Tale of the plate: The story behind Brandon Staton’s grilled shrimp salad with puffed rice crackers and herbs is full of Virginia soul.
by Asha Ellison | photographs by Justin Driscoll
Although chef Brandon Staton grew up living the down-home life, his cooking is anything but basic. In fact, he describes his culinary style as “one-part Asian, one-part Southern and one-part Black culture.” His dishes could be described as unconventional, yet delicious.
The Virginia native, who claims both Norfolk and Virginia Beach as his hometowns, is no stranger to pushing boundaries in the kitchen. The Supperland sous chef has been doing it since he was 12. It’s a trait he owes, in part, to his father.
“My dad switched things up a lot,” Staton says, reflecting on his formative years in the kitchen. “And when my mom would go to work and leave food for me to cook, I’d say, ‘Ok, I’ve got to make this spaghetti last all week.’ Then, I’d add pepperoni to it and top it with cheese,” he laughs. “I don’t recommend doing that.”
Staton, who loved watching cooking shows, began to notice more diversity in the chefs represented on television. He realized the opportunity to become a chef was more than a possibility: It was his purpose.
“Once I saw people like Aaron McCargo Jr., Roy Choi and the Neelys [on screen], I started to take the idea of being a chef seriously,” he says.
In 2014, Staton moved to Charlotte to attend Johnson & Wales University, where he earned degrees in culinary arts and chef training, along with restaurant, culinary and catering management. Charlotte provided Staton with a faster pace of life and more opportunities than he had in Virginia. He trained and worked in some of the city’s most renowned restaurants such as The Asbury at the Dunhill Hotel, Haymaker, Dogwood Southern Table, and Leah & Louise and Uptown Yolk under James Beard Award-nominated chef Greg Collier.
Staton also learned to appreciate his roots.
“I never cooked like where I’m from ever in my career,” Staton says emphatically. “Not until I met Oscar and Coop.”
Oscar Johnson and Daryl Cooper, the James Beard Award-nominated chefs of Jimmy Pearls and natives of Virginia’s Hampton Roads region, inspired Staton to fold a little “Virginia soul” into his cooking.
“To this day, I incorporate elements of Virginia in the dishes I create, like adding shrimp or other types of seafood,” he says, “but it’s not the only way I cook.”
Staton hopes his dishes carry diners and home cooks beyond the sea. He wants them to experience umami, a Japanese term that describes deep, savory, mouth-filling flavor.
“This dish speaks to the tastebuds and everything I like,” he says, referring to his grilled shrimp salad with puffed rice crackers and herbs. “It’s sweet, sour, salty, spicy, charred and smoky. Every flavor note you could think of is found in this dish.”
Staton originally created the dish as an efficient menu item during a series of pop-ups he hosted at Lorem Ipsum listening bar in Plaza Midwood.
The best part?
“Anybody can make it and it’s easy to adjust,” he says.
“It may look like a lot of ingredients but, at the end of the day, it’s a very easy dish to accomplish.” SP
Grilled Shrimp Salad
with Puffed Rice Crackers and Herbs
Serves 2-3
INGREDIENTS:
Marinated grilled shrimp (recipe below)
Salad dressing (recipe below)
Rice cracker (recipe below)
Cilantro, to taste
15 basil or Thai basil leaves
2 bulbs of scallion greens
1/2 head romaine lettuce, thinly cut
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 English cucumber, medium diced
Grilled shrimp
INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds shell-on shrimp (preferably large)
For the marinade:
1/2 bunch cilantro with stems
12 Thai basil or basil leaves
6 scallions, whole
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 habanero pepper
1 cup brown sugar
2 star anise pods
3 tablespoons salt
1 cup orange juice, fresh squeezed
Zest of 2 limes
Juice of 2 limes
DIRECTIONS:
Clean and peel the shrimp. Save the shrimp shells and set them aside.
In a pan, toast the habanero pepper, star anise and scallions until they’re a little brown.
In a blender, combine the toasted items with the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.
Pour the marinade over the shrimp, reserving 1/2 cup, and let marinate for 4-8 hours, depending on the size of the shrimp. Smaller shrimp will require less time.
After the shrimp has marinated, fire up your preferred grilling method (i.e., charcoal, gas, wood). Once the grill is hot, place the shrimp on the grill and cook until you see grill marks. Depending on the size of shrimp, this will take 1-2 minutes per side.
Salad dressing
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup reserved shrimp marinade
Juice of 2 limes
Zest of 1 lime
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
DIRECTIONS:
Toast the sesame seeds on low to medium heat until fragrant. Then, combine all ingredients in a medium-
sized bowl and mix together.
Rice crackers
INGREDIENTS:
1 pack rice-paper wrappers
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon sugar
4 cups frying oil (canola or vegetable)
DIRECTIONS:
Thoroughly mix all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Pour cooking oil into a medium-sized saucepan and bring to 350 degrees. While oil is heating, break rice-paper wrappers into pieces that resemble tortilla chips. Do not make them too small.
When oil is hot, drop in 2 to 3 pieces at a time for 1 to 2 minutes, until they puff up.
Remove puffed rice paper from the oil and drain excess oil. Season evenly with seasoning mix.
