This recipe is a mish-mash of favorite elements from Robert Stehling and The Lee Brothers, plus my own additions. I’ve tinkered a lot with it, finding a base of equal parts lemon, orange and grapefruit juice to be my favorite. Although vinegar and sugar are common in pickle marinades, I prefer to omit them to let the bright, citrus flavors shine. To the marinade, I like adding shallot, garlic, fennel seed, bay leaf and cayenne to complement the citrus. You can get wild and add other components, but I find that these are the important ones and all you really need. I like serving these as a simple appetizer from a shallow, wide-mouth canning jar with tooth picks. Or you serve them as a canapé with smashed avocado on toast (http://www.food52.com/recipes/15250_pickled_shrimp_and_avocado_toasts).

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