Dirty Shrimp With Butter-Beer Sauce

This past Wednesday, Hubby (who doesn't like seafood) was out of town so Bubba and I knew we needed a seafood dish! I searched online in the evenings, and Bubba took a look wherever he had Internet connection. There were several top contenders, but we finally landed on making Dirty Shrimp with Butter-Beer Sauce. In the picture above, you can get a peek at the sauce around the edges of the platter.

I found the original recipe on Recipezaar.com. Their site is one of my favorites for new recipes, because they give all the nutritional information for the recipe on the left hand side of the page. If you want to see the original recipe, you can use this link: http://www.recipezaar.com/Dirty-Shrimp-in-Butter-Beer-Sauce-79606 but we modified the recipe slightly for our own tastes (and the picky eaters who live here with me!)

The recipe is really easy, and makes for a great presentation. Even if you have never cooked with fresh shrimp before, you should not be intimidated. To make this a great casual dinner, Bubba and I served the shrimp over brown rice (with egg noodles on the side for the pickier ones) and a nice ciabatta bread. The original recipe is quite hot, so the modified recipe that we used is below. Bubba and I were both happy with the results. We must have achieved the perfect spice balance as I did not think it was too hot, and Bubba did not get out the hot sauce! Both kids had second helpings of the shrimp, although one did comment that it was "a little spicy."

Dirty Shrimp with Butter-Beer Sauce

2 lbs shrimp, shelled and deveined
8 tablespoons butter
4 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoon dried basil
2 teaspoon dried thyme
(1 teaspoon cayenne pepper ) we omitted this altogether
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt, to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper, to taste
1 cup beer

Saute the garlic and herbs in butter until the garlic is golden brown. Add the shrimp and cook until they are just pink. Add the beer to the pan and cook one minute more.

Saute the garlic and herbs in butter until the garlic is slightly browned (do not let it burn!). Saute it over low heat so that you have time to peel and devein the shrimp.

When you are just about done cooking it, it should look like this.

The butter is thickening with the garlic and herbs, and the garlic is just beginning to turn a golden color. At this point, you want to add in the shrimp.

Stir the shrimp continuously and only cook them until they have just turned pink (overcooking shrimp makes them tough).

At this point, add the beer to the pan with the shrimp and garlic/herb mix. We used Leinenkugel's 1888 Bock, but any of your personal favorites should work too. We would however, advise against using any flavored beer.

Once you've added the beer, it should look like the photo below. They shrimp are nice and pink, and the butter and beer have combined to make a nice sauce. Simmer for one more minute to completely meld flavors. While your shrimp is simmering for the last minute, use this time to dump your rice or pasta onto a serving platter. Pour shrimp and sauce on top of rice or pasta, and serve!

It looks great, and it tastes great --

So Cook Already!