Venezuelan-Style Barbecue Shrimp
While living in Venezuela in the 70’s, I fell in love with this appetizer. It is definitely mouth watering and pairs great with a cold beer. Be sure you have lots of napkins on hand as it gets messy.
Ingredients
- For the sauce,
- 2 medium lemons
- 12 ounces salted butter
- 1-1/2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 1-1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
- 3/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 5 bay leaves
- For the shrimp,
- 1 pound large shrimp, deveined but shell on
- Parsley sprigs to garnish plates
- Small loaf of French bread
Instructions
- Prepare the shrimp. Rinse and devein.
- Juice both lemons and cut lemon rinds into 1/2 inch wide strips.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low. Add the lemon juice, lemon peel, garlic, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, black pepper and bay leaves. Stir and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Add the shrimp and increase the heat to medium. Turn the shrimp often until all the shrimp begin to turn pink, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and cover. The shrimp should sit for 15 minutes to absorb the sauce. Stir about every 5 minutes.
- Plate 6 appetizer plates with about 6 shrimp. Drizzle with leftover sauce. Garnish with lemon slices and bay leaf. Serve with a slice of French bread.
Notes
Pairs well with a cold beer or an ice cold bubbly "mock"tail
In Venezuela, arepas are a breakfast staple. They are eaten with butter, cheese, jam or on their own. But they can also be eaten as a snack or even as a meal when served with beans and eggs.
In Colombia, arepas replace bread at breakfast or lunch. They are often filled with meat and vegetables or just cheese. Sometimes they are also made into sandwiches for dinner.