My Shrimp Sweetie

My husband did the sweetest thing - he cooked me dinner. This is a big deal in our home. He never cooks, that is my thing. Don't get me wrong he is by no means lazy. He is so helpful around the house and every night after I cook and make a mess out of the kitchen he cleans the entire kitchen without a peep. We never reverse rolls and that is just the way it is. As long as we have been together we have operated on that standard and neither of us have ever challenged it. I had already purchased shrimp over the weekend and I was running late at work. We had to cook the shrimp tonight so that is where Forrest's kindness plays in to this story. The recipe I chose to make was one I have prepared several times before and it is really a breeze. There is actually very little cooking involved - it is more of assembling. But that really doesn't make a difference. Forrest has never even assembled me a meal before so I am not trying to steal his glory.

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp is one of the most delicious things created in my hometown. It is a misnomer for sure because New Orleans BBQ Shrimp have nothing to do with BBQ Sauce or BBQ grills. New Orleans BBQ Shrimp are prepared with primarily two ingredients: Butter and Worcestershire Sauce. And to do it like they do back home you need A LOT of those two ingredients, especially the former. You can only imagine how unhealthy (i.e. delicious) something prepared with this much butter can be. Never would I have enough nerve to cook something in my household that requires around 8 sticks of butter, so of course I was elated to find a Cooking Light version of this New Orleans Staple. I have to love Cooking Light for giving so many nods to the Big Easy. This recipe is really easy, very flavorful and a crowd pleaser. I have made this particular recipe several times and it has always been a success. I must warn you though - if you haven't had the real thing this is very different. It focuses more on the herbs for flavoring than on the butter. That is a good thing for the waistline but a bad thing for your first New Orleans BBQ shrimp experience.

Since I have made this several times. I am pretty familiar with the desired end state and let me just say that Forrest did an amazing job. Out of all the times we have had this dish in our home, tonight was my favorite because my husband surprised me with dinner and he even cleaned the kitchen as he went (now I am hoping he doesn't expect the same from me in the future)!

New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp
Cooking Light April 2007
Ingredients

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 pounds unpeeled large shrimp
2 lemons, sliced into 1/4-inch slices
4 teaspoons butter, divided

Preparation

Combine first 11 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425°.

Fold 4 (16 x 12-inch) sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil in half crosswise. Open foil. Remove shrimp mixture from bowl; reserve marinade. Place about 2 1/4 cups shrimp mixture on half of each foil sheet. Drizzle remaining marinade evenly over shrimp. Top each serving with 1 teaspoon butter. Fold foil over shrimp; tightly seal edges.

Place packets on a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Place on plates. Unfold packets carefully; peel shrimp, and serve immediately.