Mr. B’s is one of the New Orleans restaurants run by the Brennan family. If you haven’t heard of the Brennans, they are known as “the first family of New Orleans cuisine”. They own the renowned Brennan’s and Commander’s Palace restaurants. Mr. B’s is one of their more casual restaurants.
I lived in New Orleans for four years while working on my Ph.D. at Tulane. One evening during that time I went to Mr. B’s with a friend and our waiter gave us their recipe for “Barbequed Shrimp”. The name is deceptive; there is no barbeque sauce involved and the shrimp is sauteed on the stove, not grilled. . .Whatever the reason for the name the dish is incredible. I have made it a number of times and in each instance my guests have raved about it, including French guests. . .
New Orleans Barbequed Shrimp
14 large fresh shrimp, unpeeled with the heads on
6 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 ounce pieces
1 ½ teaspoons of ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons of cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon of creole seasoning (recipe given below)
3 tablespoons of Worchester Sauce
1 teaspoon of chopped garlic
juice of one lemon
Place the shrimp and all the ingredients, except the lemon juice and 3 ounces of the unsalted butter in a sauté pan large enough so that the shrimp are in one layer. Begin to sauté over moderate heat. Add the lemon juice and mount the remaining 3 tablespoons of cold butter by swirling the pan and stirring with a fork. Serve the shrimp in a bowl and pour the sauce over the shrimp. Garnish with hot French bread for dipping.
Creole Seasoning
8 ounces salt
2 ounces garlic powder
2 ounces ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
2 ounces paprika
1 tablespoon granulated onion
Blend all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Store in a sealed container.