Eat Good BBQ Shrimp
bbq isn't bound by season -- it's a way of life.
As promised, here’s a bonus recipe for all subcribers as a big apology for being off schedule last week. If you’ve been watching on Insta, you’ll know that I left for a job in St. John and now I’m stuck on St. Thomas courtesy of American Airlines. Which would normally sound like a great deal if my luggage wasn’t in Miami and I wasnt in a Bed n Breakfast on a massive hilltop with no food within walking distance. Anywho, enjoy this offering as a means to keep me mentally tethered to this hellscape
(haha…sigh)
Today’s offering is a special lil’ something from the vault that is my Google Doc — a recipe I developed for my book proposal sometime last year. I was sifting through a book called The Florida Cookbook by Jeanne Voltz and Caroline Stuart, hoping to get my synapses firing off with inspiration. I came across this recipe for BBQ Shrimp that didn’t mention a grill nor a flame, but instead reminded me of making homemade baked beans and New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp.
The sauce in this recipe isn’t as buttery, garlic forward as NOLA style shrimp and legit looks like it’s swimming in BBQ sauce. And because it’s all stove top, you can make it all year round. Naturally I had to rework this recipe because the original one had you cooking shrimp in an oven for like 45 minutes which is completely out of the question (!!!), but in essence of the original recipe, this is still fit for a crowd and meant to be served with crusty bread, any day during any season.
BBQ Shrimp
Yield: 6 servings
Cook time:
Ingredients
1/4 cup unsalted butter ( 4 tbsp)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fimrly packed brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup lager beer
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Worcesteshire sauce
1 teaspoon smoked paprika ( or regular if you don’t have it)
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon of liquid crab boil or 1 tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning
a few dashes of tobasco
1 pound large shrimp in shell ( headless, preferably not frozen)
1 lemon
a small bunch of fresh chives, minced for garnish
salt to taste
Directions
Melt the butter in a large cast iron pan over medium heat. Once it’s nearly completely melted, add the onions and garlic. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes.
Add the brown sugar and break up the clumps while mixing it into the butter mixture. Add the remaining ingredients, mix well.
Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce to simmer for 10 minutes. While the sauce cooks
down, clean the shrimp by cutting along the back with kitchen shears, splitting the shell and meat, then remove the vein with a paring knife.
Nestle the shrimp into the sauce and cook until they’re pink , about 5 minutes. Be sure to flip the shrimp and move them around so the sauce gets in the shell and they cook evenly through.
Taste for salt and heat then finish with chives and a lemon squeeze. Serve with warm, crusty bread for that sauce.
