{recipe} Louisiana Style “Barbecue” Shrimp

The first thing you might notice when you read this recipe is that there is no actual barbecuing involved. The “barbecue” is really a flavor element here – not a methodology. Why? I don’t know. It just is. Ask Paul Prudhomme or something. I’m from San Francisco, for Pete’s sake. What the hell do I know about it?

Anyway, when I was a kid, my mom would make these shrimp for special occasions. It was exciting because you get shell the shrimp at the table, so you got to be messy and saucy right there at the dinner table. After probably a 20-year hiatus of eating them, I made them recently and they were still so good. (And it’s still fun to be messy and saucy at the table!)

You can serve them with crusty bread and some cole slaw and call it done. They couldn’t be easier to prepare or make! Plus there are 2 whole sticks of butter in there, so how can you really go wrong with that?

RECIPE: Louisiana-Style “Barbecue” Shrimp
serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-4 lbs. shrimp, shell on
• 1/2 lb. (1 cup) butter
• 1 cup olive oil
• 8 ounces Heinz’s chili sauce
• 2 lemons, sliced thinly
• 3 Tblsp lemon juice
• 1 Tblsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp dried or fresh oregano
• 2 tsp chili flakes
• 1 tsp Tabasco or other hot sauce
• 1 Tblsp liquid smoke
• salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

• Wash shrimp and put into a large oven-safe casserole or cast-iron pot.
• Combine remaining ingredients and pour over shrimp. Refrigerate for 4-24 hours, stirring occasionally.
• When ready to cook, preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Cook for 30 minutes, turning shrimp a few times during cooking, until shrimp are pink all the way through.
• Serve hot with sauce and bowls for the shells.