This recipe is from our New Orleans Kitchen feature.
When chef Emeril Lagasse first moved to New Orleans in the early 1980s, he recalls that everyone in town was doing a version of what New Orleanians called barbecue shrimp. The dish, which never gets anywhere near a barbecue pit, was instead a buttery Worcestershire-fueled sauté that bathed large Gulf shrimp in creamy goodness.
Pascal’s Manale restaurant is credited with the original recipe, which is still served today, along with a plastic bib to catch the splatter. “I wanted to do something a little more refined, as well as something easier to eat in a white tablecloth setting,” said Lagasse. “The original recipe is cooked with the shrimp in their shells in lots and lots of butter. So, peeling them can get messy. I decided to peel the shrimp and make a cream sauce instead.” Barbecue shrimp is now a signature dish on many of the restaurants in the Emeril Lagasse Restaurants Group.
“A quick sear in a very hot pan before adding the sauce base and cream is all you’re looking to do,” said Lagasse, whose most recent restaurant opening, 34, celebrates his Portuguese heritage. “It’s OK if they’re not cooked all the way. By the time the sauce is finished, the shrimp will be just right.”
Emeril’s New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp
Pascal’s Manale restaurant is credited with the original recipe, which is still served today, along with a plastic bib to catch the splatter. “I wanted to do something a little more refined, as well as something easier to eat in a white tablecloth setting,” said Lagasse. “The original recipe is cooked with the shrimp in their shells in lots and lots of butter. So, peeling them can get messy. I decided to peel the shrimp and make a cream sauce instead.” Barbecue shrimp is now a signature dish on many of the restaurants in the Emeril Lagasse Restaurants Group.
Ingredients
3 lbs large Gulf shrimp, in the shell
Cracked black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 Tbsp minced garlic
3 bay leaves
3 lemons, peeled and sectioned
2 cups water
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups heavy cream
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp chopped chives
2 Tbsp Emeril’s Essense of Creole Seasoning
Directions
- Peel the shrimp, leaving only the tails attached. Reserve the shells and set aside. Sprinkle the shrimp with 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning and fresh cracked black pepper. Use your hands to coat the shrimp with the seasonings. Refrigerate the shrimp while you make the sauce base.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pot over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the reserved shrimp shells, the remaining Creole seasoning, the bay leaves, lemons, water, Worcestershire, wine, salt and black pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Strain into a small saucepan.
- There should be about 1 1/2 cups of liquid. Place over high heat, bring to a boil, and cook until thick, syrupy and dark brown, for about 15 minutes. Makes about 4 to 5 tablespoons of barbecue sauce base. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the seasoned shrimp and sauté them, occasionally shaking the skillet, for 2 minutes. Add the cream and the barbecue base.
- Stir and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp to a warm platter with tongs and whisk the butter into the sauce. Remove from the heat. Mound the shrimp in the center of a platter. Spoon the sauce over the shrimp and around the plate. Arrange the biscuits around the shrimp. Garnish with chopped chives.
