Shrimp in Clear Broth with Fresh Shiitaké

This soup is a fine example of Japanese cooking at its most elegant: a few delicate, symbolic morsels resting in clear broth. Here each pale pink shrimp is “knotted” by pulling its tail through a slit in the body, and the garnish of flat-leafed parsley or mitsuba is also “knotted” by twisting several stalks together. These knots symbolize a binding relationship, and the Japanese might serve this soup to celebrate a wedding or a business merger.