CATHY SANTALUCIA CLARK (Greenville, South Carolina) was born in Pennsylvania, but she’s lived much of her adult life in the South: fourteen years in Atlanta, Georgia; six years in Florida; four years in Richmond, Virginia; and one year in South Carolina. Cathy is a mother of two and a grandmother to five. She is known as Grammy to her grandchildren, all of whom were born in the South: MAURA and KADEN KAHUDA were born in Chatham, Virginia, and KYLEE, JACK, and CAMERON CLARK were all born in Ashburn, Virginia. When Cathy’s children were little and they lived in Atlanta, they would go to St. Simon’s Island on vacation with two other families. They always had this shrimp one night since it is easy to prepare and everyone could eat their fill. They could be as messy as they wanted, peeling the shrimp and sopping up the sauce with bread. Grammy now carries on the tradition every year in Hilton Head with the whole family. “We always have this dish one night and then do a low-country boil another night later in the week. My grandchildren are a little too young to appreciate it yet, but I know they will one day soon. For now we just order them pizza,” she says.
1 cup butter
1 cup olive oil
1 (16 ounce) bottle Italian salad dressing
1 ½ tablespoons black pepper
1 ½ tablespoons salt
1 clove garlic, pressed
½ cup vermouth
¾ tablespoon cayenne pepper
¾ tablespoon paprika
1 medium onion, chopped
5 pounds medium shrimp in shell, uncooked
1 In a Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter, then add the oil, salad dressing, black pepper, salt, garlic, vermouth, cayenne pepper, paprika, and onion. Simmer for 20 minutes.
2 Place the uncooked shrimp in a large casserole dish. Pour the cooked sauce over the shrimp. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
MAKES 10 SERVINGS.
NOTE: Cathy suggests serving with chopped salad and French bread for sopping up the sauce. She adds that it serves an army and leftovers are really good too!