Big Easy Barbecue

At this time of year, “barbecue” pretty much means one thing: meat grilled and served with a red sauce that is kind of sweet and kind of spicy.

But there’s another kind of barbecue, one from New Orleans. There, it also means shrimp that are sauteed in a skillet with lots of butter, garlic and spices, especially cayenne pepper. Not your typical barbecue.

So serve this with some good old dirty rice for a fast--and different--kind of summer ritual.

Louisiana Barbecue Shrimp

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 20 minutes

2 pounds jumbo shrimp

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

* Peel and devein shrimp. Set aside in a medium bowl. Combine cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, thyme and rosemary and rub into shrimp.

* Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and Worcestershire sauce and cook, stirring, until garlic is very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add shrimp and saute, turning shrimp once or twice until they are pink, about 2 to 3 minutes.

4 servings. Each serving: 366 calories; 1,099 mg sodium; 283 mg cholesterol; 26 grams fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 30 grams protein; 0.39 gram fiber.

Dirty Rice

Active Work Time: 10 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 25 minutes

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 cup rice

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup water

* Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, green and red peppers and cook, stirring until slightly softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add rice, broth and water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes.

4 servings. Each serving: 210 calories; 226 mg sodium; 8 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.26 gram fiber.

INGREDIENTS

STAPLES

Vegetable or chicken broth

Butter

Cayenne pepper

Garlic

Red onion

Rice

Worcestershire sauce

SHOPPING LIST

Fresh thyme

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

2 pounds jumbo shrimp

Fresh rosemary

GAME PLAN

30 minutes before: Chop onion and bell peppers. Combine spices and herbs. Mince garlic.

20 minutes before: Peel and devein shrimp. Rub with spice mixture. Saute vegetables for rice.

15 minutes before: Add rice, broth and water to saucepan.

5 minutes before: Cook shrimp.

MENU

Louisiana Barbecue Shrimp

Dirty Rice