Sometimes, in this world of ever-rising food costs,
there are happy surprises.
When shopping, recently, Friend Wife came across
U-15 shrimp on sale. If you’re unfamiliar with shrimp sizing, that means there
are only 15 or fewer shrimp per pound. The “U” designation means “under,”
donchasee.
Normally, shrimp in that class take a second
mortgage to afford. Last time I had
any---which were a gift---was in the early ‘90s, and they were, at the time, 27
bucks a pound for U-12s. She found them
for six dollars and change, and promptly grabbed two one-pound bags. Why not?
I decided to make Louisiana Stuffed Shrimp, which
has a crab-based filling.
Not that crab is all that inexpensive. But when you
have shrimp big enough that they require a knife and fork to eat, may as well
go with the best.
One of these makes a fantastic appetizer. Three is
more than enough for a hearty eater’s main course. Here’s the recipe:
20-30
very large shrimp (being as I had them, I used all 30)
For
the stuffing:
1
tbls minced onion
2
tbls butter
2
tbls flour
½
cup scalded milk
1
cup flaked, cooked crab meat
½
cup bread crumbs
1
tsp Worcestershire
½
tsp salt
Pinch
cayenne.
For
the sauce:
2
cups tomato puree
¼
cup vegetable oil
¼
cup firmly packed brown sugar
2
tbls vinegar
1
tbls Worcestershire
½
tsp salt
2-3
healthy glugs of hot pepper sauce.
Shell
the shrimp, leaving the tails intact if desired. Devein and butterfly the
shrimp, and chill them while making the stuffing.
In
a saucepan, sauté the onion in the butter until softened. Add the flour and
cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Remove
the pan from the heat and gradually stir in the milk. Cook the mixture over
moderately high heat, stirring, until it is very thick. Remove the pan from the
heat again and stir in the crab, bread crumbs, Worcestershire, salt and
cayenne. Combine the mixture well and let it cool to room temperature while
making the sauce.
In
a saucepan, combine all the ingredients, bring to a boil, stirring, reduce
heat, and simmer, undisturbed, 5 minutes. Keep the sauce warm.
Preheat
oven to 350F.
Lay
half the shrimp, cut sides up, on a work surface. Divide the stuffing on top of
them (roughly 1 tablespoon each for 20 shrimp). Cap each with a second shrimp,
cut side down. Use toothpicks to hold these “sandwiches” together.
Brush
the bottom of a baking pan, large enough to hold the shrimp in one layer, with
some of the sauce. Lay the shrimp in the pan, and brush liberally with more
sauce. Cover the pan with foil, and bake
20-25 minutes, or until shrimp are cooked through.
Remove
the toothpicks, and serve the shrimp on a bed of rice, with additional sauce on
the side.
Enjoy!
------------- But we hae meat and we can eat And sae the Lord be thanket
|