Chip's barbecue shrimp recipe rocks

A few days ago, I went to Chip’s Evernote app to feel close to him via recipes that he cherished. With the anniversary of his death coming up on May 31, remembering him in all ways possible is the only way I will get through this awful anniversary. Remembering all the foods and drinks he made for me is just one way (possibly one of the most important ways) for me to keep his memory alive and, therefore, to lessen the pain his loss has caused me.

In my recent visit to his app, I searched through all the recipe dates since he began entering recipes in May 2014. When scanning through the recipes he entered over the years leading up to his death, I noted that he entered so many more recipes in May, 2017 than in May of any other year. Then I assessed that the number he entered that month, eight, was second only to the twenty-one recipes he entered the month before. I’m not sure one-hundred percent sure why he entered so many in April and May of that year, but I'm thinking it may have been his effort to start logging one part of his story: recipes he loved. Knowing he was already roughly 6 months into a disease that most likely leads to death within 6-12 months of diagnosis, I believe he knew it was time to think about what he wanted to leave behind after he was gone.

For those who would be left behind to carry on his cooking and baking legacy, he included recipes in May 2017 for oven-fried chicken, key lime pie, chicken wings, Vietnamese shaking beef, and his famous chocolate chip brown butter cookies (I blogged about it here: https://www.everlastingbeyourmemory.com/post/chip-s-chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe). His May 2017 recipes reflected his American and global palate and demonstrated that he wanted to save recipes for food that he had long loved as well as for food that he came to love via others in his life. His inclusion of recipes for tzatziki, a Greek yogurt dip/sauce, and Greek Christmas cookies, called kourambiethes, were clearly a nod to foods that he came to enjoy after moving in with us in December of 2016 after receiving his diagnosis.

His recipe for barbecue shrimp is below. Whenever he made this dish for us, he reliably said this was the “best recipe” he ever found for barbecue shrimp and that there was “no other barbecue shrimp recipe” that could stand up to it. I most definitely agree with him.

Barbecue Shrimp (Chip credited the recipe to Once Upon a Chef in his Evernote entry - https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/new-orleans-style-barbecue-shrimp.html)

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ancho chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 pounds extra large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 large cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

3 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced

Instructions:

1. Mix the paprika, ancho chip powder, cumin, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. Add the shrimp to the spices and toss to coat evenly. Set aside.

2. Melt the butter over medium heat in a 12-inch skillet. Add the garlic and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for one minute. Do not brown. Add the shrimp and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are almost cooked but still opaque in spots, 3-4 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and water and cook until shrimp are done, 1-2 minutes more. Scatter scallions over the top and serve with French bread.

Everlasting be his memory.

Chip eating oysters, not barbecue shrimp