Shrimp Diane

Although we are totally smitten with Birmingham, there are a few things we miss about our coastal hometown. One of the top items on that list is fresh shrimp straight from the Gulf/the Bay. Bradley's aunt made this delicious dish for us recently, and of course I had to get her recipe. Now when we have fresh shrimp on hand (it isn't too often, but hey... it happens), we know just what to do with it!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 lb. shrimp (heads and tails still on)
1 medium sized onion
1 rib celery (or more if you like)
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp dried oregano
1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
3 T chopped fresh parsley for garnishing
Rice
French Baguette

NOTE: First things first... this recipe IS NOT to be doubled. If you need to make more than this batch will yield, just buy double the ingredients and make TWO pans worth on your stove. Trust me...

Step 1: Start with the shrimp stock.
Take the shrimp, and de-head/tail them. Keep the heads and the tails in a separate dish. Take all heads and tails and put them in a pot with the 1 medium onion and celery. Cover with water. Simmer for 4 to 8 hours, replenishing water as needed to keep about 1 quart in pot. After you take off the heat, strain the stock and throw away shrimp parts. Set aside stock for immediate use. If you made extra, you can easily freeze this so you will not have to do this step next time!

Step 2: In a large skillet, melt 1 stick of butter over high heat. When it's almost melted, add the green onions, garlic, and all the dried seasonings (I like to measure these out ahead of time and put them together in a small container. Makes it easy to just pour the mixture of dried seasonings into the butter). Stir well. Add shrimp and cook just until they turn pink (be careful not to overcook shrimp, as they can easily become hard) Add mushrooms and 1/4 cup of stock. Add remaining 1/2 stick of butter in chunks. Continue cooking, shaking the pan instead of stirring as much as possible. As the 1/2 stick of butter chunks are melting, add 2 tablespoons of stock and continue cooking until the mushrooms are soft. (You may add more stock if you feel like you need to. Most of the time I do, but that is a good starting point). Sprinkle the parsley on top as you finish up.

Serve IMMEDIATELY over rice with french bread.

The pictures below were last minute after thoughts. We plan on taking/uploading more step by step photos next time :) Stay tuned....