Pascale Manales BBQ Shrimp

This dish has nothing to do with a barbecue pit or barbecuing. Why is it called "barbecued" shrimp? Beats the hell out of me. If you're really curious, ask someone at Pascal's Manale Restaurant on Napoleon Avenue in New Orleans; it's where the dish was created. Me, I don't care. This dish is so good you can call it whatever you want. Just, um, don't have it every day. You'll know why immediately when you see the first ingredient listed:


2 pounds butter (Yes, you read right. Two pounds. Eight sticks. Don't whine. DO NOT use margarine! Real butter only.)
2 tablespoons Creole seasoning, to taste; OR
2 - 3 teaspoons cayenne pepper and 3 - 4 teaspoons black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped rosemary leaves
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
6 ounces good beer (microbrewery is preferable to mainstream swill)
5 - 10 cloves garlic, finely minced (or as much as you like)
1 medium onion, very finely minced
3 ribs celery, very finely minced
3 - 4 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
5 pounds shrimp, heads and shells on
[This feeds 8-10 people, BTW ... cut it in half if you need to.]
Melt a stick of the butter in a skillet. Saute the garlic, onions, celery, parsley, rosemary and seasoning blend for about 2 - 3 minutes.

Melt the rest of the butter. Add the beer (drink the rest of the bottle). Add the sauteed stuff, Worcestershire and lemon juice.

Drown the shrimp in the seasoned butter, using as many baking dishes as you need. Make sure the shrimp are more or less submerged. If they're not ... melt more butter and add to the sauce. (Aah, what the hell ... what's another stick or two when you're already up to these butterfat levels?) Bake in a 350 degree oven until the shrimp turn pink, about 15 minutes.

Serve in big bowls. Put in a handful of shrimp and ladle lots of the spicy butter sauce over it. Roll up your sleeves and wear a bib (DO NOT wear nice clothes when eating this!) Serve with plenty of French bread to sop up da sauce!

Try to avoid going to have your cholesterol and triglycerides taken for a few weeks afterward. Remember that this is a special treat. Don't eat this all the time if you want to live. But hey, every now and again ... LIVE!

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This is THE Pascale Manele recipe. , heads removed

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This makes no sense, since everytime I ate there, the heads were on the shrimp

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This makes no sense, since everytime I ate there, the heads were on the shrimp

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I know but that recipe was published a while back when people were displaced by Katrina. Take it fwiw I guess.

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This makes no sense, since everytime I ate there, the heads were on the shrimp

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The heads are one of the big keys to the dish.

The fat from the heads is an essential component of the sauce.

I generally use Paul Prudhomme's recipe with a few minor alterations to the seasonings and I finish it in the oven as opposed to the stove top....AND I ADD THE DAMMNED BROWN SUGAR...3 Tbls PER RECIPE!!!!

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Go with Mr. B's recipe

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And where do I find this recipe.
The reason I'm asking is my pregnant wife is craving some n'awlins style bbq shrimp. I have my own recipe, but i wanted to test it up a bit.

Straight from the horse's mouth...you really should go eat there sometime if you've never been.

Best gumbo ya-ya as well...

Voila