Barbecued Gulf Shrimp With Cream

This recipe comes from Stephen Piles Cookbook and is fantastic. My favorite shrimp recipe. We cooked it for the first time on vacation with my Brother-in-law and his family. They (as well as my children) asked me to simply boil a fairly large portion of the 10 pounds of shrimp in case they didn't like the barbecued version. Guess which shrimp got eaten?

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• Shrimp

• 3  tablespoons olive oil
• 1⁄3 cup  diced onion
• 4  teaspoons garlic, minced
• 16 -18  large shrimp, peeled and deveined

• Sauce

• 1⁄4 cup heavy cream
• 1⁄2 cup  blanched peeled seeded and diced tomato
• 2  tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
• 2  tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4  tablespoons scallions, finely sliced
• 6  tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick)
•  salt

• Seasoning Mix

• 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1  teaspoon paprika
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2  teaspoons  chopped fresh thyme
• 2  teaspoons  chopped fresh oregano

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients for seasoning mix thoroughly in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Shrimp (yields 4 to 6 servings).
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet until lightly smoking.
4. Add the onion, garlic, and shrimp; continue cooking until the shrimp are half-cooked.
5. Increase the heat to high and stir in the Seasoning Mix, cream, tomatoes, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce; reduce the mixture by half.
6. Add the scallions.
7. Whisk in the butter by tablespoonfuls.
8. Incorporate well and season with salt.
9. Be sure to serve with a loaf of crusty french bread to dip up the flavorful sauce.
10. This is fantastic!