Here’s how to recreate St. Augustine’s famous fried shrimp recipe at home
Whenever we travel back to the area where I grew up in Florida, we make sure to stop in St. Augustine for fried shrimp with extra pink sauce. If you’re on the east coast of Florida, take some time to soak up the history and food that St. Augustine has to offer.
Founded by Spanish people in 1565, St. Augustine is now known as the oldest city in the country because it has been continuously inhabited throughout the states. This has given the city a rich culture. It’s fun to imagine what the city looked like when it was first built. As you walk down old Saint George Street and pass the old homes, schools and businesses that are now gift shops, ice cream parlors, museums and restaurants, you can really see the many layers of St. Augustine’s history.
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As you cross the Bridge of Lions, you will also come across businesses that have made history of their own, such as O’steen’s Restaurant. O’steens has been around for more than 50 years and was owned by the same person for many years. They are famous for their lightly breaded fried shrimp and famous pink sauce. Many restaurants try to copy their recipes, and many come very close to the recipe; but there is something special about this crispy treat.
One ingredient that stands out is the use of cracker flour to keep the shrimp crispy yet light. And finally, they use an old Southern staple for fried dishes: peanut oil. And don’t forget the pink sauce! The secret recipe for this sauce is even harder to figure out. It’s no ordinary cocktail dipping sauce. The flavor is best described as a combination of cocktail and Thousand Island dressing. But even that doesn’t do it justice.
The one ingredient we don’t have as readily here in the Midwest, and which grows primarily in St. Augustine, is the Datil pepper. No one knows exactly how it ended up growing in St. Augustine, but we do know it has a great flavor. This little yellow pepper has an almost fruity sweetness, but don’t let that fool you, as it ranks just below a habanero on the Scoville scale of 100,000-300,000 SHU.
My family has spent many a holiday meal trying to recreate this delicious dish. We think we’re pretty close to their secret recipe, but we might have to try it again next time, just to be sure.
Servings: 2-4
Ingredients:
- 2 dozen extra-large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails on, sliced down the back from top to tail. This will help you cook them faster and more evenly.
- 1 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp water
- 1.5 cups cracker flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp white pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- Peanut oil for frying
- Place the flour in a shallow bowl and set aside.
- Mix eggs and water in a shallow bowl. Set aside.
- Mix together cracker flour, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper and cayenne pepper and set aside. You can buy cracker flour or make your own. The taste of the dish will depend on the type of cracker used. Saltines have a salty and mild taste. Ritz type crackers have a slightly buttery, salty taste. The fineness of the cracker crumbs affects the final texture of the shrimp, so grind them finely to get the ideal texture.
- Heat 2 inches of oil in a deep skillet to 350°.
- Dip each shrimp in the flour. Then shake off the excess flour. Next, dip them in the egg mixture and then in the cracker mixture. Make sure the shrimp are evenly coated with the cracker mixture.
- Cook the shrimp in small batches. Do not overcrowd the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
Pink sauce
Ingredients:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 4-5 tbsp ketchup
- 3 tbsp cucumber juice
- 3 tbsp horseradish
- 1 tbsp hot brown mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
- 2 tsp onion powder
- Salt and white pepper to taste
- A pinch of cayenne pepper or dried datil pepper
Mix all the ingredients together. Taste and adjust the mixture as desired. Enjoy!
Channing Fullaway-Johnson is the culinary coordinator at Lincoln Land Community College.
Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in culinary arts, hospitality management, baking/pastry, and quality local foods, as well as non-credit cooking and food courses through LLCC Community Education.
Questions about cooking or food? Email [email protected].
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