Chef Allen cooks up two famous sandwiches on the Food Boat from this acclaimed Charleston restaurant
Every southern chef knows the importance of Duke’s mayonnaise to a good recipe. As affirmed by Derek Astorino on the Food Boat, if you have anything other than this brand of mayo in your fridge, make sure to throw it out and replace it with Duke’s . AKA, “the real stuff”.
Duke’s mayonnaise is a star ingredient in chef Jeff Allen’s shrimp BLT recipe. As the executive chef of Charleston’s Miller’s All Day, Allen is well versed in cooking up power-packed flavor.
Building the Best Shrimp BLT
For his loaded shrimp BLT, Allen starts with poached shrimp from Lowcountry Shrimp Company and a large helping of Duke’s mayo. To this, he adds herbs like dill, chives and parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Allen doesn’t mention any specific measurements for this recipe, so it’s best to add each ingredient to match your quantity and taste.
Tip: Make sure to never skip out on the sauce or condiments (in this case, the mayo).
On top of a soft brioche bun from Charleston’s own Saffron Bakery, Allen adds a a bed a green bib lettuce (also from a local farm), confit tomatoes, crispy bacon, and a healthy portion of the shrimp salad mixture on top. All of this is then sprinkled with a touch of salt, pepper, and garlic.
By the time the toppings are all piled on, this delicious masterpiece is practically overflowing with all the goods. Head’s up– this might not be the easiest sandwich to eat for cleanliness, but rest assured that the flavor is surely worth the mess.
“If it ain’t messy, you ain’t doin’ it right” – Chef Allen
Cooking up Southern Smash Burgers
Next up comes the smash burgers. Chef Allen starts by tossing a few quarter-pound burger patties onto a sizzling cooktop, followed by some caramelized onions to heat up off to the side. Marinated in sorghum molasses and house-made Dijon mustard, these make the perfect sweet-savory pop of flavor.
Tip: Season both sides of the burger patty when cooking to ensure the best flavor throughout the burger.
After cooking the patties most of the way through, Allen tops each with a helping of caramelized onions while he browns the brioche buns. On top of the onions comes a slice of American cheese– Allen’s choice for the best melting. By putting the onions on first and then the cheese, the onions become attached to the burger, making assembly and eating far easier.
His “comeback” sauce– a mix of mayo, pickle juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire and ketchup– is spread the toasted brioche, then followed by the patties. The buns are topped with not just one, but two of the patties, making the ultimate juicy, double-decker smash burger.
If you’re not up for making this treat for yourself, you’re still in luck. You can find chef Allen’s delicious burgers at all three locations– Downtown Charleston, James Island, and the distinguishable teal-and-aqua-colored food truck. If you decide to chase the food truck down, make sure to check here for the most recent updates on its traveling locations.