The Potluck

The potluck: two words that can create feelings of anxiety in even the most competent of cooks. Potlucks present a virtual minefield of problems: What if it’s unbearably hot and my dish spoils or melts? Will there be a place to warm foods? Will my food be too spicy? Will I accidentally use a knife that was used for peanut butter and induce anaphylactic shock in a person with a peanut allergy? What if someone finds a hair in my food? The list of potential problems is so great that I believe this is why people are paralyzed and tables are laden down with trays of cheap cold cuts, bland potato salad from the deli counter, and Crisco-rich pies from the supermarket.

A few years back on a swelteringly hot Saturday, we attended an annual family picnic in Pennsylvania. I always look forward to what my sister-in-law Michele, who is from Charleston, South Carolina, will bring. Her wonderful classic Southern cooking has awakened me to such great foods like cheese grits, boiled peanuts, cheese pig crackers, and fried okra. This particular year she brought the dish that was instantly added to our repertoire for potlucks: pickled shrimp. Not only is it incredibly easy, but it’s wonderfully delicious. You can serve it with good crusty French bread or fine-quality crackers. If you serve it with bread, you’ll find often find people dipping the bread into the marinade long after the shrimp is gone. Every single time we’ve taken this to a party we’ve come home with an empty dish and requests for the recipe.

If it is going to be super hot, the only word of caution is to bring it in a bowl that can sit a bed of ice. Other than that, this dish is great because you make it the night before and chill it.

Once you master this recipe I assure you that summertime potlucks no longer will launch anxiety attacks.

PICKLED SHRIMP

 2 pounds cooked small shrimp 

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon sea salt

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon celery seeds

4 garlic cloves, minced

Peel the shrimp.  Whisk together  the sea salt, olive oil, lemon juice, 

Mustard, celery seeds and garlic.  In a quart glass jar or bowl, layer the shrimp, 

onion and bay leaves adding some of the olive oil mixture with each layer.  

Store in refrigerator for 24 hours before serving.  

If you like things spicy, add a pinch of red chile flakes.

Makes about 4 ½ cups