The
History of Barbecued Shrimp
Introducing
Pascal Manale's
In the
early 1900's, a young Italian man and his family decided to emigrate to the
United States. Their final destination,
New Orleans. In 1913,
he opened his namesake restaurant, Pascal Manale's. This restaurant is an icon
in the hospitality field of the city.
What's more, it's credited for creating New Orleans Barbecued Shrimp. To
this day, this dish remains a mainstream delicacy found on menus throughout the
city.
Now, this
is not what you would typically think when the word "Barbecued"
appears in the title. It is far from
grilled shrimp basted with a zesty tomato sauce. Instead, it's a wonderful
concoction of broiled shrimp in a very flavorful butter sauce. Intrigued with
the history, I decided to go exploring to experience the roots of the dish
first hand.
 |
| Pascals Manale's |
Driving
to the restaurant was a bit of an experience. Manale's is located in what is
known as "Uptown", New Orleans. At first, I was certain
that I either had the wrong address or at the very least, I was lost. You see, Uptown is a residential
neighborhood. Seeing large city homes one after another on this thoroughfare
lined with large oak trees, this is the last place I expected to find a
fabulous restaurant. Then low and
behold, it was in front of me. It
appears that back in the time of its inception, many entrepreneurs used part
of their home for their business. And
that's just what this looked like, someone's home.
Getting
into the restaurant was harder than I thought. Not that it was overly crowded;
there was no front door! The entrance
is actually a side door and when you cross the threshold, you find yourself
standing in the middle of a large barroom. Along one wall was a long antique
bar. The personable and very
professional bartender served me a local beer and as I turned to survey the
room, my eyes lit up. On the opposite side of the room was a very inviting
marble raw bar. I was in the mood for
some great Gulf oysters. I inquired
with the bartender about the oysters. He said "Just tell me what you
want, I'll ring it up, you get a token,
then go make yourself at home". It was just that simple but beware, it's
cash only when your in the bar.
 |
| Uptown T |
As I
approached the raw bar, I could tell the shucker was a real pro. I slide my
token across the marble bar and the attendant introduces himself as Thomas, but
he said "everyone calls me Uptown T". It was a casual and friendly environment
with lots of camaraderie. More
importantly, "T" was very good at his trade.
 |
| The Oyster Bar |
He
shucked oyster after oyster with proficiency. They were plump, salty and just
what I was in the mood for. One curious
thing though; when standing at the raw bar, there are no plates. As "T" shucks, he just sets them
right on the bar in front of you. But
that didn't deter me in the least! After I
whet my appetite, it was off to the dining room to see the star of the show.
The dining room was large and
well lighted. The tables were cover in white linen and the servers were in
formal attire. After surveying the menu
for a moment, I decided on the Insalata Manale and the signature BBQ Shrimp.
 |
| The Salad |
The house
salad was a generous portion of crisp baby greens tossed in a traditional
Italian vinaigrette (made with exceptional olive oil, red wine vinegar and
herbs). The dressed greens were garnished with slices of ripe Roma tomatoes,
olives, diced provolone cheese and pepperoncinis. All was lightly dusted with
freshly grated Parmesan cheese. A delicious salad but in my humble opinion, a
bit steep at $9.50.
After
finishing my salad, one of the back waiters quickly removed my plate without me
hardly noticing. Next my server arrived wearing a big smile and holding a large
white bib. As she stood behind me,
securing it around my neck, she stated it was "required equipment".
Only later would I know what she meant.
And now,
the moment for which I was waiting. The
server quickly returned with a large white bowl teeming with colossal head on
shrimp, swimming in a rich butter sauce.
In addition, she delivered a loaf of freshly baked crusty bread, another piece of "required
equipment" for the meal.
My guess
is that the shrimp were 8 count, meaning there are approximately 8 shrimp per
pound. I counted 14 shrimp in my order and they were perfectly cooked. The butter
sauce was very interesting. Very
flavorful but not "burn the house down" spicy. There were favors and
aromas of lemon, pepper (both cayenne and black), garlic, herbs and
Worcestershire sauce. The butter was
not a creamy sauce but rather a separated butter with most of the flavorful
ingredients sinking to the bottom of the bowl: cue the crusty bread. I was now starting to figure out the
"required equipment". I
eagerly peeled the shrimp, swirling them in the butter to pick up all the
flavors before eating them. As I worked through the shrimp, I occasionally
stopped to break bread for dunking. After I finished, my plate was removed and
I now understand the reason for the other piece of "required
equipment". There was butter dripping down my front and my place setting
was something you might find after a 4 year old ate. Butter drips and bread crumbs everywhere!
This was
a real treat and the entire experience was wonderful.
Now, all
that being said, I'll let you in on a little secret. We prepare Barbecued
Shrimp at Landry's Seafood. Although
different in a couple of aspects, I'll put our dish up against Pascal's
anytime. Here are the differences.
First,
our version is an appetizer. If you want to try something new, you don't have
to bet your whole meal on whether it's your cup of tea or not. Secondly, our shrimp is peeled. No need for a bib and a little more user
friendly. Lastly, our butter sauce is a
creamy homogenized sauce so all the flavors and ingredients are suspended
through out the dish. Not sure if Pascal Manale's will share their recipe with
you but I'm happy to share ours. Give it a try. I'm sure you'll become
addicted.
 |
| Pascal Manale's BBQ Shrimp |
 |
| Landry's Seafood BBQ Shrimp |
New
Orleans BBQ Shrimp
Serves 2
10
each Large Shrimp (16-20 count),
peeled, deveined, tail on
2 pieces
French Bread, 6" in length
4Tbl.
Garlic Butter
1 oz. (v)
Clarified Butter
1 1/2
tsp. Minced Garlic
2 Tbl.
Green Onion, cut 1/4"
1 oz. (v)
Worchestershire Sauce
1 oz. (v)
Heavy Cream
3/4 cup
New Orleans BBQ Butter
chopped
parsley for garnish
1. Using
a serrated knife, cut a shallow pocket in the French bread approx. 5"
long. Spread 2 Tbl. of garlic butter in the dug out section of each piece of
French bread. Place the bread on a baking tray and bake in a pre-heat 375
degree oven until toasted and golden, approx. 5 minutes
2. In
a large sauté pan, heat the clarified
butter over medium high heat. Add the shrimp and sauté for 1 minute, turning the shrimp frequently. Add the garlic and green onions and sauté for an additional minute, stirring well.
3. Deglaze
the pan with worchestershire sauce and heavy cream. Bring to a boil and reduce the liquid by half.
4. Turn
the heat to low and add the BBQ butter. Using a spoon, swirl the butter into
the pan liquid as it melts forming a creamy butter sauce. Allow the shrimp to
poach in the butter sauce until firm to the touch and cooked through, approx.
2-3 minutes
To plate:
Place one
toasted bread "boat" in the center of each plate. Using tongs, evenly divide the shrimp
between the two loaves of bread, arranging the shrimp in the cavity. Pour the
pan butter sauce evenly over and around the shrimp on each plate. Sprinkle
chopped parsley over the shrimp.
New
Orleans BBQ Butter
1 lb.
Unsalted Butter
1 Tbl.
Crystal Hot Sauce (or substitute Tabasco Sauce)
2 Tbl.
Cajun Seasoning (such as McCormick's or Tony Chachere's)
1 Tbl.
Lemon Pepper Seasoning
1 tsp.
Dried Rosemary
juice from half of a lemon
Cut the
butter into 1" cubes. Place in a mixing bowl and allow to soften at room
temperature. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until all ingredients are
thoroughly incorporated. Transfer to a suitable storage container, cover and
refrigerate until needed.
