Creole Barbecued Shrimp

OPEN ONLY A FEW YEARS, MURIEL’S JACKSON SQUARE restaurant in New Orleans may not have the historic pedigree of Galatoire’s or Commander’s Palace, but if you want to see where many locals go for no-nonsense turtle soup, classic seafood gumbo, and these remarkable Creole barbecued shrimp, look no further. Basted and served with an herby, highly reduced beer and-butter sauce, the jumbo Gulf shrimp are rich, satisfying, just as good prepared on an inside grill as over charcoal outdoors, and beautiful on the plate. To avoid toughness, be sure to grill the shrimp just till they’re opaque; and since they’re served with plenty of sauce, there’s no need to baste them repeatedly.

MAKES: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups beer
• 1 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 scallion (white part only), minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
• 1 pound (4 sticks) butter, cut into pieces
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon hot paprika
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 16 fresh jumbo shrimp (about 1 pound), shelled and deveined
• Cooked white rice

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Ignite a layer of charcoal briquets in an outdoor grill and let them burn until ashen (30 to 45 minutes). Place the grill rack about 5 inches from the coals.
2. In a large saucepan, combine the beer, Worcestershire sauce, minced scallion, and minced garlic. Bring to a boil and cook until almost all the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat to moderate, add the heavy cream, and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the butter and lemon juice to the saucepan and stir until well incorporated. Reduce the heat to low.
5. Whisk in the dried thyme, dried rosemary, dried oregano, hot paprika, and salt and black pepper to taste. Let the sauce cook for about 5 minutes and keep it warm.
6. Brush each shrimp with a little of the butter sauce. Thread 4 shrimp onto each of 4 wooden or metal skewers.
7. Place the skewers on the preheated grill and cook, turning several times, until the shrimp are opaque, for about 8 to 10 minutes.
8. Heat the sauce until hot.
9. Make a small mound of cooked white rice on each of 4 serving plates.
10. Position the skewered shrimp over the rice at an angle.
11. Spoon the sauce over and around the shrimp and rice.