Barbecue Shrimp in NOLA

The first time I went out to dinner in New Orleans was this spring on our first visit, and it was at Deanie's Seafood in the french quarter.  I ordered a dish called Barbecue Shrimp, and it may never be forgotten, for a number of reasons:
1. It's not barbecue in the way that I am familiar with.  No grills, no mesquite involved.
2. It was absolutely delicious (this really should be reason #1).  It wisely came with a little baguette for soaking up all the delicious juices in the skillet that the shrimp are served in, because you won't want to leave any flavor behind.
3. I never knew shrimp came that big, complete with giant heads, horn and tenticles that blew in the wind as the waiter walked the dish over.
4. I didn't use any utensils, and each shrimp needs to be peeled by the diner.  Needless to say, my hands needed multiple rounds of firm scrubbing.

So Sunday night we made this delicious dish.  I went to the grocery and got fresh, huge shrimp complete with heads, eyeballs and 5 inch tenticles that put a frown on Megan's face.  We halved the recipe for the two of us, using only 1 lb of shrimp that came out to 18 shrimp.  But while we were making the sauce, we thought back to Deanie's and how the shrimp there were swimming in so much sauce, that near the end I had to poke around in the skillet to be sure I had found all of the shrimp.  And it's so delicious, why wouldn't more be better?  So we halved the shrimp, but kept the sauce at the original recipe levels.  It was really easy to make and turned out great (although not quite as good as Deanie's, it was close).  We toasted up some french bread to soak in as much sauce as possible, and contemplated that you could easily substitute chicken or mixed vegetables if you weren't in the mood (or location) for shrimp.  I think our favorite thing about the sauce is that you can taste each of the herbs that are put in, and it comes with just enough of a kick.  It is a bit of work to peel all of those shrimp, but we'll definitely be making this again (after our arteries have cleared).

1 cup (2 sticks) salt butter

1 cup veg. oil

2 tsp. minced garlic

4 whole bay leaves crushed

2 tsp. crushed dried rosemary leaves

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cayenne

1 Tbs. paprika

3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. lemon juice

2 lb. whole fresh shrimp in the shell

In a heavy saute pan or sauce pan melt the butter, then add the oil and mix well.  Add all the other ingredients except the shrimp and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce begins to boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, then remove the pan from the heat and let it stand, uncovered, at room temp. for at least 30 minutes.  Add the shrimp to the sauce, mix thoroughly, and put pan back on the burner.  Cook over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, or just until the shrimp turn pink, then put the pan in a preheated 450 degree oven and bake for 10 minutes.  Serve equal portions of shrimp with about 1/2 cup of sauce ladled over each one.

And it begins

My mom couldn't wait, so she dove in with an easy drink recipe.  Her notes follow:

"This is very refreshing and not at all too sweet.  Skip said the taste was "very complex."  The mint is not overpowering by any means.  Although my pitcher holds 2 quarts of liquid, I could only put in 1 quart with all the other ingredients.  Since it was then a "concentrate,"  I added additional water to each serving.  Easy to make--you just need to plan ahead as it is not ready immediately!"

ICED MINT ORANGE HONEY TEA

 

1 large bunch fresh mint

3 oranges, halved top to bottom, end slices discarded, sliced 1/8" thick

2/3 c honey 

2 quarts cold water

6 Earl Grey tea bags

 

After the mint is washed, place it in a large glass pitcher.  Add the orange slices, then the honey.  Use a wooden spoon to crush the ingredients until lightly broken up, and the mint and honey are mixed with orange juice.  Add the cold water and stir.  Place the tea bags on top; cover pitcher with plastic wrap.  Let it sit on the counter for about 12 hours to "brew."  Remove the tea bags and squeeze remaining liquid back into the pitcher.  Serve over ice.

What is this?

What is this blog about?  Well, I made this blog to share with my mom for her #($&'th birthday.  Back up: one of my mom's many qualities is her great ability to cook.  A spillover effect of this ability is creating children (my brother and I) who also like to cook and expect to eat pretty good and reasonably healthy things.  So, when I got married this summer and moved two weeks later down to New Orleans, LA, with its tremendous cuisine and intriguing culture represented in every dish, I had to 1) take advantage of said cuisine and 2) find a fun way to keep in touch with my mom back in Wisconsin.

SO, what is this blog about?  Every two weeks my mom and I will select a recipe from one of three Creole/Cajun cookbooks, prepare the dish separately (with substitutes as needed as there aren't a lot of crawfish in Wisconsin), take a picture and blog about each dish with our thoughts, and anything else someone who happens to be around the table may say.  And when she comes down to visit, we'll do the dish together.  

I hope you enjoy it, but it's really for my mom.