Rosemary Shrimp

Well everyone, it’s that time of year again – The Gras. No, not the shirtless-Stephen-Graw variety, but the Mardi Gras. In its honor, the Nums have decided to hit you with some quintessentially Nawlins seafood recipes. This is one that Dot has pulled out many times, and it’s so buttery and satisfying that we know you won’t be disappointed. (Come to think of it, someone may have said that about The Shirtless Graw before, but that’s neither here nor there…)

This recipe originally hails from the much-regaled Heart & Soul Junior League cookbook under the name “Baked Shrimp Douglas,” but that frankly sounds too proper for a day that’s characterized by beads and boobs, so we took it down to plain ole English. Laissez le bon temps roulez! (I know that’s French and therefore a bizarre choice to follow-up a sentence about “plain ole English,” but I may have had too many Hurricanes, so don’t you judge me.)

2 lbs fresh medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1 clove garlic, minced

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine all ingredients and place in 13x9x2 baking dish.
3. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until shrimp turn pink.
4. Serve in ramekins with Caesar salad and crusty French bread for dipping. This sauce is fatty-goodness gold, so you’ll want to be able to sop up every bite.

Todd’s Fried Dill Pickles

So I really have no idea how to start this post. Obviously I love pickles and all things fried, but more than that, I love my hairdresser of 12+ years, Todd Lucas. Despite the fact that he ran off (to Arkansas according to Joel’s sources) and left me a desperate, graying old maid with atrocious split ends and no one to make snarky comments to, I still love his stupid ass.

And I love his fried dill pickles. I mean, they have red pepper, Tabasco and beer in them. Pure genius. You can always serve these with the classic Ranch dressing (Make your own from the packet – it’s incredibly easy and 10x better than any bottle), but I also like to serve them with horseradish mayo* for some extra zing.

1 quart hamburger sliced dill pickle chips
1 1/4 cup flour (divided into 1 cup and 1/4 cup)
2 tsp red pepper
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic salt
Tabasco to taste
1 cup beer (the darker the better)
vegetable oil

1. Dredge pickles in 1 cup of flour and set aside.
2. Combine remaining flour and dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and mix well.
3. Dip pickles into batter and fry in hot oil until they float and are golden brown.
4. Drain on paper grocery bags. Serve hot with cold beer.

*For the horseradish mayo, I start with mayo, add a little sour cream and black pepper and slowly add horseradish until I get the right amount of spice.