Pickled Shrimp

Bring five cups of water and one of the bay leaves to a boil in a medium saucepan. Set a large bowl of half ice/half water near the sink. When the water comes to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and gently slide in the shrimp. Cook until they are pink and any translucence is gone, two to three minutes. Use a slotted spoon to move the shrimp to the ice bath, then drain once cooled. 

Whisk the oil, vinegar, sugar, celery salt, and salt together in a medium bowl until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Stir in the capers. 

Make a few alternating layers of the shrimp, bell pepper, onion, and the sugar mixed with red pepper flakes in a one-quart glass container; slip in the remaining bay leaf about halfway through. Give the marinade a big stir and pour it over the shrimp and vegetables so it covers them completely. Poke anything that sticks out back into the marinade. Screw the lid on tightly and place the container in the fridge for 24 hours, flipping the jar occasionally. 

To serve, drain the shrimp and vegetables completely. Put them in a shallow serving bowl or on a platter with a shot glass filled with toothpicks.

Notes:
● Cooking shrimp in their shells and peeling them afterward may take a few extra minutes, but that time pays off in flavor and a dividend of shrimp broth. 
●This amount of shrimp, vegetables, and marinade fits beautifully into a one-quart canning jar. The recipe can be doubled easily to feed a larger crowd.

From Does This Taste Funny? by Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee Colbert. Copyright © 2024 by the authors and reprinted with permission of Celadon Books, a division of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.