My fridge is full of all types of pickles, from kosher dills to pickled okra to kimchi.  Those jars will last for months.  But when I make pickled shrimp, they disappear in a couple days.  

You really taste the flavor of the shrimp here, so it’s worth it to get the best wild, local shrimp you can find.  It only takes a few minutes to prepare them, and then a day in the fridge to marinate. They’re great on salad greens or with crackers.

I love the celery leaves, an addition I learned from a cookbook my father-in-law gave me called Prune.  It’s from Gabrielle Hamilton’s restaurant in New York City.  They serve pickled shrimp as a bar snack.  Sounds like my kind of place.

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Lemony Pickled Shrimp

For the boil:

• 4 cups water
• ¾ pound shrimp
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon celery seeds
• 4 dried chilis, crushed
• 2 bay leaves, crushed
• 2 cloves garlic, whole, peeled
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

For the pickle:

• ½ cup thinly sliced lemons
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• small inner leaves from 1 celery heart
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon celery seeds
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• Rice wine vinegar

Step One:  Peel the shrimp.  Slice them in half lengthwise all the way through, along the vein. Remove the vein.  Rinse them.

Step Two: Put the water and boiling spices in a medium saucepan.  Bring it to a boil.  Keep it at a low boil.  After 8-10 minutes, add the shrimp and stir.  Remove them with a slotted spoon after 1-2 minutes. They should be brightly colored and barely cooked through.  Give them a quick rinse under cold water and set aside.

Step Three:  Add all the pickle ingredients to the jar except the vinegar.  Add the shrimp.  Pour in rice wine vinegar, enough for the shrimp to be submerged.  Stir.  Refrigerate for 24 hours.

Serve them over salad, or spoon them into a shallow dish to eat alone or with crackers and a dash of Crystal hot sauce.