Chef notes
I am blessed to live in New Orleans with the bounty of the Gulf. The shrimp are very sweet, and spicy jerk butter adds a lovely contrast. Another perk of living in the South is the biscuits — they are everything! The buttery goodness is a special treat any time of day.
Technique tip: Make sure your saucepan is hot to get a nice sear on the shrimp. Turn down the heat when adding butter to prevent spices from burning.
Swap options: You can use scallops, octopus or calamari instead of shrimp.
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1¼ cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1½ cup unsalted butter, cold and diced into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced chives
- 1 pint plus 4 tablespoons buttermilk, cold, divided
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 tablespoons flaky sea salt
- 1 pound unsalted butter, softened
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons ground allspice
- 2 teaspoons ginger powder
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, picked
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 pound U10 shrimp, heads on
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon salt, divided
- 1 lime, halved (optional)
Preparation
For the chive buttermilk biscuits:
1.Preheat the oven to 325 F and line a sheet tray with parchment paper.
2.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the all-purpose and cake flours, sugar, baking powder, kosher salt and baking soda. Add the butter and mix on a low speed for 5 to 8 minutes, until the mix develops into pea-sized balls.
3.Add the chives and continue mixing on low speed for 1 minute, just to combine.
4.Slowly add 2 cups of buttermilk and keep mixing for another 5 minutes, or until a firm dough forms. Do not over-mix the dough.
5.Turn out the dough on a floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a rectangle, about 6- by 6-inches wide and 2 inches thick. Use a dough cutter to cut the biscuits into twelve 2-inch squares.
6.Place the squares on the sheet tray lined with parchment paper.
7.In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining buttermilk and egg yolk, until smooth, to make an egg wash. Gently brush the egg wash over the top of the biscuits and sprinkle the flaky sea salt on top.
8.Bake until golden brown, about 20 to 30 minutes. Rotate the pan after 10 minutes to ensure even baking.
For the shrimp:
1.In a large bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, allspice, ginger powder, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, cinnamon and paprika, and mix until everything is well-combined.
2.Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the head and tail on.
3.Heat a large saucepan over high heat, add the coconut oil and heat for 30 seconds.
4.Place the shrimp in the pan in an even layer. Season the shrimp with half of the salt, cook for 90 seconds and then flip, continue to cook for another 90 seconds, turn the heat down to medium, then season with the remainder of the salt, to taste.
5.Add the seasoned butter to the pan and cook for 1 minute, until foamy, then move the shrimp to a plate. Drizzle the butter sauce on top and add a squeeze of lime, if desired. Use the biscuits to soak up the goodness!
