One of the best things my mother left me was a recipe called “Manale’s New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp.” It’s one of my favorite meals in the world. I can’t vouch for its veracity, but I did run the preparation method by ‘seester, and she said it sounded legit.
I’ve probably eaten shrimp cooked 50 different ways, and this one is firmly ensconced in my top slot. We had it tonight, with fresh rosemary from Lea’s garden.
We generally figure three-quarters of a pound of shrimp per person. This ain’t health food. Carpe diem.
Now, here’s the cooking part. Preheat oven to 350º. Get a baking dish of moderate depth. One in which you would cook lasagna works well. For each pound of shrimp (intact except for their heads), add:
- Three sticks of salted butter
- One quarter-cup of rosemary (fresh is better, though off the spice rack at the grocery store is almost as good)
- An extremely large amount of black pepper (I mean, take the top off and pour it in there beyond all reason, and then double it)
My mother has “a healthy dash of salt” in her recipe, but my mother salted Domino’s pizza. It’s not necessary, particularly with salted butter.
Put it all in the dish and cook uncovered, stirring every five minutes, just until the shrimp are uniformly pink. (For two pounds of shrimp, this is 15-20 minutes.) Remove.
Serve in soup bowls over a newspaper-covered table (please put a roll of paper towels in the middle, too). Get a decent amount of melted butter/rosemary/pepper in each bowl so you can dip hunks of toasted French bread in it. Peel. Eat.
This is ungodly delicious, boys and girls, and it couldn’t be any easier. It’s great for a casual and festive dinner with friends (I’ve scaled the recipe to four pounds with no problems).
It screams for beer. I prefer Anchor Steam with it, though I suppose a Cajun beer would be more authentic.
We’ve talked about using a different spice—garlic would be good, obviously—but it’s so tasty this way that when we have the opportunity, we just go with what we know.
Enjoy, but please do keep it occasional. I think if you ate this twice in a week you’d die.
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We always did it with some garlic in there. And, since you wonder about the authenticity, the restaurant that dish is named for is spelled Manales, Pascal’s Manale. We should go sometime. It’s only an 8 hour drive.
If I ate this ONCE, I’d die, but that’s beside the point.
My only regret at being allergic to seafood is the scampi. I wish to GOD/DESS that there was a seafood free equivalent. I mean, come on! Something swimming in butter and garlic? HOW can that be BAD?!
I’ve eaten at Pascal’s Manale several times, and always the barbecued shrimp. I think the recipe there has more ingredients, including a goodly amount of lemon juice. You make up the marindade (pepper, of course, lemon juice, and I don’t know what all, but the resultant sauce is reddish, and leaves lots of liquid in the bottom of the bowl), and you put the shrimp in it, making sure all the little buggers are covered with it, and put in the fridge, covered,for several hours. The marinade actually “cooks” the shrimp. You then heat it in the oven until it is nice and hot. Pascal’s Manale serves how ever much the table orders in one large bowl, and you peel and eat (and it is damn spicy)!. The french bread you dip into the sauce and eat. Yummy! The restaurant is over in the Garden District, on Bonaparte or just off it, I think. I think you can take the trolley, but I never did.
In my memories, it is the most memorable meal in New Orleans, and the one I miss the most.
Yep, you can walk from the streetcar, and they’ve just finally been restored all the way down St. Charles after Katrina.
Yes, Manale’s has a touch of red and it is very spicy. The version Bo does I’ve had many times in New Orleans cooked by local friends. Of course they always add cayenne to it.
I had one of my most memorable meals at Manale’s. I was with my roommate and her parents, when Al Hirt wandered through greeting everyone.
I’ve never really thought of this as “barbecue” but it is one of my all time favorites. Dipping up that shrimpy Rosemary butter with fresh French bread is a little slice of divine.
When we go to Gulf Shores we always eat at a place called Mikee’s and I always have their Barbecue shrimp (with an extra side of corn fritters, thank you). It’s the kind of spicy that will make any open wounds on your hands begin to burn. Yet, it’s not unpleasantly hot to eat, say like some hot wings are. I’d love to figure out how it’s made. I’ve just never been able to distinguish all the ingredients.
Let’s mess with it a little bit next time. Not a bunch; just a little. Dash of garlic? Dash of cayenne?
I suspect the redness in the Manales recipe may come from shrimp boil. It seems that just the right amount would turn it that color and add the spicy. Hmmmmm… I am emailing my cajun gal pal right now.
Beer, I would recommend an Abita brew, my favorite is Turbo Dog.
@Buzzregog: +1
Found out the altnerate ingredients are worchestershire, white wine and louisiana hot sauce.
PS – but my authentic nola girlfriend, makes it pretty much the same way you do, but starts out by sauteeing garlic onion and celery until soft and adds it to the buttery baked in goodness.
Buzzregog: I like Turbodog a lot, and Blackened Voodoo is an old favorite too. Just something about Anchor Steam and shrimp for me, though.
‘seester: I’ll probably stay away from the Worcestershire and hot sauce. One of the primary appeals of this recipe for me is its simplicity. Currently it contains no composite ingredients. 🙂 I’ll think about the onion and celery, though, and I’d say garlic and cayenne are slam-dunks for inclusion, at least once.
Is there any reason that peeled, de-veined, etc. shrimp could not be used? I just don’t have it in me to touch their little legs and crunchy shell body. Otherwise, I imagine it must be pretty good.
Hey Lynda! I do usually use de-veined ones. I think doing them with the shell on has a slight benefit in that some spices get trapped and cook snug up against the shrimp, so the flavor is a little more robust. I suspect that benefit is minor, though. I’m sure it would be delicious using peeled ones.
Trying a validation run tonight. Going with totally peeled shrimp.