Orleans-style barbecue shrimp

By á-4034

New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp

Ingredients

• 12 raw colossal shrimp, unpeeled, with heads and tails left on
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning (see below)
• 1 teaspoon minced, fresh garlic
• 1-3 tablespoons Abita beer, divided (water can be substituted)
• 1/2 each lemon, seeded
• 1/4 pound cold, unsalted butter (preferably Plugra or other European-style butter), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• Warm, crusty French bread, for serving (Leidenheimer French Bread recommended)

Preparation

Step 1

Place the unpeeled shrimp, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, Creole seasoning, garlic, and 1 tablespoon beer (or water) in a heavy 10-inch, stainless-steel sauté pan. Squeeze the juice from the lemon half over the shrimp and add the rind and pulp to the pan. Over high heat, cook the shrimp while gently stirring and occasionally turning the shrimp. After about 2 minutes of cooking, the shrimp should start turning pink on both sides, indicating they are nearly half cooked. If the shrimp are the colossal size, add additional 2 tablespoons beer (or water) to the pan; otherwise, don’t add water.

Reduce the heat to medium-high and continue cooking as you gradually add the cold pieces of butter to the pan. While turning the shrimp occasionally, swirl the butter pieces until they are incorporated into the pan juices, the sauce turns light brown and creamy as it simmers, and the shrimp are just cooked through. This will take about 2 minutes total if the shrimp are extra-large, and about 3 minutes total if they’re colossal. Do not overcook the shrimp.
Serving suggestion: Pour the shrimp and sauce into a heated pasta bowl with the lemon-half, turned cut-side down, in the center. Serve the shrimp and sauce immediately, alongside slices of warm, crusty French bread for sopping up the sauce.
Note: This dish is prepared only 2 servings at a time because increasing the number of shrimp beyond 12 would require increasing the dish’s amount of sauce. Reducing the larger amount of sauce would require more cooking time, resulting in overcooked shrimp.


Recipe: Creole seasoning

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup sweet paprika
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper