Food You Can Eat: Barbecued Shrimp Without the Barbecue

This was taught to me by a friend from Louisiana, the same friend who taught me how to make Bananas Foster. The funny thing about this recipe (for me) is that I’ve never been to Louisiana and I’m never let near a barbecue when I’m in a group setting.

This could not be easier but involves a trip through your spice rack.

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For the spice mixture: No more than 1/2 tsp of each of the following, and this will depend on what you have on hand. This is “to taste” but is a good way to get rid of the dribs and drabs in your spice rack. You could also use a seasoning mix, but what’s the fun in that? In alpha order, which is how my spice rack is arranged:

Black pepper

Cayenne pepper 

Garlic powder

Oregano powder

Paprika

Red pepper flakes

Rosemary 

Salt

Thyme

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For the liquid:

1/2 stick of butter, the richest you have. This is a Louisiana recipe, after all.

3 cloves of garlic, at least, chopped finely

A little wine. I’ve used both red and white, whatever I have left in a bottle that isn’t quite a glass’s worth. So let’s say a dry white or a hearty red.

If you want to keep this pescatarian, 1/2 cup of fish stock. You probably don’t have this but you might have chicken stock, so use that. Don’t use beef stock or bullion cubes. Take it from me.

The juice of 1 lime or 1 lemon

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1 lb. shrimp, but not too shrimpy. Try to get the ones that are about 2 inches long. There is a shrimp season and by the time you read this we might be beyond it in the US. You can always get it, though, but if it’s frozen bring it to room temperature or slightly below but don’t let it linger too long. You don’t want shellfish poisoning. Also, shells on, and not deveined or anything.

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Combine the remnants of your spice rack in a bowl and mix. In a skillet, melt the butter, and add the spice mixture, the garlic, and the liquid. Bring this to a boil, turn down the heat, and let simmer for a while so that the sauce thickens. Give it a couple of stirs and see how it’s going. This shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes, maximum.

Throw in the shrimp, turn the heat down a little more, and let them do their thing. You don’t really need to stir them but at some point you should turn them. This goes quickly, maybe 5 minutes at most. The shrimp will plump up and turn pink.

That’s it. Put this in bowls and serve with bread and lots of napkins because you can only eat this with your fingers. The genius is you don’t make a dipping sauce because that would be too much. Have a side bowl on the table for the discarded shrimp shells.