Low Country Shrimp Pilau

Lowcountry Shrimp Pilau Recipe (from Charleston!)

My family spent most of my early years living in Charleston, SC. In fact, my parents spent the first 15 or so years of their marriage and family-raising years there. We would often arrive home from school to find my it was time for us to peel pounds of fresh shrimp for supper that night. None of us enjoyed peeling shrimp - especially my brother who doesn't even eat seafood!

My mom is a wonderful cook! She often made fried shrimp for dinner. But this recipe seemed to be for special occasions, like birthdays or company. This lowcountry shrimp pilau recipe is based off a recipe in the Charleston Receipts cookbook, printed by the Junior League/Ladies League type folks many years ago.

You can use whatever vegetables you'd like. Our family enjoys the crunchy textures of onion, celery, and pepper with the softness of the rice. Sometimes we use English peas. Sometimes no bell pepper. So, you do you. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2-3 T. bell pepper, chopped
• 4-6 slices of bacon, crumbled after cooking
• 2 lbs. fresh USA-caught shrimp, peeled
• 2-3 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 3 T. flour

Directions

1. Cook rice, set aside. You can even use leftover rice.
2. Cook the bacon in a large pan. Remove the bacon pieces (set aside) but leave the fat in the pan.
3. Sauté onion, celery, and a little bell pepper in the bacon fat left in the pan. Remove the vegetables but again, leave the remaining bacon fat in the pan.
4. A few minutes before serving, put peeled shrimp in a gallon bag and sprinkle with the Worcestershire sauce. Shake the bag a bit to make sure the shrimp are wet from the sauce.
5. Sprinkle flour into the bag and shake again to lightly coat.
6. Remove shrimp from bag and sauté in remaining bacon grease just until the shrimp turn pink. Do not overcook the shrimp as they cook very quickly. Be sure to sauté both sides. 
7. Dump shrimp, vegetables, and bacon crumbles into rice. Mix and serve.