Jose's Shrimp & Tasso En Brochette

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Chef's Note: Jose Arevalo has been at Brennan's of Houston for 19 years. As the Creole chef in our kitchen, he is the expert who understands Creole cooking and is our kitchen's “taste master." To create this hors d’oeuvre, Jose took an already great shrimp appetizer and enhanced it by wrapping the stuffed shrimp with tasso ham.

Chef's Tips: Instead of toothpicks, we use 6-inch bamboo skewers for the shrimp to create a dramatic look and to provide our guests with a nice handle to dip into the sauce. We served this appetizer at the James Beard House in 1998 with the Texas Beef Council along with the winner of the Texas Beef Cook-Off. For a new twist, we used rosemary skewers and roasted the shrimp.

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  • 10

Ingredients

  • 20 (26/30 count) shrimp, tail on, peeled and deveined
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, cut lengthwise, seeded and cut into thin slivers
  • 1/4 yellow onion, cut into thin julienne strips 1 1/4-inches long
  • 2 ounces pepper Jack cheese, cut into 1/4 x 1/4 x 1-inch pieces
  • 4 ounces tasso ham or Cajun spiced ham, thinly sliced
  • Vegetable oil for deep frying
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons Creole Seafood Seasoning, divided (see recipe)
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 recipe Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc (see recipe)

Preparation

Step 1

Butterfly the shrimp by cutting from head to tail along the center vein with a small knife. Lay shrimp out flat. Place a sliver of jalapeno, onion, and piece of cheese lengthwise on one cut side of each shrimp.

Close shrimp; wrap a slice of tasso around shrimp to hold in the goodies. Wrap tasso around shrimp twice if it looks too thin. Secure with a toothpick.

Preheat oil in deep fryer to 325 degrees.

Combine flour with 1 tablespoon seafood seasoning in a small bowl. Mix milk and egg in another small bowl. Sprinkle shrimp with remaining 1 tablespoon seasoning.

Prepare Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc; reserve and keep warm.

Dip shrimp into egg wash and then dip into flour mixture. Fry shrimp in deep fryer until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Shrimp will start to float to the top when done. Remove shrimp from oil and drain on paper towels.

Pair shrimp with reserved warm Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc for dipping.

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