Before the Interstate was completed in Louisiana we used to travel from New Orleans through Baton Rouge by way of Airline Highway, also known as Highway 61. Heading along the route northwest and about 30 miles outside of New Orleans is La Place, where the old Airline Motors Restaurant (221 E Airline Hwy, La Place, LA 70068) is located and it became a regular stop for breakfast, lunch or dinner depending on the time of day we were traveling. At least three or four times a year we would drive through on our way to Morse, LA and then to Pineville, LA to visit the Boudreaux or Christoffel clan during holidays and other times of the year. As a child I would always order shrimp and I can remember the ole Airline Motors having some of the best Fried Butterfly Shrimp with French Fries and cocktail sauce or ketchup. They had some great breakfasts too, and they were really known for their fried chicken. Airline Motors never became or ever was a culinary mecca, but it was one of those stops during a long road trip that you always looked forward to resting and eating. The restaurant has been closed and reopened several times over the past 20 years since Interstate 10 took most of the through traffic away from Airline Highway, but the fond memories of childhood shrimp binges will never be forgotten.
Monique used to order shrimp as a child as well and even remembers giving her dad a time when they were on vacation in the mountains and she wanted shrimp there too. Traveling about 1,500 miles from the Gulf the only shrimp to be found were frozen and probably 11 months old! But when your young you don’t know any better, you just want some fried shrimp.
Today we can’t get enough shrimp, weather they are boiled, in a New Orleans Style BBQ, or chilled in a cocktail fashion seems like we can never eat enough of the little gems. Every week I buy a couple pounds of shrimp and typically make a quick dish with them, they cook up so easily and it is a real special treat when I can score some fresh Gulf shrimp.
I bought 2 pounds of 16-20 count shrimp at the local grocery and decided to just make a simple shrimp cocktail and remoulade with a bed of romaine lettuce and tomato wedges. So I put together a small pot of boiling liquid and set up the chilled plates. Once the shrimp were boiled in the shell I drained and then chilled them in some ice until they were cold. I also made a quick cocktail sauce and remoulade sauce to serve with the shrimp. From start to finish the whole meal was ready in about 30 minutes, it really can be that quick if you are on a tight time limit.
Shrimp with Cocktail and Remoulade Sauces
Serves 3 – 4
Ingredients
2 lbs. Shrimp, 16-21 count, shell on, headless
1/3 cup Cajun Spice blend
2 quarts Water
2 Tbsp Lemon juice
1 Tbsp Hot sauce
2 Tbsp Salt
4 cups Ice
4 cups Shredded lettuce
1 each Tomato, cut into wedges
Procedure
- Combine the water, Cajun spice blend, lemon juice, hot sauce and salt in a large stock pot.
- Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Add the shrimp and allow to simmer until shrimp are just turned pink and almost cooked through.
- Turn off heat and allow shrimp to soak for about 5 more minutes.
- While shrimp are soaking take the ice and place in a large bowl.
- Pour out shrimp through a colander and drain the liquid in the sink, and then gently add the shrimp to the ice in the bowl and toss gently. Allow the shrimp to chill well.
- Peel the shrimp leaving the last segment and tail intact.
- Arrange the shredded lettuce and tomato wedges on chilled plates and top with the chilled shrimp ensuring an even portions for everyone.
Cocktail Sauce
1 cup Ketchup
1 cup Chili Sauce
2 Tbsp Prepared horseradish
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Fresh lemon juice
½ Tbsp Hot sauce
Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix well to incorporate then chill before serving.
Remoulade Sauce
1 cup Ketchup
1 cup Mayonnaise
½ cup Whole Grain Mustard
½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ Tbsp Hot sauce
½ Tbsp Fresh lemon juice
Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix well to incorporate then chill before serving.
16 responses so far ↓
1 bamboobailey // Jul 9, 2010 at 11:23 am
Looks awesome and I love the sauces!
