FOOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN ROOTED IN RADICALLY IMAGINING, AND SO IS THIS RECIPE THAT I OFFER TO YOU. My family migrated from Louisiana to California carrying everything that mattered with them, and this Creole-brined seafood dish is that story on a plate. It relies on an aromatic holy trinity, sweet Gulf shrimp, savory filé powder, and juicy yellow California peaches all arriving together in one bowl.
Radically imagining means refusing to let borders define your roots, which means being inventive, while giving yourself permission to carry those traditions elsewhere and discover what else they might grow into.
Pickled shrimp has always belonged to Black people. For decades it’s been marinating in jars, arriving at parties, and sitting propped up on toothpicks for generations to savor. Soul food doesn’t come with a rulebook, so how you dress this dish is entirely up to you. I like to plate it so the shrimp’s juices run into a bed of stonefruit salad, but it tastes just as good eaten straight from the jar.
This recipe invites you to draw from your pantry, your history, and your craft, to shape something that feels rooted in your past and alive in who you are now. Black culinary freedom is about what we believe when we are allowed to dream, and this offering is my rendition of my imagination running wild and free.
ILLUSTRATION: Kristen Stain
Connect with Cold Dressed Creole-Brined Shrimp in Your Kitchen
Serve 4
Ingredients:
Brine
1 cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons Crystal hot sauce
1 tablespoon Creole whole grain mustard (like Zatarain’s or Arnaud’s)
1 tablespoon cane sugar
1½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon celery seed
4 allspice berries, cracked
2 bay leaves
1 pinch filé powder
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 fresno chile, thinly sliced (seeds in)
2 sprigs fresh tarragon
4 sprigs fresh dill
Shrimp
¾ pound Gulf shrimp (16/20 count), peeled and deveined (tails on or off)
Dressed Peach Salad
½ small yellow onion, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 celery stalks, cut into ½-inch pieces
½ small green bell pepper, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 small ripe yellow peach, pitted and cut into ½-inch pieces
Small handful fresh dill, roughly chopped (plus a few sprigs for garnish)
Small handful fresh tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
Kosher salt, to taste
Flaky sea salt, for finishing
Directions:
Making the brine:
In a bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, orange juice, hot sauce, mustard, cane sugar, and kosher salt until fully dissolved. Stir in celery seed, cracked allspice, bay leaves, filé powder, garlic, fresno chile, tarragon, and dill. Taste and adjust seasoning—it should be sharp, lightly sweet, gently hot, and layered. Set aside.
Poaching the shrimp:
Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a gentle boil. Add shrimp and poach for about 2 minutes, until just pink and barely cooked through. Drain immediately and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Let cool completely.
Transfer shrimp to a quart mason jar. Pour brine over the top, seal, and gently shake. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
Building the dressed peach salad:
Strain the shrimp mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl, reserving the brine. Discard bay leaves, allspice, and herb sprigs. Set aside one whole shrimp for garnish, then cut the rest into bite-sized pieces.
In a mixing bowl, combine onion, celery, bell pepper, and peach. Cover with enough reserved brine to just submerge. Let sit for 15 minutes to lightly pickle.
Add shrimp, chopped dill, and tarragon. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and gently fold to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Finish with flaky sea salt and garnish with reserved shrimp and fresh dill.
Chef’s Note:
Yellow peaches bring a sweetness that plays directly against the heat of the fresno and Crystal hot sauce. Choose a peach that is ripe but still firm enough to hold its shape when cut. White peaches work well, too. If corn is in season, a handful of fresh corn kernels cut from the cob folded into the dressed salad will add another layer of sweetness and texture.
