For something so tiny, shrimp are full of nutrients. They contain zinc, potassium, phosphorus, iron, copper and magnesium, and provide vitamins D, B12, B6, E and A, along with niacin and choline. Shrimp can be prepared a variety of ways, including in a simple low country dish with celery and onions.
Low Country Shrimp
Low country shrimp is a simple dish of shrimp, onions and celery. It's usually served over rice or grits. The shrimp is sauteed with the vegetables and then served with the cooked rice or grits. Serve it hot, fresh from the pan, for a tasty dinner, lunch or even with brunch.
Peeling the Shrimp
You can buy shrimp already peeled and deveined, or you can buy whole shrimp with only the heads removed and do the peeling and deveining yourself. This option usually costs less, but it adds quite a bit to your prep time. A shrimp deveining tool, which is a long, thin, curved utensil that looks like an elongated claw, can make the job easier. A paring or boning knife works if you don't have a deveining tool. Rinse the shrimp with cool water and place them in a colander. To peel and devein the shrimp, slip the point of the knife or deveining tool just under the shell at the head end of the shrimp. If you're using a knife, have the sharp edge of the blade pointing up. Push the knife or tool forward along the top edge of the shell, and when it reaches the tail, lift it up. This will either remove the shell or split it so you can peel it off. Make sure you get all of the legs and the tail off, and rinse the shrimp to remove all of the vein at the top of the shrimp.
Cook it Up
Low country shrimp and celery is a dish that doesn't call for an exact recipe. Cook a pound of bacon in a heavy skillet until it's just crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan, drain it on paper towels and leave the pan over the heat. Chop an onion and a couple stalks of celery and add them to the bacon grease in the pan. The amount of onion and celery you use, and the size of the pieces, can be adjusted to suit your taste. Saute the vegetables until they're soft and add the peeled, deveined shrimp. Cook and stir the shrimp until it's translucent, curled up and starting to turn pink. Crumble the bacon and add it to the shrimp. Turn off the heat and spoon the shrimp mixture over hot cooked white rice or grits. Season with hot sauce to taste.
Variations
Skip the bacon and saute the vegetables and shrimp in butter or olive oil if you want to cut down on the grease in the recipe. You can add any vegetables you like, such as peppers, tomatoes or summer squash. For an extra-hearty dish, add sliced andouille sausage to the pan before you add the shrimp.
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