Make This Now: Manale Shrimp

A few weeks ago we were asked to a shrimp boil for a friend's birthday. In addition to the shrimp/corn/potato loveliness, we sampled a different type of shrimp called Manale shrimp made by the birthday girl's parents. Originally from Pascal's Manale restaurant in New Orleans, these crusteaceans were to die for. Spicy and tangy with a rich buttery sauce for soppin'. Heaven.

Mason just got home from a long business trip overseas, so I wanted to make something extra delectable for his first night home. I thought these would be perfect for the occasion served with some crusty french bread, corn on the cob and of course some cold beer. I'm not much for tootin' my own horn, but this was the best meal I've made at home in awhile. It's a snap to put together and would make a dynamite dinner for casual company. I'll definitely be making this the next time my mom's in town or we have guests over.

There are lots of different recipes on the internet for this (and the family recipe itself is closely guarded), but here's how I cooked em up. Serves 2-3. Make sure to follow the SPE method (thanks to Bird on a Wire) when diving into these lovelies. SPE meaning suck, peel, eat. First pull the shrimp through the sauce by the tail, and suck off all the sauce that clings to the shrimp. Then peel, and eat. Ce magnifique, no?

Manale Shrimp

1.5 lb raw shrimp, unpeeled

note: In my humble opinion, Costco has some of the best shrimp around at their seafood roadshow on Fridays & Saturdays. 1# of shrimp runs $8.99, and these suckers are huge - about 12 to a pound. Best value in town!

1.5 sticks butter

A few teaspoons of olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 t. oregano

1 t. thyme

1 t. basil

1 t. paprika

several dashes cayenne pepper (I used a lot, we like them spicy)

salt

freshly ground pepper

3-4 T. worcestershire sauce

lemon juice

Rinse shrimp and dry. Lay out in a baking dish. Preheat oven to 425. Melt butter in a saucepan and add garlic, spices, lemon juice, worcestershire and oil. Stir to combine. Pour over shrimp. Grind a whole bunch of fresh pepper over the shrimp. Bake in a 425 oven for 15 minutes total, turning over and grinding more pepper at the halfway point. Serve with sliced french bread.