New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp

OMG, these shrimp look and sound awesome . . . we will be making this ASAP.

No BBQ sauce, not cooked on the grill!  Quick and easy.

I would only change one thing . . . shrimp with heads off.  Shrimp served with heads creep me out!

Ingredients

• 1 medium lemon
• 8 oz. (1 cup) unsalted butter
• 2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbs. chopped garlic
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/4 oz. kosher salt (1 Tbs. if using Diamond Crystal, 1/2 Tbs. if using Morton’s)
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
• 24 colossal shrimp (12 to 15 per lb.), unshelled, preferably domestic wild-caught and head-on

Directions

Cut the lemon in half crosswise, and juice it. Press each half flat on a cutting board, and then cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips.


Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the lemon juice and peel, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaves, paprika, cayenne, salt, ground pepper, and cracked pepper. Stir and simmer for about 5 minutes to blend the flavors, being careful not to let the garlic brown.


Add the shrimp and increase the heat to medium. Cook, turning with tongs, until all the shrimp are beginning to turn pink, 4 to 5 minutes.


Cover the skillet and remove it from the heat. Let sit for 15 minutes so that the shrimp can absorb the flavors and finish cooking, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Serve.

nutrition information (per serving): 

Calories (kcal): 670; Fat (g): fat g 50; Fat Calories (kcal): 440; Saturated Fat (g): sat fat g 30; Protein (g): protein g 47; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 13; Carbohydrates (g): carbs g 8; Polyunsaturated Fat (g):3.5; Sodium (mg): sodium mg 1270; Cholesterol (mg): cholesterol mg 465; Fiber (g): fiber g 2;

Source:   Poppy Tooker from Fine Cooking, Issue 128
PHOTO: SCOTT PHILLIPS