Shrimp Orleans

One of my online friends, Julia Bravo, chatted with me today and mentioned she was trying to plan something to cook for a Mardi Gras party, which is coming up next Tuesday, March 4.

I've only visited a couple times, but I have a special attraction to the city of New Orleans because of its rich cultural heritage which is reflected in its cuisine and, of course, music.

So I dug out my copy of Recipes and Reminiscences of New Orleans, which I bought on my last visit over 20 years ago and went looking for a relatively easy recipe to share at a small party. And, after some poking through the book, a recipe for Shrimp Orleans caught my eye. So, I took advantage of a sale on raw shrimp, adjusted the recipe slightly and made it for dinner!

Shrimp Orleans

Shrimp Orleans

Ingredients

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup celery, chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

1 cup frozen peas

1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup of sour cream

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

French bread

Preparation

1. Saute the onions until tender in a small amount of oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat.

2. Add parsley, celery and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. 

3. Ad shrimp.

4. Cook until pink and tender.

5. Stir in sour cream and Worcestershire sauce and stir thoroughly.

6. Add frozen peas.

7. Stir all the ingredients together until mixture comes to a slow boil. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the peas are tender.

8. Cut a large slice of French bread. (I used whole wheat French bread that was baked today at the grocery store. Cut out about 1/4 of the middle of the bread to make a depression. It should resemble a dugout canoe.

9. Fill the depression and top with the Shrimp!

This may have derived from the medieval or even ancient custom of using a large round of bread as a plate to serve food. But, I liked the way the bread absorbs the sauce from the shrimp.

I think this would work well at a party, especially if you remove the middle from the slices of bread in advance. For a lower GI option, try serving it over a slice of dark rye bread.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!!!