New Orleans Food Questions And Comments

Barbecue Shrimp

Barbecue shrimp, one of the four or five best dishes in all of New Orleans cooking, is completely misnamed. They're neither grilled nor smoked, and there's no barbecue sauce. It was created in the mid-1950s at Pascal's Manale Restaurant. A regular customer came in and reported that he'd enjoyed a dish in a Chicago restaurant that he though was made with shrimp, butter, and pepper. He asked Pascal Radosta to make it. Radosta took a flyer at it. The customer said that the taste was not the same, but he liked the new dish even better. So was born the signature dish at Manale's.

The dish is simple: huge whole shrimp in a tremendous amount of butter and black pepper. The essential ingredient is large, heads-on shrimp, since the fat in the shrimp heads makes most of the flavor. Resist the urge to add lots of herbs or garlic.

I know that the amount of butter and pepper in here are fantastic. But understand that this is not a dish you will eat often--although you will want to.

3 lbs. fresh Gulf shrimp with heads on, 16-20 count to the pound
1 Tbs. lemon juice
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 newly-purchased 2-oz. can black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
3 sticks butter, softened
2 tsp. paprika
1 loaf French bread

1. Rinse the shrimp and shake the excess water from them. Put them in a large skillet (or two) over medium heat, and pour the lemon juice, wine, Worcestershire, and garlic over it. Bring the pan to a light boil and cook, agitating the dish, until the shrimp turn pink.

2. Cover the shrimp with a thin but complete layer of black pepper. You must be bold with this. Trust me, it is almost impossible to use too much pepper in this dish. Continue to cook another couple of minutes, then sprinkle the paprika and salt over the pan.

3. Lower the heat to the minimum. Cut the butter into tablespoon-size pieces, and add three at a time to the pan, agitating the pan as the butter melts over the shrimp. When one batch is completely melted, add another until all the butter is used. Keep agitating the pan to make a creamy-looking, orange-hued sauce.

4. When all the butter is incorporated, serve the shrimp with lots of the sauce in bowls. Serve with hot French bread for dipping. Also plenty of napkins and perhaps bibs.

Serves four to six.

Revised 3/29/08


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