new orleans barbecue shrimp

one year, a good friend of mine had a summer barbecue and made a phenomenal spicy lime shrimp recipe (from gourmet magazine) on the barbecue. it was the first time brit had ever had shrimp - and she must have eaten about three dozen of them. we tried a few summers later to duplicate the recipe from memory. the results were disastrous (so much lime juice it was kind of ceviche.....) and i haven't made cooked shrimp since.

but after recalling this story and laughing, brit remembers this amazing shrimp she had on a trip to new orleans - and we decide to give it another go. we stop at the local fish market and pick up a bag of 30 per pound shrimp. we get them home and search for the right recipe. new orleans barbecue shrimp, peel and eat, with creole seasoning, and pounds and pounds of butter sounds like right one. first - how to prepare the shrimp. we consult thomas keller, but still end up having to watch "de-veining shrimp for dummies" on youtube in order to be sure we get it right. after that project is complete (gross out) - we start making the sauce for the shrimp, and realize we have to make our own creole seasoning. (note to readers: do not inhale!)

this is a fantastic recipe! will make it again for sure!

more after the jump



finally - we're ready to go. since we only have thirty shrimp - a little over a pound, we try to make 1/4 of the recipe. still - this is 2 whole sticks of butter. melt half of it in the pan, and then add in 1/2 a stalk of minced celery, 1/4 of a sweet onion minced, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and a tablespoon of chopped parsley, 1/2 tbsp of creole seasoning and 1/2 tablespoon of rosemary. cook until the onion is soft then add in the remainder of the butter and cook over low until it has all melted. already, the smell in the kitchen is unreal. smokey and sweet, and unlike anything we've made before.

add in salt, pepper, an 1/8 cup of worcestershire sauce and 1/2 tsp of lemon juice. then layout the shrimp in a single layer in a flat casserole dish, top with the sauce and cook for 20-25 minutes, just until the shrimp are pink (the worst thing you could do is over do it.)

we pour the finished shrimp into a big bowl and sit out on the deck armed with stacks of paper towels and big glasses of ice tea, seriously......heaven!!! the next morning there were butter drips on the glass table on the deck and it made me smile.  this was soooo good...try it!