the thin chef

When I got to choose a special meal for my family birthday dinner, I thought about things I don’t often make myself. I landed on the perfect celebratory, once-a-year kind of dinner: New Orleans-style Cajun barbeque shrimp. If you’ve never had it, trust me: you’re missing out.

Shrimp (head-on, mais oui!) are slowly cooked in a bath of Cajun-spiced butter. Rumor has it, it was created at an Italian/Cajun restaurant called Pascal’s Manale in New Orleans. Served with a hunk of fresh French bread and a simple green salad, it’s one of the most decadent, delicious meals ever. And even though it seems rich, it’s truly not too heavy.

Be ready to get messy. This isn’t the meal for your finest linens. Spread some newspaper on the table and set out a roll of paper towels for napkins. Serve the shrimp in a big bowl with empty bowls for the discarded shells. Serve with a simple green salad, lots of French bread and cold beer or a crisp white wine, turn the music up, and enjoy.

Cajun Barbeque Shrimp
serves 6
4 pounds shrimp, heads* and shells on
1 pound butter
1 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
3 tablespoons black pepper (the stuff in the can is just fine here)
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon salt
Juice from 2 lemons

Rinse and dry shrimp and set aside. Combine butter and oil in a large saucepan or stockpot over medium-low heat. When butter melts, add spices, Worcestershire and salt, and stir to combine.

Add shrimp. Toss to make sure shrimp are completely coated and cook until pink and firm. Off the heat, stir in lemon juice and serve.

*Though they’re kind of hard to find, shrimp with the heads still on are crucial for the flavor of the dish. Also, whenever possible, I look for wild American shrimp. The flavor is incomparable.

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I have a confession to make: I am a sucker for marinades. I love the way the full-flavored ingredients translate into a tastier version of plain-old chicken (or shrimp or beef…) It’s the easiest and simplest way to add tons of flavor and extra moisture and, at most, requires the use of a whisk or blender and a zip-top bag.

I’ve been on an Asian kick lately. Since wild American shrimp were on sale at the grocery store (I never buy any other kind), I decided to make a marinade that incorporates all of the Asian flavors I was craving.

I started with a little inspiration from a Bobby Flay marinade and then pared it down. Soy, lime zest and juice, ginger, garlic and shallots went into the blender with some peanut oil and voila! a perfect marinade was born. It tasted so good on its own I debated saving some to drizzle on the cooked shrimp, but then realized that would be taking my marinade-love a bit too far. The shrimp came out tender and full of flavor. I imagine the marinade would be delicious for a meaty fish like tuna or mahi, and might make for a tasty flank steak marinade, as well.

I thought a slaw-like salad would be a good accompaniment with the shrimp, so at the market, I picked up a head of Napa cabbage, a red bell pepper, a jalapeno and some cilantro. To dress, I made a simple, Thai-inspired peanut dressing. It was a light but satisfying dinner that came together pretty quickly.

Asian-style shrimp and slaw
Serves 2
For the shrimp:
1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup peanut oil
Zest and juice of one lime
1/2 pound of medium or large shrimp

Place everything except shrimp in a blender and puree. Pour marinade in a zip-top bag, place shrimp inside and put bag in refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes.

Preheat a large skillet over high heat. Remove shrimp from bag, shake off excess marinade, and sear, two minutes per side, or until shrimp are opaque.

For the slaw:
1/4 cup unsweetened peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Zest and juice of one lime
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 1-inch piece of ginger, finely grated
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 small head Napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
3 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Whisk together peanut butter, soy, lime zest and juice, vinegar, oil and ginger. If thick, add a tablespoon of water. Set aside. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast sesame seeds until light brown and fragrant, about 3 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine cabbage, peppers and cilantro, and add dressing until lightly coated. Garnish with sesame seeds.

To serve, mound a pile of slaw in a large bowl and top with shrimp.

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