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You are here: Home / family recipes / Family Recipes: Mary Jones’ Shrimp Dish

Family Recipes: Mary Jones’ Shrimp Dish

September 29, 2009 By Laura 9 Comments

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As everyone knows by now, I was in Chicago recently to see U2 and generally have fun. While I was gone, my in-laws came to help with the kids. I suggested that while I was gone they make one of John’s favorite dishes growing up, Mary Jones’ Shrimp Dish (OK I made that up–to my knowledge his family never named the dish). The point being, I am not a fan of shrimp served in a sauce, but John has such a strong attachment to this dish–both flavor wise and nostalgia wise, that I felt it was a perfect entry for Family Recipes. And something he and his mom could make together while I was gone. Knowing I would be busy–and knowing that John is a very funny writer–I asked him to please write up the blog post and recipe for me. I am late posting it because he asked me to proof read it last week and then my entire family got sick, myself worst of all, so I put it on the back burner. Here it is now. Be sure to head over to The Life And Loves Of Grumpy’s HoneyBunch to see what other family recipes people made.


This shrimp dish is a recipe that has been in my family for several generations, and one I loved growing up. I love it, my mother loves it, my grandmother loved it – I’m a little unclear if it goes back to my great-grandmother. (Who was born in the 1860s – before a major ingredient, Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup, existed.) So for all I know she invented this. (The recipe, not Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup.) It’s also unclear whether this will continue much further. My wife doesn’t like shrimp – a serious c
haracter flaw I have tried to learn to live with, but I remain hopeful that they will some day develop a surgical procedure for correcting it. So this doesn’t get made too much (read: ever). But when she was recently out of town, my mother helped cook it and my daughters, who love shrimp, refused to touch it. Hopefully this was just the random eccentricity of small children, and not a sign that this recipe goes no further through my branch of the family.


Anyway, it’s a fairly simple recipe, requiring:
· Shrimp
· More shrimp
· Shallots (Laura’s note: pick an amount to taste, around 3 sounded good to John when I asked)
· Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup
· Ketchup (2 tbs. per can of soup)
· Peas


Start by sautéing both the shrimp and the more shrimp (feeling free to add extra shrimp as needed). Separately, sauté the shallots (the onion wannabe of the allium world). Combine the shrimp and the shallots and add the Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup. (I suppose it is possible you could use some other brand of mushroom soup, but I’ve never tried it and then it’s not my recipe, so why are you wasting my time? Nor can I guarantee that there won’t be some sort of unexpected chemical reaction causing the shrimp to explode and take out half your kitchen wall. So do so at your own risk.) Add the ketchup and heat. Serve on rice, with peas on the side. (I suppose this technically means that peas are not part of the recipe, but we always have them. Failure to do so means you are not making my recipe, so why are you wasting my time? And again, for all I know, they are suppressing some chemical reaction between the soup and ketchup that would otherwise blow your stove hood through your ceiling.)


That’s it: that is the great family recipe that generations have loved for years. My wife won’t eat it and my children won’t eat it – but if just one person who reads this blog likes it and can carry on this tradition, it still won’t help. Because I’m pretty sure you won’t be cooking it for me.

**Since writing the above I’ve done a little more research (meaning that I asked my mother) and traced the roots of this recipe. Turns out it had nothing to do with my great grandmother. (Incidentally, I also confirmed my suspicion that said great grandmother did not create Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup.) It was instead obtained from a woman named Mary Jones — a friend of my grandmother’s who was apparently a Depression-era cookbook author. Attempts to google “Mary Jones” have proved (unsurprisingly) useless, so that’s about as far as I can go.

Filed Under: family recipes, seafood

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Comments

  1. Josie says

    September 29, 2009 at 2:42 pm

    I think you could hire John out to guest-blog. Perhaps he would like to write an entry on why I take forever to update my blog? 🙂

    I would try this recipe – usually Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup makes everything better, why not shrimp?

    Reply
  2. HoneyB says

    September 29, 2009 at 6:23 pm

    Well John, if we were neighbors, I would make this and share w/ you! Laura knows I love shrimp dishes as I have plenty of them on my blog. I wonder if her tummy turns when she reads some of them? 😉

    It is pretty interested (the ingredients) and I think I will give this a try the next time I am in a shrimp mood!

    Thank you to you and your mom for doing this post for us. I GREATLY appreciate it and I love reading all family experiences that revolve around food!

    Ok, I'm done wasting your time. 😉

    Reply
  3. NT says

    September 29, 2009 at 6:31 pm

    Although I do not like shrimp. my family has a recipe that involves elbow macaroni and cream of mushroom soup and a dash of ketchup 😉
    I would also enjoy a side of peas (are John's peas fresh, frozen or canned?. I do enjoy canned peas – very British).

    Reply
  4. Laura says

    September 29, 2009 at 7:08 pm

    NT: definitely frozen. 🙂

    Reply
  5. That Girl says

    September 29, 2009 at 9:11 pm

    I'm a big fan of shrimp with sauce, so this looks fantastic.

    Reply
  6. Lynda says

    September 30, 2009 at 10:06 am

    Very funny post! I love to hear about old family recipes; and I love a good saucy shrimp!

    Reply
  7. noble pig says

    September 30, 2009 at 4:03 pm

    My family would totally gobble this up!

    Reply
  8. Ingrid says

    October 3, 2009 at 10:27 am

    Well done!

    Two out of three of my kiddos love shrimp so I think this would be a hit. My youngest, who avoids shrimp loves rice with sauce so it's all good! Thanks for sharing!
    ~ingrid

    Reply
  9. Amy says

    October 9, 2009 at 1:24 am

    Really? Mushroom soup and ketchup? Huh.

    Good thing I don't eat shrimp, so I don't have to try it… 😉 I am relieved to hear that even your girls occasionally refuse to touch something. I was thinking of them tonight when my kids wouldn't eat the Stone Soup I made at Joshua's request, and which they adored last year. I even let Josh put 2 rocks in!! But no dice…

    Reply

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Hi! I’m Laura and I am a recovering history major who has re-channeled all of my passion for learning about the history of different countries to learning about their food culture. That doesn’t mean every dish on here is strictly authentic, but it does mean that even my adaptations are not undertaken lightly. My goal is to show you–by doing–that these dishes are possible in your kitchen. Including desserts because I have quite the sweet tooth! Read More…

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