From Our State’s A Taste of Our State series. Click here to read or listen to contributor Sheri Castle’s column from the June 2025 issue.
This recipe combines two of my favorite summertime delights: seafood and sandwiches. A quick brine ensures the shrimp are plump and flavorful. This will restore ocean freshness, no matter how far inland you might be.
Yield: 4 servings.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 to 1¼ pounds large (about 21/25 count) Succulent Brined Shrimp (recipe follows)
½ cup high-quality mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
A few large drops Texas Pete hot sauce
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 crusty sub rolls, split
Softened butter, for rolls
8 thick slices bacon, cooked until crisp
4 large, crunchy lettuce leaves cut into thin ribbons
8 thick slices vine-ripened tomato (see note)
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add oil. Once oil is warm, add shrimp and cook until opaque, about 2 minutes, stirring often.
Immediately transfer shrimp to a clean work surface to cool slightly. Cut them into large bite-size pieces.
In a bowl, stir together mayonnaise, basil, lemon zest, lemon juice, hot sauce, and pepper. Fold in shrimp. Taste for salt, but the shrimp should be well-seasoned from the brine.
Butter and toast sub rolls.
Divide shrimp mixture among the sub rolls. Top with bacon, lettuce, and tomato. Serve at once.
Tomato tip: Summertime tomatoes are unquestionably the tastiest, but they can also be the messiest. To enhance the flavor of the tomatoes while avoiding soggy bread, salt and drain the slices before assembling the sandwiches. Cover a wire rack with two layers of paper towels and rest it in a baking sheet to catch the drips. Arrange the sliced tomatoes in a single layer on the paper towels and sprinkle with kosher salt, about 1 teaspoon in all. Let stand for 15 minutes and then blot dry with fresh paper towels.
¼ cup kosher salt
¼ cup granulated white sugar
1 cup water
2 cups ice
1 to 1¼ pounds large shrimp (21/25 count), shelled and deveined (thawed if frozen)
In a large bowl, combine salt, sugar, and water, stirring until solids dissolve. Add ice. Immerse shrimp in brine and refrigerate for 20 minutes, but no longer or the shrimp will be too salty.
Drain the shrimp, rinsing thoroughly under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels. Cook at once.
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