From Dock to Dish

From Dock to Dish: Charleston Royal Reds and the Perfect Shrimp Alfredo

There is something inherently magical about the South Carolina Lowcountry. This week, I took a trip down to Charleston, and while the historic streets and window boxes are always a draw, I was on a very specific culinary mission. My destination? Wando Shrimp Co., right on the water.

The Catch: Wando Shrimp Co.

There is absolutely nothing like buying seafood directly off the dock where the boats come in. I picked up a few pounds of fresh Royal Red shrimp. If you haven't had Royal Reds before, they are a total revelation. Naturally ruby-colored even before they hit the heat, they have a rich, sweet, almost lobster like flavor and a tender texture that puts grocery store shrimp to shame. I packed them up on ice, brought them home, and knew exactly what I was going to do with them.

Today's Lunch: Shrimp Alfredo

Today, I decided to feature these beautiful shrimp in a rich, comforting Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo for lunch. But when you have seafood this fresh, you have to treat it with respect. Throwing raw shrimp directly into a simmering cream sauce is a one-way ticket to tough, rubbery seafood.

Instead, I relied on the golden rule of shrimp with pasta: The pan-sear method.

Here is exactly how it went down in the kitchen today:

• The Prep: First, I peeled and deveined them and completely removed the tails. (Because nobody wants to dig their fingers into a creamy bowl of Alfredo to pinch off a shrimp tail!)

• Dry-Off: I patted the shrimp completely dry with paper towels to ensure a great crust. A quick toss with salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and just a dash of garlic powder was all the seasoning they needed.

• The Quick Sear: I heated a little butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once it was hot, I seared the shrimp for just 1 to 2 minutes per side until they developed a beautiful, slight caramelization.

• The Rescue: I pulled the shrimp out of the pan immediately and set them aside on a plate so they wouldn't overcook.

• The Sauce: Leaving all those incredible browned bits in the pan, I lowered the heat and built my Alfredo sauce butter, garlic, and heavy cream

  right in that same skillet, scraping up all that concentrated shrimp flavor. The Royal Reds only went back in for the final 30 seconds to bathe in the sauce and warm through just before serving.

The Verdict

The result was absolute perfection. The sweet, tender snap of the Royal Reds paired flawlessly with the rich, garlic-infused cream sauce. The pan-sear method kept the shrimp perfectly cooked while infusing the Alfredo with incredible depth of flavor.

It was a lunch that tasted like a high-end Charleston restaurant, right from the comfort of my own kitchen. If you ever find yourself near a shrimp dock in the Lowcountry, do yourself a favor: grab a pound of Royal Reds and get a skillet hot.

Shop Doug the FoodGuy https://dougthefoodguy.com/store