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date, Ralph’s BBQ oyster po-boy has won first prize at the annual Oak Street Po-Boy Festival a record nine times and is a menu standard at the Bourbon Street restaurant. Seventy years after Pascal Radosta whipped up the first batch of barbeque shrimp, every New Orleans restaurant worth its salt boasts its own version. But there is just something magical about indulging in a bowlful at the place where it all began, Pascal’s Manale Restaurant. — Poppy Tooker ½ cup Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons black pepper 1 heaping teaspoon Cajun seasoning, or to taste 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, or to taste 4 tablespoons minced fresh garlic ¼ cup shrimp or seafood stock, divided Two dozen extra-large wild-caught Gulf shrimp (9/12 count), head and tail on 2 cups (4 sticks) cold, salted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes French bread, for dipping HOW TO PREP: Roll one lemon back and forth on the counter, applying a bit of pressure, to increase its juiciness. Cut the other lemon into several thin slices. Set both aside. In a large stainless-steel sauté pan or cast-iron skillet, combine Worces tershire sauce, black pepper, Cajun seasoning, dried rosemary, minced garlic and 2 tablespoons of the stock. Add the shrimp to the pan and toss them lightly to coat with the seasoning mixture. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the shrimp and add the pulp to the pan. Cook the shrimp over medium-high heat, gently stirring and occasionally turning them. When the shrimp begin to turn pink on both sides, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of stock to the pan. BARBECUE SHRIMP Serves 4 WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 2 lemons

Reduce the heat level to medium and continue cooking. Gradually add pieces of cold butter to the pan, stirring until the sauce turns light brown and creamy, and the shrimp are cooked through (approximately 2-3 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat, and pour the shrimp and sauce into 4 serving bowls. Garnish with lemon and serve with French bread. WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 1½ pounds butter, melted 10 cloves garlic, peeled and cracked 3 lemons 2 tablespoons salt 1½ tablespoons paprika 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper ½ teaspoon dry ginger 1 teaspoon celery seed 1 tablespoon cardamom 6 pounds large wild-caught Gulf shrimp, head and tail on HOW TO PREP: Cut the lemons in half, then juice them. Add all ingredients besides the shrimp to the melted butter. Place shrimp in a roasting pan and pour the sauce over. Marinate for up to 1 hour unrefrigerated or as long as overnight in the refrigerator. (If marinated under refrigeration, bring to room temperature before cooking.) Cook shrimp under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until the shrimp begin to brown. Serve in soup bowls with plenty of hot French bread for dipping. ½ teaspoon white pepper ½ teaspoon dry mustard POPPY’S BARBEQUE SHRIMP Serves 4-6

NEW ORLEANS-STYLE BARBECUE SHRIMP Newcomers to New Orleans are often puzzled by our famous barbeque shrimp, a dish that bears no relation to any form of conventional barbeque despite the name. Pascal Radosta, of Pascal’s Manale Restaurant fame, is credited with inventing the now classic dish at his Uptown restaurant on Napoleon Avenue in 1954. From its earliest days, Manale’s was a favorite spot for New Orleans Fair Grounds racing folks. During a visit with racetrack aficionado Vincent Sutro, Pascal heard about a special shrimp dish his friend had recently enjoyed in Chicago. Pascal headed into Manale’s kitchen and soon returned with a version that Sutro proclaimed superior to what he’d enjoyed in the Windy City. At Manale’s then and now, big head on Gulf shrimp are served swimming in a buttery, spicy sauce that begs to be sopped up with the accompanying hot French bread. Adventurous bibbed diners dig in with gusto to enjoy this delight meant to be eaten with your hands. In the 1980s, when a hollowed-out po-boy loaf filled with peeled shrimp in buttery barbeque sauce was introduced on Manale’s lunch menu, many po-boy restaurants followed suit. The recipe for Manale’s barbeque shrimp sauce remains a closely guarded secret, often imitated with varying degrees of success in restaurants across the U.S. Ralph Brennan’s Red Fish Grill has taken the barbeque seafood concept to new heights with their BBQ oyster po-boy. Substituting crispy, fried oysters for shrimp doused with a spicy New Orleans style barbeque sauce and finished with crumbled blue cheese, the popular dish is served on crispy Leidenheimer’s po-boy bread. To

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