Cooking with Books: Shrimp and Deviled-Egg Salad Rolls

Today's report is on the Lee Brothers' (Matt and Ted, for those of you familiar types) second cookbook. I have the first one also and it's an encyclopedia of modern Southern cooking. Gumbos, pickles and juleps, oh my!

This one--Simple Fresh Southern--aims to please (am I drawling yet?) with recipes that are easier and (ostensibly) healthier than the chicken-fried fare of our Southern ancestors.

I've already tried a pickle recipe or two. Delicious. And next on the list are Caesar Salad with Catfish "Croutons" and Black Walnut Ice cream. But I have many more marked to check out.

The brothers talk about the inspiration for this particular recipe in the welcome. THe original idea from a recipe from a 1960's Georgia PTA cookbook. The recipe alternated layers of deviled eggs in a casserole, alternated with cheese sauce dressed up with whole shrimp, ketchup, sherry and Worcestershire sauce. Wow.

While this includes some of the same ingredients, it's a very different final product. Deconstructed, it's spicy boiled shrimp, a bacon and tomato sandwich and deviled eggs. Put back together, it's the perfect Southern riff on a New England lobster roll.

Shrimp and Deviled-Egg Salad Rolls
Makes 4 servings.

2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 pound headless large shell-on shrimp (26 to 30 per pound)
6 large eggs
2 ounces slab bacon, or 2 strips thick-cut bacon, finely diced
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons high-quality store-bought mayonnaise, such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s
1 tablespoon pepper-vinegar hot sauce, such as Tabasco
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
2 vine-ripened red tomatoes, cut into 8 slices total
4 leaves butter lettuce
4 top-loading hot-dog buns
2 scallions (white and green parts), finely sliced

Fill a large stockpot with about 2 quarts water and 2 teaspoons of the salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove the pot from the head, add the shrimp, and cook (off the heat) for 1 to 2 minutes, until the shrimp are pink-orange and slightly firm. Using a slotted spoon or a skimmer, transfer the shrimp to a colander. Rinse them under cold water until they are cool enough to handle.

Return the shrimp water to a boil and then reduce the heat to low so the water simmers calmly. Add the eggs gently, lowering them to the bottom, two at a time, with a large ladle. Let the eggs cook at a simmer for exactly 14 minutes.

While the eggs cook, peel and chop the shrimp and put them in a large bowl. Saute the bacon in a skilled over medium-high heat until it is firm and just turning golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel to drain.

When the eggs are done, transfer them to a strainer and rinse under cold water until they’re cool enough to handle, about 2 minutes. Peel the eggs, and cut them in half lengthwise. Separate the whiles from the yolks. Coarsely chop the egg whites, and add them to the bowl with the chopped shrimp. Press the yolks through a mesh strainer into a medium bowl. Add the mayonnaise, hot sauce, mustard, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt to the yolks and whisk until the mixture has the consistency of cake batter, about 1 minute.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the yolk mixture into the shrimp mixture until the shrimp and egg whites are evenly coated with the deviled-egg dressing. Season with salt and pepper, and toss again. (Covered, the shrimp and deviled-egg salad will keep in the refrigerator for 2 days.)

To serve, load 2 slices of tomato and 1 leaf of lettuce into each of the top-loading buns, and spread 3/4 to 1 cup of the shrimp and deviled-egg salad into each roll. Garnish each roll liberally with the reserved diced bacon and the scallions.