And the Valley Cooks: Holy Roller Shrimp

It’s been too long since I’ve done one of these, and I had an occasion for some experimentation last week. Fridays in Lent are for seafood in South Louisiana, and you can always make a quick meal with some shrimp by sauteing it in a skillet with a little butter/oil and some spices, right?

Or, you can kick the flavor up with a reduction. Beer or wine, mixed with some stock is always easy enough. Usually, a darker beer like an amber has the right flavor for something like this, but I decided to try an IPA. The citrusy notes generally pairs well with seafood, so I thought to try. A milder IPA is best, so the hops don’t overpower — something like Urban South’s Holy Roller, especially since they changed the recipe slightly last summer.

Ingredients

1 shallot, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 tbsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
¹⁄₂ cup seafood stock
1 can Urban South Holy Roller IPA (or your favorite light IPA)
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
¹⁄₂ tsp paprika
¹⁄₂ tsp ground black pepper
¹⁄₄ tsp cayenne pepper
1 pound peeled shrimp — 21-25 count preferable

Billy Gomila

Instructions

Starting off, you want to get the shrimp seasoned and set aside, with a half a teaspoon of salt, the garlic powder, paprika and the black and red pepper.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with the olive oil — it will help prevent the butter from burning. Toss in the shallots and the remaining half-teaspoon of salt.

Billy Gomila

We just want to get these shallots wilted a little bit. After a few minutes, add the chopped garlic and saute for another 3-5 minutes, until everything is good and wilted.

From there, deglaze the pan with the can of beer. Once the foam subsides, add the seafood stock and thyme. From there, we’re going to turn the heat up slightly and stir regularly until the mixture reduces by about one half to two-thirds.

Once the mixture has cooked down, we want to add the remaining butter in chips, one at a time, stirring well to incorporate, and then add the shrimp.

Billy Gomila

Cook the shrimp, stirring regularly, until they turn opaque and curl up.

Billy Gomila

Serve over your starch of choice — rice, pasta, grits, what have you. If you’re watching a Friday night baseball game, may I recommend some purple rice to properly LSU this thing up? With one pound of Shrimp this will likely serve just two, maybe three people, but doubling this recipe shouldn’t be too hard. Garnish with some green onions if you fancy.

Billy Gomila