Jumbo Shrimp

This is the kind of meal to make after you have accomplished something big-sealed a major deal, won an important case, finally sprung for that Sinatra boxed set you've been coveting for so long.

It features Goliath shrimp, Godzilla shrimp, shrimp big enough to eat other shrimp. The bread crumbs seal in the juices. The lemon teases out the flavor. Try to eat these slowly. Just try.

12 jumbo shrimp (10 to 12 per pound)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium lemon, cut into wedges

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

To prepare the shrimp.—Remove the shells, leaving the tail intact. Make a slit in the shrimp along their backs and clean out any veins. Place the olive oil in a medium in bowl and add the garlic, salt, and pepper. Add the shrimp and toss to lightly coat. In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan. Place each shrimp in the bread crumb mixture and turn them to lightly coat both sides.

Arrange the shrimp so they aren't touching each other in an ungreased 9-by-13-inch casserole. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Place the pan on the center rack of the oven and bake for 5 to 9 minutes, until the shrimp are opaque in the center.

Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

From:

The Working Stiff
by Bob Sloan
Chronicle Books
1998, Hardcover, US $15.95
144 pages
Line art throughout
ISBN 0-8118-1885-3
Reprinted by permission.