Louisiana BBQ Shrimp

Persillade, Butter, Black Pepper, Whole Wheat Sourdough

Chef Kelley Schmidt of Miss River | New Orleans

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Adapted by StarChefs | September 2022

INGREDIENTS:

Persillade:
Yield: 8 quarts
1.6 kilograms parsley, thick stems removed
800 grams thinly sliced garlic
90 grams salt
800 grams thinly sliced ginger
4.8 kilograms extra virgin olive oil
Zest of 2 lemons

BBQ Base:
Yield: 18 quarts
15 kilograms shrimp shells
500 grams canola oil
9 kilograms oyster liquor
9 kilograms Worcestershire sauce
180 grams black pepper
90 grams Creole seasoning
40 grams cloves
80 bay leaves
3 kilograms lemon juice

To Assemble and Serve:
Yield: 1 serving
5 shell-on, head-on U-12 shrimp
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ounce butter, cut into small pieces
3 ounces heavy cream
2 tablespoons black pepper
One 100-gram slice of whole wheat sourdough

METHOD:

For the Persillade:
In a Vitamix blender, combine all ingredients. Purée until finely blended, scraping down the sides of the blender to incorporate parsley. 

For the BBQ Base:
Heat oven to 500°F with the fan on. In a large bowl, toss shrimp shells with canola oil. Spread shrimp shells out onto a sheet tray. Toast 5 minutes, then rotate the tray and cook another 2 minutes until shrimp shells are brown and fragrant. Transfer shells and cooking juices to a large pot. Add all ingredients and stir to combine. Over low heat, bring to a gentle simmer. Continue simmering until reduced by half, 1 hour. Strain through a fine mesh chinois, pressing down on the shrimp heads to release all juices. Strain once more to remove all impurities. Reserve.

To Assemble and Serve:
Season shrimp with salt. In a sauté pan over high heat, combine shrimp, butter, cream, black pepper, and 4 ounces BBQ Base. Cook 3 minutes, then remove from heat. Place shrimp in a deep serving bowl, then cover with the BBQ Base. Spread 34 grams Persillade onto sourdough slice. Toast in broiler for 2 minutes. Place toast on a serving plate, and serve with the shrimp.

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