinn] What do you think?

- [Lauren] A plus.

- All right.

- And I'm gonna make it rain.

Get my little frond.

That's that.

I am so excited about the salad.

- Where are our forks?

(Gaylinn laughing) - I think it's time for us to dig in.

- Mangia.

- Mangia, mangia, mangia.

All right, Gaylinn, you go, let's go together.

- [Gaylinn] Okay.

- [Lauren] All right.

And then I'm gonna cheers you.

Mangia.

Buon appetito.

- Grazie Mille.

- Grazie Mille.

- Okay.

- Cin cin.

- Cin cin.

(both laughing) (upbeat music) Perfecto.

Delicious.

- Wow, that is really good and very refreshing.

I love how this salad has the mint in there.

It adds refreshing flavors.

- [Gaylinn] So you have the juiciness of the orange and the fennel just is that nice crunchy bite.

Just adds like another dimension to the salad.

- It really does.

Gaylinn, thank you so much for coming to cook with me today.

- It was my pleasure.

Thanks for having me.

I love being in the Charleston area and just seeing all these amazing local ingredients.

It's a lot of fun.

Thank you.

- Thank you so much for watching "Now We're Cookin'."

I'm Lauren Furey, and catch you next time.

(upbeat music)