Craving comfort food this time of the year?
Then you are going to eat up these scrumptious recipes courtesy of Lowcountry resident, Miss Emily. Emily Smith Schroeder (“Miss Emily”) was born and raised in Charleston and was an employee of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources for 30 years. We thank Emily for her years of service, preserving our state and its wildlife – and sharing these coveted recipes! Prepare to be comforted!
Shrimp Creole
- 6 slices bacon
- ¾ cup onion, chopped
- ¾ cup celery, chopped
- 4 cups can tomatoes
- ¾ cup bell pepper, chopped
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 shakes of hot sauce
- 2 lbs of shrimp, cooked, peeled, deveined
Directions: Fry bacon, remove and drain. Brown chopped vegetables in bacon grease. Add
shrimp fifteen minutes before serving. Add fried crumbled bacon and serve over fluffy rice.
Oyster Stew
- a stick of butter
- 1 cup chopped spring onions
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 2 pts of half and half or whipping cream
- 1 quart milk
- 2 pints of select oysters, separate and save juice
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1.2 teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon mace
Directions: Melt butter. Saute celery and onions. Add oysters and sauté until edges curl. Add
addition ingredients and heat until ready to serve. Can be served as a first course or for lunch with a salad. Oyster crackers are great on the side.
Fried Fish
- 2 pounds of sheepshead, flounder or any saltwater fillets
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups bread crumbs
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 sticks butter
Directions: Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge both sides of fillets into seasoned flour, then into beaten eggs, and then into bread crumbs. Heat 1 stick of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place fillets in frying pan and sauté approximately 4 minutes on each side. Drain fillets on paper towels or brown paper. Keep in 200 degree oven until all are cooked. Serve with tartar sauce or cocktail sauce.
Hot Crab Chafing Dish
- 2 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
- 5 Tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoons onion salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 lb white or lump crab meat
- ½ pint of cream
- 1 tablespoon sherry
- 1 cup grated sharp grated cheese
Directions: Combine cream cheese, mayonnaise. Slowly melt. Add remaining ingredients. Keep warm over double
boiler. Serve in a chafing dish with Bremmer wafers.
Light Crab Soup
- ½ stick butter
- 1 qt. milk
- 1 pt. cream or half & half
- ½ tsp. mace
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
- ½ tsp. lemon juice
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 cup finely chopped celery
- 1 cup finely chopped spring onion
- 1-2 lbs. white crab meat
- 4 tbsp. dry sherry
Directions: Melt butter, add celery, onion and sauté just a few minutes. Combine all other
ingredients except sherry. Cook slowly over medium heat for approximately 20 minutes. Additional butter
can be added. To serve, place 1 tbsp. of sherry in individual soup bowls, then add soup. Sprinkle with
paprika or finely chopped parsley.
Shrimp Gravy (Shrimp and Grits)
- 1 cup diced country ham
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 cup diced green onion
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoons Kitchen Bouquet
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- salt to taste
Directions: Brown bacon in saucepan. Drain on paper towel. Add onions to bacon grease and
saute on medium. Add peppers stirring and scraping the brown bits off bottom. Stir in tablespoon butter.
Add flour and reduce to low. Add ham, stir well with vegetables until browned. Whisk in chicken broth
until smooth. Increase heat and add kitchen bouquet, Worcestershire sauce, salt pepper and reserved bacon.
Stir and simmer on low 20 to 30 minutes. Saute shrimp 3 to 5 minutes add to gravy and serve with hot
grits.
Fish Stew
- 2 quarts of water
- 3-4 pounds of chowder fish (grouper, sheephead)
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 quartered onion
- 3 ribs of celery diced
- hand full of bay leaves
- 10 peppercorns
Directions: Cut fish into small cubes, reserving heads and large bones for stock. Use them with 6 ingredients,
listed, and simmer together until stock is reduced. Then, take….
- 2 green peppers, chopped
- 6 medium onions, chopped
- 2 stick of butter and ½ cup olive oil
- 3 can tomatoes (8 cups)
- 1 cove of garlic, crushed
- 6 bay leaves
In a deep skillet, cooks onions and peppers in butter and olive oil until opaque. Add remaining ingredients
and cook 15 minutes. Add stock until mixture is thickened and add fish. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Do
not stir. When fish is cooked, mix together and serve with corn bread.