Pickled Shrimp

I have been obsessed with pickling lately, in case you haven't noticed.

Next on the pickling list is shrimp.

A favorite summer dish of the South. Served in big Mason jars at picnics.

There are so many different recipes to choose from, it made my head spin.

I finally decided on Hugh Acheson's recipe from Saveur using Old Bay Seasoning.

This was my first attempt at pickled shrimp, but not my last.

This is a great summer appetizer!

Pickled Shrimp (adapted slightly from Saveur, original recipe here):

2 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
8 cups of water
1 lb. (26–30 count) medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 tsp. celery seeds
1/4 tsp. allspice berries
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp. kosher salt
a couple of whole black peppercorns
1 tsp. crushed red chile flakes
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 dried bay leaves
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced lengthwise

Bring Old Bay and 8 cups water to a boil in a 4-qt. saucepan; add shrimp, reduce heat to low, and cook until shrimp are pink, about 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to bowl of ice water to chill; drain again

Finely grind celery seeds and allspice in a spice grinder, transfer to a bowl and stir in oil, lemon juice, parsley, salt, chile flakes, garlic, vinegar and bay leaves.

In a 1-qt. glass jar, layer shrimp and onions. Pour over oil mixture. Cover with lid and chill overnight before serving.

I served my pickled shrimp in a bowl, which is not the norm, but hey, since when am I normal?

Thank you to my friend Sarah who took these beautiful photos with her Nikon camera and fancy lens!