EVERY REGION OF THE SOUTH HAS ITS OWN distinctive ways of pickling shrimp, oysters, mussels, and the like, but this Georgia method of pickling shrimp and serving them with a spicy cream sauce as an appetizer seems unique and recalls for me an incredible feast served by relatives of my mother in Monticello. “Oh honey, you do carry on,” said Cuddin’ Berta when I exclaimed about the dish. “You’re too young to remember, but you should have tasted the buttermilk sauce Sister Tancy used to put on her shrimp over in Macon.”

Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh medium shrimp
• 1 lemon, cut in half
• 2 tablespoons pickling spices
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Tabasco sauce to taste
• 6 leaves Bibb lettuce

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the shrimp in a large pot with enough water to cover.
2. Add the lemon, pickling spices, and bay leaves to the pot.
3. Bring the pot to a boil, then remove it from the heat, cover, and let it stand for 2 minutes.
4. Drain the shrimp through a fine-mesh strainer, pick out and discard the lemon, and peel and devein the shrimp when they are cool enough to handle.
5. Place the peeled shrimp, pickling spices, and bay leaves in a large bowl.
6. Add the cider vinegar, vegetable oil, dry mustard, and salt to the bowl, and toss well to combine.
7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the shrimp mixture for at least 2 hours or overnight.
8. To make the sauce, combine the sour cream, horseradish, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce in a separate bowl. Mix until well blended.
9. To serve, arrange equal amounts of shrimp on the Bibb lettuce leaves.
10. Top each portion of shrimp with dollops of the sauce.