As a long-time admirer of Garden & Gun Magazine, I was thrilled when they released their cookbook a few years back. It’s a treasure trove of the most unique and delicious food ideas, a must-have for any Southerner who shares my passion for good food.

This is the week I tried my hand at recreating the “Salt-Baked Shrimp” or “Shrimp on the Rocks” with a side of “Comeback Sauce.”
G&G got this recipe from Chef Adam Evans, who opened his first restaurant, Automatic Seafood & Oysters, in Birmingham, Alabama, in April 2019.

Evans puts fat Southern crustaceans to use in this salt-baked shrimp, a dish that is as simple to prepare as it is spectacular to serve. The genius marriage of salt, heat, and spices produces perfectly seasoned, moist shrimp that even novice cooks can master the first time. The trick is to get the freshest shrimp you can find, with the heads on. (Though the dish works fine with cleaned shrimp, as long as they still have their shells.)

You bake three pounds of rock salt tricked out with coriander, star anise, garlic, and a few other intense flavors, then bury the shrimp in it. Pop the whole thing back in the oven for ten more minutes or so, and it’s done. Evans told G&G, “I like the idea of baking seafood in salt. It’s a great technique and it’s underutilized. It makes so much sense, though. You have seafood in whatever form—a whole fish or whole shrimp—coming out of saltwater.”

Once you have a big platter of hot, salt-baked shrimp, you will want to bring out a bowl of comeback sauce. It takes the shrimp, already delicious and tender beyond any reasonable measure, to a higher place. This is a different break from the traditional cocktail sauce or dowsing it with butter. The sauce is all over Mississippi, where it was first mixed up in a Greek restaurant in Jackson in the 1930s. Traditionally made with mayonnaise, chile sauce, garlic, a touch of onion, and a little Worcestershire, it falls somewhere between a classic rémoulade and McDonald’s secret sauce.

The entire process was a joy, from infusing the rock salt with aromatic spices to watching the shrimp transform into golden perfection in the oven. When I finally took that first bite, I was in seafood heaven. The shrimp were tender, juicy, and bursting with flavor – a true testament to the magic of salt-baking.

But the real star of the show was the comeback sauce. Oh, the comeback sauce! It was so good I found myself dreaming up new ways to incorporate it into other dishes. Think crispy fried chicken, grilled veggies, or even as a tangy dip for fries. This sauce has officially earned a permanent spot in my culinary repertoire.

If you’re looking to elevate your seafood game and impress your friends and family, this is the dish to try. Trust me, your taste buds will thank you!

Rock-Salt Shrimp Recipe

INGREDIENTS

For the Shrimp:

1 tbsp. whole coriander
2 tbsp. black peppercorns
3 lbs. rock salt
4 bay leaves
3 star anise
10 sprigs of thyme
1 head of garlic, smashed, skinless
1 jalepeño, sliced, with seeds
2 lemon wedges
2 lbs. head-on shrimp (20-25 count)

For the Comeback Sauce:

1/2 quart mayonnaise
1/4 cup fresh or jarred horseradish
2 tbsp. whole-grain mustard
1/2 bunch celery, outermost stalks removed, leaves removed, and diced
1/2 large shallot, diced
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1/2 tbsp. chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped cornichons
2 tbsp. capers
1/2 tbsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. fresh-cracked black pepper
1/2 tbsp. cayenne pepper

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
Place coriander, peppercorns, rock salt, bay leaves, star anise, thyme, garlic, jalapeño, and 1 lemon wedge into a large bowl and mix well.
In a large oven-safe dish, put in half of the salt-spice mixture and preheat in oven for 10-12 minutes until salt becomes hot. Remove from oven, lay shrimp in the salt, and add remaining salt to cover.
Return pan to the oven and bake for an additional 8-12 minutes, or until shrimp are just cooked through. With tongs, remove shrimp from salt and transfer to a plate. Garnish with lemon and serve with comeback sauce.
For the Comeback Sauce: Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until mixture is incorporated. (Yields 2/3 quart)