A friend of mine recently visited New Orleans and that inspired me to make this DELICIOUS shrimp dish. I love Cajun food, but it can be a bit spicy for me and baby these days. I toned the spice down in this recipe, but feel free to kick it up a notch.
The original recipe came from my buddy Emeril Lagasse. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/new-orleans-bbq-shrimp-recipe.html
I changed several things to fit my palette better, but feel free to look his up!
Disclaimer: this is a little more time consuming that I anticipated, but well worth it! Don't cut any steps or shorten time because it may not turn out the same.
New Orleans BBQ Style Shrimp
1 1/2 lbs of raw, skin and tail on shrimp
2-3 tbsp of Cajun creole seasoning (see recipe below for homemade Cajun creole seasoning)
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 1/2 lemons, peeled and sectioned
1-2 bay leaves
1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
1 cup of water
1/4 cup of dry white wine
3/4 cup of heavy cream
1/4 cup of milk
2 tbsp of butter
Cajun Creole Seasoning
2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp dried thyme
Mix together in a bowl and set aside. Any extra from this recipe can be stored in pantry for up to a year!
1. Peel the shrimp, but KEEP THE SHELLS. (sounds strange...but you need them for the sauce later on).
2. Sprinkle the peeled shrimp with 1 1/2 tbsp of the creole seasoning you made and put in the fridge
3. Heat oil in a large pot on the high heat.
4. Saute garlic for about a minute
5. Peel and section 1 1/2 lemons.
5. Add the shrimp shells, 1 1/2 tbsp of creole seasoning, bay leaves, lemons, water, Worcestershire, wine, salt and pepper. Bring this mixture to a boil and stir well. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and strain into a smaller sauce pan. Let cool for about 15 minutes.
7. Heat over high heat and bring to a boil. Stir consistently until the mixture is thick and syrupy. This should take about 10 minutes (this is your BBQ base)...set aside when done.
8. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add the seasoned shrimp from the fridge.
9. After about 2-3 minutes add the BBQ base and cream. Simmer for about 5 minutes with shrimp in it.
10. Remove shrimp and place in a bowl or platter.
11. Add butter to the sauce left in pan and cook for an additional 2 minutes. When melted, pour sauce over shrimp. Serve with a french baguette to soak up all that delicious sauce!
Although it may take a while to prep, this is a delicious recipe and is great for feeding a crowd!
