Or,

Vic’s Tequila-Lime Shrimp Platter
Word this morning brought several elements of the Creative Section to the Conference Table on the Fourth Floor just as the first light appeared in the east through the big glass windows.

Did peace just break out in the Middle East?

That is one of the streams playing on the flat screen. Miles left the punditry stream yesterday after the results of the two big Alpha-level strikes by U.S. Navy carrier aircraft were announced. Mr. Trump then warned that if diplomacy did not break out, something really big was going to happen this weekend.

Apparently, several of Iran’s Gulf neighbors went to Tehran and told its leaders to come to their senses—or watch their proud nation get hammered into rubble after what had intended to be attention-getters without public infrastructure.

The President subsequently announced that offensive operations had been placed on “pause,” pending an assessment of whether the Strait of Hormuz is now open to the free transit of international shipping.

So, good news this Sunday morning—with the caveat that we have heard this sort of thing before during the 47 years we have been observers—and occasional participants—in this dance. They have never honroed an agreement, but we’ll see. As will they.

Miles is going back to bed.
Deirdre spun the luncheon dial to determine whether we were getting more chicken from Splash or something else. It turns out the dial landed on me.

Vic.

So, here is my—

Tequila-Lime Shrimp Platter

Yield: The usual—about 20 servings
Preparation and cooking time: About 30–40 minutes
Ingredients
15 tablespoons butter, divided
5 shallots, minced
10 garlic cloves, minced
1¼ cups tequila
2½ tablespoons grated lime zest, plus more for serving
⅝ cup fresh lime juice
5 tablespoons olive oil
5 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
10 medium zucchini, spiralized—approximately 30 cups
2½ teaspoons salt
1¼ teaspoons black pepper
1¼ cups minced fresh parsley
Galley Directions
Divide the ingredients into manageable batches. Trying to cook all 30 cups of zucchini in one pan will steam the zoodles and produce a watery dish. Three or four heavy Lodge skillets—or successive batches on the Russell Range—will work.

Melt most of the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for one to two minutes.

Remove the pans from the heat before adding the tequila. Stir in the tequila, lime zest and lime juice. Return the pans to medium heat and cook until the liquid has nearly evaporated, approximately two to three minutes.

Add the olive oil and remaining butter. Stir in the shrimp and cook until they are nearly pink.

Add the zucchini, salt and pepper. Cook only until the shrimp are opaque and the zoodles are crisp-tender—generally another two or three minutes.

Sprinkle generously with parsley and fresh lime zest. Serve immediately.

Galley caution: Tequila and an open flame are an exciting combination in all the wrong ways. Take the skillet completely off the burner before pouring it in.

The original recipe came from Brigette Schroeder and the Taste of Home Test Kitchen.

Crowd adaptation and Galley presentation: Vic Socotra and the Socotra House Creative Section.

Frozen-Lemon Pasta Hack

For those at the table who regard zucchini as a vegetable rather than a noodle, Holly has an alternative.

This recipe is a twist on pasta al limone, the Italian classic. Lemon zest, butter, cheese and starchy pasta water create a simple, bright sauce that clings to hot noodles in a velvety emulsion.

The lemons grown along the Amalfi Coast are prized for their extraordinarily aromatic zest, so it is no surprise that they are a staple of Campanian and Sicilian cooking.

The viral tweak? Start with a frozen lemon.

Freezing firms the whole fruit, making it quicker and easier to grate. The result is a creamy, bright pasta with an aroma that transports the Galley to the Italian coast.

Holly’s Take
Holly absolutely loved what Vic did with this fresh take on the classic recipe, although she prefers her pasta al limone with a little less pith.

“This is super fresh and super delicious,” she says. “Adding the pith does introduce a slightly bitter element, so I think the trick is to use a thin-skinned lemon.”

Ingredients
1 large unwaxed lemon, frozen solid for at least one night
½ of a 16-ounce box of spaghetti
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
Black pepper, to taste
½ cup reserved pasta water
Directions
Wash and dry the lemon, then freeze it overnight or until completely solid. When ready to cook, prepare the spaghetti until al dente.
While the pasta cooks, place the butter, Parmesan and black pepper in a large serving or mixing bowl.
Grate about one-third of the frozen lemon—zest, flesh and a little pith—directly into the bowl.
Add the hot pasta. Pour in approximately ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water and toss until the butter melts and the cheese forms a glossy sauce. Add more pasta water, a splash at a time, until the sauce coats the noodles.
Do one or do both.

It is Sunday morning in Fairfax—time to get organized after a nice seafood breakfast and begin thinking about shift change this afternoon.

Feed the watch!

If the pause holds, we may even have something more substantial to celebrate at shift change. For the moment, we will settle for shrimp, tequila and a quiet Sunday morning.

Copyright © 2026 Vic Socotra

www.vicsocotra.com