2 The Mom Chef // Jul 9, 2010 at 1:13 pm
It looks wonderful and the sauces are both very appealing. Thanks for sharing your recipes. How are the shrimp holding up in the Gulf? Any signs that they’ll be affected by the spill?
3 pegasuslegend // Jul 9, 2010 at 2:31 pm
WE will just have to get them somewhere else I guess, we will have to wait and see what happens, feel so bad for the ones making a living on this
4 Boudreaux Ryan // Jul 9, 2010 at 2:34 pm
@The Mom Chef,
Several hundreds or thousands of square miles of shrimp harvesting waters have been closed since the spill and many shrimpers are currently out of normal work, or are now trying to get in the “clean-up”, but funds and bureaucratic slow downs seem to get them frustrated more than anything! Still to early to tell of the long term effects.
Bon appetit!
=:~)
5 digtis // Jul 9, 2010 at 2:34 pm
Very nice blog post I enjoy your site keep up the great posts
6 Tanantha @ I Just Love My Apron // Jul 9, 2010 at 4:19 pm
Oh how fun of the road trips! I did it once and want it more! 🙂 Like a large count of shrimp and I’m so glad you used 16/20 count! Thanks for a cocktail sauce recipe too. I wouldn’t know how to make it.
7 Gera @ Sweets Foods Blog // Jul 9, 2010 at 8:19 pm
Terrible the problem with BP and the oils, as you said, hope that shrimps will survive to do this wonderful cocktail!
All the best,
Gera
8 Belinda @zomppa // Jul 9, 2010 at 11:51 pm
Love shrimp and what great memories you have. Gera – you’re right – hope they survive.
9 penny aka jeroxie // Jul 10, 2010 at 7:57 am
I hope everything gets better in time. We can only hope.
10 Jillyann // Jul 10, 2010 at 8:43 am
Though I am allergic to shellfish, I always appreciate the lovely (quick) dishes everyone always puts together with them. I am not however allergic to Remoulade and we love it with Fried Green Tomatoes!!! Yes…I know, my southern roots are definately showing with that one. My grandfather used to make us fried green tomato sandwiches!
11 Drick // Jul 10, 2010 at 3:30 pm
very nice boil Ryan and good sauces too – can’t beat ’em, both are the best with shrimp and are my favorites…. lot of squabbling going on down here amongst the shrimpers since they can’t shrimp, BP is in control of the hiring of boats used to contain the booms etc, so many folks are out of work… is so sad, many seafood houses are closing doors…
12 Ingeborg // Jul 10, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Love shrimp! I had shrimp for lunch today and a lovely salad.
13 Cookin' Canuck // Jul 11, 2010 at 10:13 am
What a wonderful memory! We had several pitstops (always revolving around food) that we would make on our family roadtrips, too and I hope to build some of those memories for my own children.
14 Gitte // Jul 13, 2010 at 6:37 pm
Horrible what is going on in the Gulf. Your shrimp look wonderful!
15 Cajun Chef Ryan // Jul 14, 2010 at 1:26 pm
Digtis, thank you for visiting the CCR blog!
Tanantha, travels with food is so much fun!
Gera, hopefully the new “cap” will stop the oil flow, and thanks again my friend!
Belinda, thank you for your concern.
Penny, you and me both!
Jillyann, you know fried green tomatoes and remoulade sauce seem like one of those food matches made in heaven! Love em!
Drick, seems BP likes to have their own space to work in without much oversight still! Hopefully the new “cap” will work.
Ingeborg, shrimp salad is always a good thing!
Cooking Canuck, road food is always a fun thing, we always incorporate food stops on our trips.
Gitte, thanks for your concern, and thanks for visiting the CCR blog!
Bon appetit!
=:~)
16 Emily @ Foodie/Nutritionist // Jul 21, 2010 at 10:40 pm
YUM! Love this blog. I was in New Orleans last year and pretty much ate my way through… I could not get enough of the Gulf shrimp (or the oysters, or the catfish, or, you know, everything). I definitely miss it and have been meaning to recreate some of the recipes myself. Thanks for the inspiration!