In honor of the New Orleans Saints well-deserved win at the Superbowl yesterday, I am going to reveal for the first time my secret Big Easy Barbecue Shrimp recipe (just in time for Mardi Gras celebrations, too).
Barbecue Shrimp has nothing to do with a barbecue pit or grill: there are no flames or skewers, and there is no traditional barbecue sauce. Well, not the kind most people think of anyway.
If you “Google” Barbecue Shrimp on the Internet, you’ll get all kinds of recipe variations. Most are centered around cooking the dish on a stove top in a frying pan (because frankly, most restaurants want to make it quick and dirty). Barbecue Shrimp was devised in a famous New Orleans restaurant (Pasqual Manale’s restaurant to be exact), and has been copied umpteen times.
I first encountered Barbecue Shrimp sitting in a sidewalk cafe near Café DuMonde one evening sometime in the early ’80s when celebrity chef Paul Prudhomme and his K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen were the hottest thing on the culinary scene. K-Paul’s had a huge line (my husband was hungrier than me, so waiting was out of the question). So we found this little open air dining spot on Decatur Street in the French Market and sat down.
I saw Barbecue Shrimp on the menu and asked the waiter if I could have it à la carte instead of the full meal. No problem. What transpired then was nothing short of magical. A few minutes later he brought a confusing bowl of huge shell-on gulf shrimp tightly curled and bathing in a buttery broth about an inch-deep. Not the barbecue shrimp I expected! Surrounding the bowl was superb French bread — crusty, light, and flavorful. Having never seen such a dish, I asked the waiter how to eat it. He graciously demonstrated the shelling process and suggested I dip the bread into the sauce.
Divine. Probably one of the most memorable dining experiences I’ve ever had (except for the all-you-can-eat mussels adventure in Quebec City, Canada, but that’s another story).
The taste was so compelling that I searched every Cajun and Creole cookbook available at the time for a recipe. I just had to have that taste again. Even then there was assorted disagreement as to which barbecue shrimp recipe was “authentic.” So I made my own Big Easy Barbecue Shrimp recipe.
All I can say is, nearly 30 years later, my recipe has garnered praises from even those who were doubtful. A friend’s husband, a New Orleans native, told me I made the best barbecue shrimp in the world. Quite a compliment from a guy who didn’t even want to come to dinner!
I’ve had three marriage proposals (all in jest) because of this dish, and whenever I mention off-hand about making barbecue shrimp the reverse invitations and volunteers to eat always flood in. I’ve made up to 18 pounds of barbecue shrimp at a time (it is most definitely a great party food).
It’s messy, it’s glorious. So now, for the first time ever in public, here is my secret Big Easy Barbecue Shrimp recipe:
BIG EASY BARBECUE SHRIMP
For 4 (based on ½ pound of shrimp per person)
2 lbs Gulf shrimp (or 13-15U/lb size Tigers)
WET/FRESH FLAVORINGS
½ lb Butter/margarine
½ cup Canola oil
1 tsp Tabasco sauce (to taste)
1 tsp Liquid smoke
½ tsp Lemon juice
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tsp Crushed garlic (fresh preferred, but powdered okay)
6 oz Beer/white wine/shrimp stock/water/chicken stock
¼ cup Fresh chopped parsley (or 1 tsp dried)
DRY FLAVORINGS
2 tsp Cayenne pepper (or less for less burn)
2 tsp Black pepper
1 tsp White pepper
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Ground thyme
½ tsp Ground oregano
½ tsp Ground basil
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Ground rosemary
3 tsp Onion powder
1-1/2 Bay leaves (dried finely crushed)
Night before Serving:
Rinse shrimp (you can devein if you want) and drain in colander. While shrimp drains, whirl dry flavorings in mini-chopper or blender until pulverized into fine powder. Combine all the wet and dry flavorings in a saucepan, and heat on a low burner until butter is melted. Mixture will look dark and glossy. Stir often. When butter is completely melted, set sauce aside and let cool. Meanwhile, layer shrimp in a deep bowl. Pour cooled sauce over shrimp. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook the next day. Stir occasionally.
Day of Serving:
Heat oven to 325°F. Spread marinated shrimp in shallow baking pan. Pour any remaining sauce over shrimp. Bake until shrimp turn pink, turning every 10 minutes until done (no more than 30 minutes). Serve in deep bowls with slices of crusty French baguettes to soak up sauce. Also good over hot, steamed rice. (You can also cook individual portions on stove top in black frying pan; just make sure each portion has enough sauce to dip bread.)
This is a messy, finger-lickin’ good one-bowl dish best served for a crowd who isn’t wearing their Sunday best, or isn’t fussy about shelling their own shrimp. Cover the table with newspapers and have lots of napkins on hand. Give everyone a finger bowl with warm water and a soft towel.
Menu/Serving suggestions:
A light salad (not coleslaw)
Hurricane drinks in mason jars
Apple or peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream
(Or, for a real NOLA dessert, try Bananas Foster or banana pudding)
Don’t be afraid to try my secret Big Easy Barbecue Shrimp recipe for your Mardi Gras celebration next week. And, whatever you do, be sure to put my secret Big Easy Barbecue Shrimp recipe in your family cookbook or recipe card box! You’ll be glad you did.
Happy Cookbooking,
Erin
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