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Miss Tee's Shrimp in Beer


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Southern Recipe Restoration Project

The contributor: Terry Morris of Atlanta, a former hospital dietitian turned Master Gardener, originally from New Orleans. Morris' childhood home did not survive Hurricane Katrina. But the memories of her old New Orleans neighborhood did -- including this one that lives on in the form of a recipe handed down from her mother, Terah Cullen, also known as "Miss Tee."

The story: Growing up, Monday was wash day, she said, and that meant red beans and rice for dinner. And Fridays there would be seafood -- often shrimp. "Years ago, when Catholics couldn't eat meat on Fridays, we would have shrimp boils. [My family] would buy the cheapest beer we could get and throw it in a pot with really good, fresh shrimp. Sometimes we would boil crabs this way, too. Then we'd toss it out on a table spread with newspapers and dig in. It made a grand presentation."

Hands on time: 10 minutes  Total time: 25 minutes  Serves: 8

Ingredients:

    For the shrimp:

    3 quarts cheap beer, more if needed

    3 lemons, halved and squeezed, more for serving

    1 large white onion, coarsely chopped

    1/4 cup celery tops

    2 tablespoons salt

    3 cloves garlic

    1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

    4 to 5 pounds large shrimp, preferably head on, deveined


    For the remoulade dipping sauce:

    1/2 cup finely chopped celery

    1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

    1/2 cup white vinegar

    1/4 cup ketchup

    1/4 cup yellow mustard

    1/4 cup creole mustard

    2 tablespoons paprika

    1 teaspoon cayenne

    1 teaspoon salt

    1/2 bunch green onions, chopped, white and green

    1 teaspoon Tabasco, or to taste

    2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped

    1 1/3 cups canola or vegetable oil

Instructions:

To prepare the shrimp: Bring the beer to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add lemons, onion, celery, salt, garlic and red pepper flakes. Let continue to boil until flavorful, an additional 5 minutes.

Add shrimp and return to the boil. Cook on high at a rapid boil until pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let shrimp rest in cooking liquid for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain shrimp and do not rinse; remove to a tray lined with newspapers.

To prepare the dipping sauce: Meanwhile, in the jar of a blender or bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, combine the celery, parsley, vinegar, ketchup, mustards, paprika, cayenne, salt, onion, Tabasco and garlic. Pulse to combine. Add oil in a slow steady stream. Pulse until smooth and combined.

Serve shrimp with sliced lemons, remoulade sauce, French bread and lots of napkins.

Notes:

"This is best with large, fresh sweet shrimp with heads and lots of French bread for sopping some broth, " says Terry Morris. "You can add less pepper if you use headless shrimp. The strained broth can be saved to use in sauces."
Adds Atlanta chef Virginia Willis, who tested it: "The longer the shrimp is left in the flavorful liquid, the more flavor the shrimp will absorb. Shrimp cooked in the shell will be more tender and juicy than shrimp that is cooked already peeled and deveined. And, of course, shrimp in the shell will take slightly longer to cook than shrimp that is peeled."

Nutrition:

Per serving, shrimp: 266 calories (percent of calories from fat, 15), 46 grams protein, 6 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 4 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 345 milligrams cholesterol, 540 milligrams sodium.

Per serving, dipping sauce: 350 calories (percent of calories from fat, 92), 1 gram protein, 6 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 37 grams fat (3 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 496 milligrams sodium.

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