New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp

Mr. B's Bistro is a lively place in the heart of New Orleans' famed French Quarter. The house specialty is barbecue shrimp, which arrives at the table in a large bowl, the whole shrimp swimming in sauce. "There's only one way," laughed our waiter, "you got to get your hands wet!" With a plastic bib around his neck, Bryan plunged in and used his fingers to behead and peel all the shrimp. The instant the last peel hit the bowl, the waiter reappeared with a steamy, damp towel for Bryan to clean up with. Then he dug back in with his fingers to consume all those tasty shrimpies. Be sure to serve this with plenty of fresh, very crusty French bread to soak up all the wonderful sauce. I usually use peeled shrimp for the sake of time and mess, but the shrimp cook up with more flavor and tenderness if you leave them in the shells.

This delicious dish is done in ten minutes!

Mr. B's New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
1 tsp. Creole or Cajun seasoning
4 TBSP worcestershire sauce
2 cloves chopped garlic
3 TBSP water
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 stick of butter, cut into pieces (don't even think of substituting margarine!)

In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, place all the ingredients except the butter. Cook until the shrimp begin to turn pink, then reduce the heat to medium and add the butter one piece at a time, stirring constantly until it's melted. Serve in a large bowl on the table with crusty French bread.