Flavor Full: Creole-Spiced Shrimp

My love affair with bold flavors is no secret.  And when I spot a recipe like creole-spiced shrimp, I'm all over it.  In about the time it takes to preheat your oven, the ingredients come together to form the perfect pouch of flavor-full goodness, which made this the perfect quick and easy dinner on a recent weeknight.

My version was adapted from the original recipe from Bon Appetit, to accommodate the ingredients I had on hand, without missing any of the creole-spicy oomph that initially drew me to the recipe.  The shrimp are married with the flavors of Old Bay, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, shallots, bay leaves, lemon, salt and pepper, and finished with a little butter and water to form the most decadent bath and steaming juices for the shrimp.  (If you're a little gun-shy about the spiciness, not to fret; you can temper the ingredients to your personal spice comfort zone.)

Within a half hour, the foil pouch emerges from the oven to reveal shrimp that are cooked and seasoned to savory perfection, with lots of jus for added deliciousness.

Take it from this self-avowed 'Spice Girl', you want this recipe in your repertoire.

Now...onto Happy Eating!

Creole-Spiced Shrimp

Ingredients:

Shrimp, peeled and deveined

Shallot, sliced

Lemon, thinly sliced

Bay leaves

Worcestershire sauce

Tabasco

Old Bay seasoning

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Butter

Method:

Preheat oven to 325 F.

 

Add shrimp and ingredients (except butter), to taste, to a bowl.  Toss to combine.  

Place shrimp mixture inside a 16x12 in. square of heavy duty foil. (Recommended: 1/2 lb. shrimp per square of foil.)  Fold the edges of the foil toward the center, but don't seal. Top mixture with a pat of butter and two to three tablespoons of water.  Crimp edges tightly into a sealed pouch.

Place pouch(es) on a baking sheet and place in preheated oven.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until shrimp are thoroughly cooked.  Remove from oven and carefully open pouch to allow steam to escape, being careful not to allow the juices to escape.  Pour shrimp and jus into a serving dish and enjoy!   

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit