When we visit New Orleans we always get BBQ shrimp po-boys from Liuzza’s By the Track. The first time my husband mentioned getting a BBQ Shrimp Po Boy, I wasn’t too excited. I pictured shrimp with tomato based BBQ sauce stuffed into French bread. The dish doesn’t have a drop of BBQ sauce and the shrimp never touch a grill. Seems the misnomer is a mystery. Even Pascal Manale’s, the restaurant, which claims to have created the dish, doesn’t give any answers. No mystery on its deliciousness. It’s mainly shrimp in a spicy butter sauce. What is not to love about that?! This is my husband’s recipe.

Ingredients:
2 pounds shrimp in shells
2 cups water (for stock)
2 sticks of unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning (or a mixture of salt and cayenne)
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 ounces good beer
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely minced (or as much as you like)
1 medium onion, very finely minced
2 rib stalks of celery, very finely minced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
2 teaspoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Tabasco, salt, pepper to taste
French bread, cut into 6-inch sections (or 6-inch sub rolls)

Method:

• Shell and devein shrimp. Set shrimp aside. Add shells to sauce pan and cover with 2 cups of water. Cook over medium high heat for at least 10 minutes. Drain and reserve stock, discard shells.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Melt butter in a skillet. Over medium heat, sauté garlic, onions, celery, parsley, rosemary and seasoning for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add one cup of the shrimp stock and continue to cook for a few more minutes.
• Place shrimp into a 9×13-inch baking dish and pour the sauce over it, stirring well.
• Cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, turning once.
• Hollow out the bread from one of the ends, not from the side. You want to make a deep pocket for holding the shrimp.
• Remove shrimp from the oven. Spoon shrimp with sauce into individual bread boats.

Serves six.