I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – I’m so fortunate to live here on the beautiful Eastern Shore, with the abundance of fresh seafood and wonderful produce available all throughout the year. Whether it’s buying crabs right off the boats in Crisfield in the summer, buying bushels of oysters from the Chincoteague Bay in December, or getting up early to do some rockfishing with Dad in the fall – it’s the environment that I’ve been raised in, and I couldn’t imagine it any other way. I’m so thankful to call this place home, and have the opportunity to raise my family here.
That being said, I’m very excited to announce that tomorrow I’ll (along with Jon) be heading to Charleston, SC to compete as a finalist in the Avalon Great Foods Of America Recipe Challenge at the Charleston Food & Wine Festival. It’s such an incredible honor to represent my great state of Maryland, and I can’t thank Avalon Winery enough for sponsoring it. For this foodie who also happens to be a history buff, visiting Charleston is pretty much a dream come true. I’ve got a couple restaurants lined up that I have to visit, and the old tree on John’s Island is on my list too. Any other must-do’s in that wonderful city? It’s going to be our first time visiting, but I’m fairly certain it won’t be our last!
Ok, so enough about me. Let’s talk about these shrimp! My favorite fish monger closes for a couple months after Christmas, but thankfully – he just reopened on Valentine’s Day! Ray has been a waterman for as long as I can remember. He’s also had his restaurant, Ray’s Shanty for about as long as I can remember too. It’s the place to go for fresh fish, THE BEST hushpuppies known to man, and gorgeous fresh shrimp. There’s a seafood market on the side of the restaurant too – gorgeous scallops, heads-on shrimp, and various filets of fish; most of which Ray has caught himself on his charter boat. Ray taught my mom his way to cook shrimp over 20 years ago, and it can’t get any easier. While technically, they aren’t steamed – they are always perfect, and you’ll never have an overcooked shrimp again. They’re great to season with lots of Old Bay and eat as is, peel and serve in a martini glass for a fancy shrimp cocktail, or chill down and make shrimp salad with.
“Steamed” Shrimp
2 quarts water
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp whole coriander
1/4 tsp whole allspice
1 bay leaf
3 Tbsp Old Bay (or any seafood seasoning)
Lemon wedges, for garnish
Combine water, vinegar, peppercorns, coriander, allspice, and bay leaf in a large saucepan*. Bring to a boil. Once water comes to a boil, add shrimp. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the water comes back to a boil. Remove from heat and drain IMMEDIATELY once water returns to boil. Remove bay leaves and toss shrimp with seafood seasoning. Serve with cocktail sauce and lemon wedges.
* You could also use a steaming spice mix. I love this one from Blue Crab Bay Co.
11 Comments
Good luck at your competition! I’ve never been to Charleston, but I’ve heard it’s an amazing city.
Good luck at the competition! Charleston is the best. And I will definitely be trying these shrimp when I get back to the OC this summer!
Good luck – can’t wait to hear all about it!
That is unbelievably cool – good luck!! Hope you’ll share all about it when you get back
Best of luck!
I grew up using pickling spice for shrimp, it’s so good.
Would love a clarifcation. In your steps you advise: Remove from heat and drain IMMEDIATELY once water returns to boil. Remove bay leaves and toss shrimp with seafood seasoning. Question
1. Am i pouring out the water and shrimp or scooping them out of the water then returning the water to the stovetop to reboil?
2. If I am scooping out the shrimp why do I need to remove the bay leaves?
3. Am I tossing the seasoning, shrimp and the water together???
Thanks
Drain the shrimp in a colander in the sink, no need to save the water. Feel free to leave the bay leaves if you like, for aesthetics sakes – but they’re not very good to eat.
Is amount of shrimp missing? Thanks.
Marianne, I didn’t specify an amount because this method works for any amount of shrimp – large or small
Hi Laura! Thanks for the shout out for our restaurant! have fun in Charleston and good luck, look forward to seeing you and hearing all about it!
Are you kidding? You know we live and die by when Ray’s is open. See you guys Friday!