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Bangor Metro >  June 2005 >  Heads-On Heaven

Photo by Bangor Metro
Cajun Shrimp

The "cooking bug" didn't bite Jonathan Daniels. He was bitten by crustaceans. Now CEO/executive director of Eastern Maine Development Corporation, Daniels and his family had moved from Maine to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he managed one of the nation's busiest ports. "Going down there, I didn't think I'd ever eat a crawfish," Daniels says. "Then you find yourself at a restaurant like Pascal Manales, dressed in a suit, wearing a bib, elbow deep in crawfish and butter." Daniels' wife, Debra, agrees. "The entire culture in Louisiana revolves around food," she says. After a while, Daniels decided, "I just had to try Cajun cooking myself."

An Artist's Palate. While Jonathan's forte is business, Debra's is art. (An impressively eclectic palette of her paintings hangs throughout their home.) She brings artistic vision to the meal as well: A still life of the Cajun cook's "trinity" (celery, onion, and bell pepper) decorates a kitchen countertop. A zesty cracker spread-cream cheese covered with Maine-made hot pepper jelly-is served in a bowl her daughter Lauren, 8, created at Clay by Design, a new make-yourown pottery shop in downtown Bangor.

But the art Debra Daniels performed with the meal's first course, Yankified Gumbo, was most impressive, by far. "I actually cheated and used Zatarain's gumbo mix," she says. "Instead of water, I made a homemade seafood stock. You use the stock in the gumbo, the rice, and in the shrimp." That magic formula, plus generous portions of picked Maine crab, smoked kielbasa and Louisiana crawfish,  create a savory stew fit for the Bajou.

BBQ without the Grill. When deciding which "Nawlins" main dish to share, there was no contest: It was Daniels' adaptation of Cajun chef Paul Prudhomme's BBQ shrimp. "In Cajun cooking, barbecue doesn't mean grilled," Daniels says. "They use the term for any recipe drenched with sauce. These shrimp are actually cooked in a pan."

"It's not exactly healthy eating," Debra adds. (She gestures, stabbing herself in the heart a couple times.) "But it's delicious."

The recipe's critical ingredient is large, head-on shrimp. Daniels holds up one of the uncooked beauties.  "Seventy-two hours ago, these guys were swimming in the Gulf of Mexico." (Unable to find heads-on shrimp locally, they ordered them on the Internet.) The fat in the head of the shrimp, Daniels explains, is what makes the sauce so outrageously rich. "We tried it with headless shrimp once, and it was not nearly as tasty."

Another critical move: Follow the cooking times precisely. "A few seconds too long, and the shrimp will get tough," Daniels says. A graduate of The Citadel military college, he puts his trained precision to good work, setting a digital timer at each phase of the cooking. He also is careful to follow Chef Prudhomme's "shaken not stirred" rule when sauteing the shrimp. "It keeps the oils blended."

Though the pre-meal time was filled with the happy chatter of adults and children,  once the shrimp is served, everyone gets down to business, gently pulling off the shrimp heads, peeling the shells, and digging into a rich, flavorful Cajun Nirvana. The only things missing from the feast, unfortunately, are the bibs. We could have used them.

Tag's Louisiana BBQ Shrimp Serves 4
2 lbs. shrimp-heads on, jumbo or bigger. (Size 9/12 shrimp is perfect.)
1 tsp. ground red pepper
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary leaves
Oregano leaves to taste
1 stick butter, plus 5 more tablespoons of butter
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup seafood stock
1/2 cup beer-room temp. Light beer is better as it will not cause the recipe to become too rich.

Minced garlic to taste. Combine all seasonings. Melt stick of butter over high heat and add seasonings and Worcestershire sauce. Add shrimp when the mixture bubbles. Cook for 2 minutes. Make sure to shake pan back and forth; do not stir! Add remaining butter and cook for another 2 minutes. Add beer and cook for 1 more minute. Remove and serve immediately with rice and plenty of French bread for dipping.