Monday, June 25, 2007

Barbecue without the fire

Can you call barbecue barbecue if you don't use a grill?

I dunno, but I've got to share this easy, oven-baked New Orleans style peel and eat barbecue shrimp recipe that my pal Stephanie once made. (It was so outrageously delicious, she gave me the recipe. I think she got it from Southern Living magazine.) I brought it to a dinner party Saturday night and it was a big hit. I tweaked it just a bit. Pass crusty French bread and dunk it in the sauce. It's damn good!

New Orleans style barbecue shrimp
4 pounds unpeeled, large fresh raw shrimp
(I only used 3 pounds but we had other dishes)
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Heinz 57 sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 lemons, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons Creole seasoning (I didn't have any in my spice cabinet so I used a mix of ground cumin, chile powder and smoked paprika)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon, but it seemed like too much to me and 1/2 teaspoon was fine for our tastebuds)
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
French bread
Put shrimp in a large, plastic, freezer style bag with a zip closing. Set aside.
Combine butter and all ingredients - except French bread - in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until butter melts. Let cool slightly. Pour mixture into the bag with the shrimp. Zip seal bag closed. Place the bag in a bowl in the refrigerator. Chill 2 hours, turning bag every 30 minutes.
Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20 minutes in a large pan; turning once with a spatula after 10 minutes. Serve with crusty slices of bread. Makes 6 to 8 servings

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