James Beard award-winning chef Kwame Onwuachi is spending his time in quarantine cooking up some of his go-to comfort foods and helping us all create a perfect food and cocktail pairing while we’re home.
Onwuachi’s restaurant, Washington D.C. hotspot Kith/Kin, which has been closed since March due to the pandemic, offers an eclectic menu that honors his family’s roots in Jamaica, Trinidad, Nigeria, and Louisiana.
The recipe he’s sharing is in keeping with his focus on the flavors of family: a Peel N’ Eat shrimp dish passed down from his mom.
The pairing is part of his ongoing collaboration with Bombay Sapphire’s #FindYourCanvas program, which recently launched Create From Home—an online initiative with Hunker, Society6, Saatchi Art, and Skillshare aimed at inspiring creativity during the quarantine.
If you want to be inspired by Onwuachi’s craft, impress your quarantine bae, or just eat well while you’re staying at home, try his mom’s highly coveted recipe paired with his drink of choice:
Mom Dukes Peel & Eat Shrimp
Created by Chef Kwame Onwuachi
Ingredients
½ cup of divided butter
2 pounds of large shrimp (31/35)
2 heads of garlic, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 tablespoons of canola oil
1 celery stalk, white parts discarded, green parts diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
½ cup of white wine
½ cup of Amber Lager
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
Juice of 1 orange
1 teaspoon of cayenne
½ teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of paprika
½ teaspoon of dried oregano
5 sprigs thyme, broken in half
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
French bread, torn
1 scallion, sliced on a bias, for garnish
Directions:
Add 1 tablespoon butter to a large sauté pan and place on medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic and cook for one minute.
Add onions and another tablespoon of butter, along with salt and canola oil, then celery and bell pepper. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until soft.
Once the vegetables are cooked all the way through, add the thyme, white wine, lager, Worcestershire, orange juice, and the rest of the seasonings. Let simmer for 10 minutes on medium-high heat until reduced to a paste.
Finally, add the shrimp, season with salt and stir to fully coat. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Finish shrimp with the juice of 1 lemon and the rest of the butter. Serve with torn French bread and sliced scallions.
Elderflower Gin & Tonic
Created by Chef Kwame Onwuachi
1 ½ oz Bombay Sapphire Gin
1 oz lime juice (fresh!)
1 oz of elderflower cordial of St. Germain
1 tablespoon of honey
Directions:
Shake with Ice
Pour Over Ice
Top with Tonic