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Two jars of pickled shrimp on a wooden cutting board.
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5 / 5 votes

Pickled Shrimp

These pickled shrimp are a Southern staple made with poached shrimp and a spicy lemon, garlic, and dill brine.
Prep Time35 minutes
Cook Time8 hours 5 minutes
Total Time8 hours 40 minutes
Course: Appetizers
Cuisine: Southern
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 638

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for cooking the shrimp
  • 3 medium celery stalks, diced
  • 1 cup (4 1/2 oz) thinly sliced yellow or white onion
  • 2 whole bay leaves
  • 1 large lemon, preferably organic, thinly sliced (1/8 inch | 3 mm)
  • 2 pounds shell-on large (31/35 count) or jumbo (21/25 count) shrimp
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon pickling spice, toasted in a pan until fragrant
  • 2 teaspoons dried or 2 tablespoons fresh dill, or more to taste
  • 1 Scotch bonnet or jalapeño pepper, minced, or 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 3 sprigs tarragon
  • 1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup (2 1/2 oz) sliced red onion
US - Metric

Instructions

  • In a large saucepan over high heat, combine 2 quarts well-salted water, the celery, onion, bay leaves, and lemon slices and bring to a boil.
  • Add the shrimp and cook until just pink and opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a colander and rinse under cool running water to stop the cooking.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: Don't let that shrimp cooking liquid run down the drain! You can save it for shrimp stock. Note that you can further intensify the shellfish smack by simmering the shells that you later remove from the shrimp in the reserved liquid for 20 or so minutes.

  • When the shrimp are cool enough to handle, peel and devein them. Let them cool completely, about 5 minutes.
  • In a large glass bowl or a very large, wide-mouthed Mason jar with a tight-fitting lid (or 2 to 3 smaller jars), whisk or shake together the lemon juice, vinegar, pickling spice, dill, chile pepper, garlic, tarragon, oil, and 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste) until well blended. Add the red onion and shrimp.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or seal the jar(s) tightly. Refrigerate the shrimp for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. The longer you wait, the more infused with pickling spice the shrimp will be.
  • To serve, briefly stir the pickled shrimp and onions in the bowl or give the jar a good shake to blend the brine evenly. Use a slotted spoon or fork to lift out a few onion slices with each serving of shrimp, making sure to avoid any hard pickling spices.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 638kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 40g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 191mg | Sodium: 1447mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g