Pickled Shrimp

A Good Cooking Guest Recipe!

Recipe name: Pickled Shrimp

Recipe by: Mrs. John Sutton, Louisiana

History: From Louisiana Kitchens to the President's Table

River Road Recipes, the Junior League of Baton Rouge’s award-winning cookbook series has a fan in the White House. According to a recent article in The New York Times, the cookbooks are a favorite of First Lady Laura Bush. The article states, "Laura Bush has a large collection of cookbooks that she dips into just for the pleasure of reading them. But when it’s time to cook, she reaches for the tried and true."

River Road Recipes is a collection of Creole, Cajun, and Plantation Country recipes. It has become an essential part of many Louisiana kitchens. It is regarded as the textbook of Louisiana cuisine and has become a traditional wedding gift for Louisiana brides. Visit www.juniorleaguebr.com.

The first River Road Recipes, published in 1959, has triumphed as one of the most incredible cookbook success stories in the country. River Road Recipes is the number one, all time best selling community cookbook series in the nation with over 1.7 million copies sold. River Road Recipes II, A Second Helping continues the tradition, serving up 606 triple tested recipes. River Road Recipes III, A Healthy Collection, is a national award winner. It shares secrets for making delightful Louisiana foods lower in fat and calories and includes a nutritional analysis for each recipe. The funds generated by these cookbooks have resulted in almost three million dollars in donations to projects that benefit the Baton Rouge community.

Description: A particular favorite of the Bush family is the recipe for pickled shrimp that appears in the first River Road Recipes cookbook. The article went on to state that the first family is so fond of this special dish that Mrs. Bush plans to have the White House chef prepare it for Christmas.

Preparation time: about 45 minutes

Serves: 8-10

Amount/Measure/Ingredient:

The Shrimp:

2 to 2 1/2 pounds raw shrimp
15 to 20 whole allspice
6 to 8 peppercorns
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Juice of 1/2 lemon and rind
15 to 20 cloves
6 buds garlic, sliced
3 small onions, sliced
2 large stalks of celery, crushed or broken
2 large bay leaves
2 pinches dried or 1 sprig fresh thyme
Several sprigs parsley
Few bits dried red pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 medium onions, sliced thin
Box of bay leaves

The Sauce:
1 1/4 cups salad oil
3/4 cup warmed white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
2 1/2 tablespoons capers and juice
Dash of hot sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard

Preparation:

The Shrimp:

Season 2 1/2 quarts of water with 3 tablespoons of salt; then add above ingredients except the shrimp, 4 onions and box of bay leaves. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer 20 minutes. Add shrimp and bring to boil again; simmer 12 to 15 minutes. Cool and devein shrimp. In a large pan arrange the shrimp in layers with 4 medium sized onions sliced thin and the bay leaves.

Pour over each layer the following sauce (all ingredients being combined):

The Sauce:

After pouring sauce over shrimp, onions and bay leaves, cover pan and store in refrigerator not less than 24 hours. Will keep a week or more. When serving, arrange the entire mixture on large platter and have cocktail picks handy.