Barbecue Shrimp
Instructions:
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 pounds fresh Gulf shrimp with heads on,
- 20 to 25 count to the pound
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 1/2 pounds salted butter
- 1/2 pound margarine
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 newly−purchased 4−ounce can black pepper
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Use the garlic cloves to wipe the inside of a baking pan (or two) big enough to hold all the shrimp.
- Squeeze it in there to get as much garlic oil as you can in there.
- Discard the garlic itself, but leave the little bits that came loose.
- Place two bay leaves at the bottom of the pan.
- Wash and pat dry the shrimp, then lay them on their sides, crowded together and slightly overlapping, in the baking pan. Douse the shrimp with the lemon juice.
- Cut the butter and margarine into cubes and distribute it atop the shrimp. Sprinkle it with the paprika.
- Liberally sprinkle enough black pepper over the shrimp to cover them with a palpable black layer.
- Don\'t miss any spots! (And you don\'t have to use the whole can, either.)
- Bake the shrimp in a preheated 300 degree F oven for 15 minutes.
- Check them for doneness; when the meat pulls away from the shells, you\'re there.
- You do not want soft, wrinkled shells.
- Return the shrimp to the oven if necessary, but not much longer.
- Serve the shrimp in soup plates with lots of the sauce and toasted French bread.
- Also plenty of napkins and perhaps bibs.