Pickled Shrimp

As you may have guessed, I am pretty much obsessed with canning this week, as in preserving foodstuff.



On Monday, I featured my sister?s Pickled Okra that brings a taste of Texas to your palate. Yesterday?s recipe is maybe a little special and one of my favorites, Pickled Green Beans and one I like way too much. Today I give our weekly feature ? Shrimp.



The art of canning comes in handy these days, especially with this recipe. I mean, now that everyone is stocking up on shrimp along the Gulf Coast. Let?s face it. The freezer can only hold so much. And I know when hurricane season comes around, and it will, these babies will be pretty darn tasty with a box of saltines. Furthermore, when Christmas comes around, these and a lovely chutney cheese on toast will be the hit of every cocktail party on our block. I cannot wait to try these out and I hope you will too. Enjoy!




Pickled Shrimp



for the boiling brine:


1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup pickling salt
1/4 cup crab & shrimp boil seasoning
2 gallons water
2 cups white vinegar
2 1/2 pounds small shrimp (51/60 count), deheaded

for each pint jar:


1/4 cup sliced white onion
2 small bay leaves
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon capers with juice
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon pickling spices
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Louisiana hot sauce to taste

Place the boiling brine ingredients except for the shrimp in a stockpot and bring to a rolling boil. Add shrimp, return to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove shrimp into a strainer, peel and devein. If using medium shrimp, cut into bite size pieces. Rinse under running water. Let drain.

Alternate shrimp, onions and bay leaves in pint size jars leaving 1-inch head space. Add the vinegar, capers, celery seed, spices and hot sauce as desired. In a separate large pot, bring about 1 gallon of water to a boil. Add about 2 tablespoons pickling salt and stir to dissolve. Cover shrimp with the salt water leaving about 1/2 inch of space at the top. Adjust the lids on the jars and process for 45 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure on the dial gauge at sea level.



Note: This recipe uses the pressure cooker for canning, unlike the water bath method discussed yesterday. Refer to your owner's manual for complete directions.