Shrimp With Pineapple and Pickled Kumquats

This recipe is worth the two-day wait for pickling.

1 cup white-wine vinegar
2 cardamom pods
12 kumquats
1 ½ tablespoons honey
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of piment d’Espelette, Aleppo pepper or toasted and ground red-pepper flakes
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for sautéing
⅓ pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 2-inch cubes
1 cup frisee or other bitter or spicy greens, torn into small pieces
16 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt
10 sprigs thyme

Nutritional Information
- Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
  281 calories; 18 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 19 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 451 milligrams sodium

Serves 4

To pickle the kumquats, bring the vinegar to a boil in a small pan. Add the cardamom pods. Put the kumquats in a heatproof container, then pour in the vinegar mixture. Let cool, then refrigerate for 2 days.
In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and 3 tablespoons of the kumquat vinegar. Season with black pepper and piment d’Espelette. Whisk in the olive oil.
Thinly slice 6 pickled kumquats and remove the seeds; set aside. Thinly slice the pineapple cubes. (You need only 12 slices total.) In a mixing bowl, combine the frisee, pineapple and pickled kumquats.
Place the shrimp in a bowl and season generously with salt; add the thyme and toss. Heat a large cast-iron pan until almost smoking, then pour in enough oil to thinly coat the base. Carefully add the shrimp and thyme and brown on both sides until just cooked through, about 2 minutes; discard the thyme. Transfer to the bowl with the frisee. Pour in just enough vinaigrette to coat (about half) and toss. Divide among 4 plates.