Alabama’s Date of Statehood – December 14th, 1819
“Anyway, like I was sayin’, shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sauté it. Dey’s uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried…” Isn’t that the truth! Those words from Bubba Blue to Forrest Gump in the wildly popular movie of the same name ring true to any fan of the tasty shellfish. Besides winning many an Oscar, the movie Forrest Gump also launched a very successful chain of seafood restaurants around the world called the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. It is from their cookbook that we get our Alabama Shrimp Bake, a delicious and EASY seafood creation with fresh lemons and a tasty butter-based sauce! Add some slow cooked okra and tomatoes and a side of southern style cornbread for dipping, and you have a meal fit for a king! Or, at least a shrimp boat captain.
Tips and Tricks
- Fresh gulf shrimp are best for this. But, if you can’t get that, frozen shrimp works just fine. In fact, the shrimp you usually find at your grocery store seafood counter is just the same frozen shrimp only thawed.
- You can use peeled or unpeeled shrimp for this dish. I like to buy the EZ Peel frozen shrimp because they are cheapest and just peel them at home.
- Southern cornbread has traditionally been made with little or no sugar and smaller amounts of flour (or no flour), with northern cornbread being sweeter and more cake-like. Southern cornbread traditionally used white cornmeal and buttermilk. Other ingredients such as pork rinds are sometimes used.
- Fresh or Frozen Okra can be used for this. Just don’t use canned or pickled okra.
Alabama Shrimp Bake
Serves 4
- 1/2 Cup Butter, melted
- 1/3 Cup Lemon Juice
- 1/3 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 Tbs Salt
- 1/2 Tbs Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Dried Rosemary
- 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1/2 Tbs Hot Sauce
- 2 Large Cloves of Garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 lbs. Raw Jumbo Shrimp
- 1 Lemon, thinly sliced
- 1/2 Medium White Onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Step 2: In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper, rosemary, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, and garlic and set aside.
Step 3: Rinse the shrimp with cold water, drain well, and pat dry. In a large baking dish, lay down a layer of sliced onions. Place the shrimp on top of the onions in a single layer. Lastly, cover the shrimp with a layer of sliced lemons.
Step 4: Pour the butter mixture over the shrimp.
Step 5: Place the pan on the oven and bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until shrimp turn pink.
Step 6: Serve hot.
Smothered Tomatoes and Okra
Serves 4
- 2 lbs. Okra, caps removed and chopped
- 2 Yellow onions, peeled and chopped
- 2 Large Tomatoes, chopped
- 4 Large Cloves of Garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
Step 1: Place a large pot over medium heat. Once the pot is heated, add the vegetable oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the okra, onions, tomatoes, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper.
Step 2: Reduce the heat to low and cook for an hour and a half, stirring occasionally. If the vegetables look dry, add some hot water.
Step 3: Serve hot.
Southern Cornbread
Serves 8
- 1 Tbs Butter
- 2 Eggs
- 2 Cups Buttermilk
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 2 Cups Stone-Ground White Cornmeal
Step 1: Place the 12-inch cast-iron skillet into the cold oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Step 2: Combine the eggs and buttermilk in a small bowl and whisk together well with a fork.
Step 3: In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, salt, baking soda, and cornmeal until well combined. Stir egg mixture into the dry ingredients, beating just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Step 4: Carefully pull the skillet from the oven. Place the butter in the pan and swirl the pan to coat it. Quickly transfer the batter to the hot skillet and return skillet to the oven.
Step 5: Bake until golden brown and pulling away from the skillet, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot.
Fun Facts about Alabama: 1. It is a Class-B felony in Alabama to Wrestle a Bear. 2. Alabama was the first state to declare Christmas a legal holiday in 1836. The federal government eventually followed suit and declared December 25 a public holiday in 1870. 3. Windshield wipers were invented in Alabama. In the winter of 1903, Alabaman Mary Anderson visited New York and while in a streetcar she watched how the motorman had to leave the vehicle and wipe the snow and sleet from the windshield. As a solution, Anderson came up with the idea for a swinging arm device with a rubber blade that the driver could use inside the vehicle. 4. Alabama was actually the first place to celebrate Mardi Gras. New Orleans has a well-publicized history with Mardi Gras, but the first celebration actually took place in Mobile, Alabama. According to the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, the city’s first Mardi Gras celebration was in 1703, just a year after the city was founded (fifteen years before New Orleans was founded).
Edible U.S. 