I first tasted New Orleans White BBQ Shrimp when we went to brunch on one New Year’s Day in Florida.
I thought it was so good that I asked for the recipe. Well, I didn’t get it (it was a really busy day), so with or without the recipe, I promised myself then that I would recreate the flavors, one way or another.
After several more visits (Libby’s is a regular lunch spot for us) and several more requests for the ingredients for this delicious dish, I still don’t have their recipe. So, as I said then, I will figure it out. And so I did.
I originally thought it was made with the holy trinity (onions, bell peppers, celery) commonly used as a base in Cajun cuisine, white wine, cream and more. I researched the recipe on the internet, and there are many, but none seemed to be the same. The one ingredient that I could not place, but turned out to be crucial, is Worcestershire sauce.
Well, with imagination, determination and three tries to get the ingredients and the quantities right, I can honestly say that my recipe is a true recreation, down to the color, the velvety smoothness of the sauce and that tiny bite of heat at the back of your throat. That’s the Creole seasoning and the ground black pepper.
When I first tasted it, I thought that it would make an ideal appetizer, brunch dish, or main course for lunch. In fact I made it for dinner for us on at least one of the three tries, and lunch on another occasion. But having tried it for various meals, I think lunch is probably the best, and so when we recently invited friends to join us for Sunday lunch, New Orleans White BBQ Shrimp was the star of the show. I added a few nibbles to start and decadent dessert to end and this New Orleans inspired lunch menu was set.
Appetizer
Fresh Air-Popped Popcorn
Kettle Chips
Main
Baby Potatoes and Green Beans in Garlic Butter
Dessert
Our guests really enjoyed it, even though their tastes typically run towards less spicy food. The dish is not hot, like you get from chilies, rather it’s like I said, it has this tiny bite of heat that catches at the back of your throat with each bite. It’s delicious!
Over and above the fantastic shrimp, this is a great menu as everything can be made a day ahead, so no rushing or being away from your guests at last minute.
I prepared the white barbecue sauce the day before and stopped just short of adding the butter and cream. I added these ingredients after I had cooked the shrimp for the 2-3 minutes that takes to cook them to be perfectly tender, then I finished the sauce. The full recipe for New Orleans White BBQ Shrimp will give you all the ingredients and instructions so be sure to check the link.
Dessert was just as easy, and I made this the day ahead as well. I just set the cheesecake on a nice platter and I precut the slices, so all I had to do was just bring the platter to the table and serve this delectable dessert.
Hope you try it, once, now that I figured out the recipe.
