Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for June 26, 2011

Shrimp Remoulade With Two Sauces

There are two kinds of remoulade sauce served around New Orleans, and everybody has a distinct favorite. My preference is for the orange-red kind that’s utterly unique to our area. White remoulade sauce, made with mayonnaise, is actually closer to the classic French recipe. It’s good enough that in recent years I’ve taken to making both kinds of sauces, and letting people take their pick.

What they have in common is the main active ingredient: Creole mustard, a rough, brown, country-style mustard that has a bit of horseradish mixed in.

The shrimp for shrimp remoulade should be medium size—about 25-30 count to the pound. If you’re making only the red style of remoulade, a good trick is slightly to under-boil the shrimp, then marinate them in the rather acidic sauce. That will finish the “cooking,” in much the same way the marinade of ceviche does.

The words “remoulade,” by the way, is an old French dialect word that refers to a kind of radish that hasn’t been part of the recipe for centuries.

Shrimp:Leafy tops of a bunch of celery5 bay leaves3 cloves2 Tbs. Tabasco garlic marinade1 large lemon, sliced1/2 cup salt3 lbs. shrimp

Red Remoulade Sauce:1/2 cup chili sauce (bottled) or ketchup1/2 cup Creole mustard1 Tbs. paprika1/2 tsp. salt2 Tbs. lemon juice1/4 tsp. Tabasco1/2 tsp. pureed garlic1/2 cup green onion tops, finely sliced1 cup olive oil

White Remoulade Sauce:1 cup mayonnaise1/2 cup Creole mustard2 Tbs. lemon juice1/2 tsp. garlic-flavored Tabasco1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce1/2 tsp. salt1/2 cup green onion tops, finely sliced

1. Bring a gallon of water to a boil and add all the ingredients except the shrimp. Boil the water for fifteen minutes, then add the shrimp. Remove from the heat immediately, and allow the shrimp to steep for four minutes, or until the shell separates from the meat easily.

2. Remove the shrimp and allow to cool enough to handle. Peel and devein the shrimp

3. To make the red remoulade sauce, combine all ingredients except green onions and olive oil in a bowl. Add the oil a little at a time, stirring constantly, until all oil is absorbed. Taste the sauce and add more mustard or chili sauce to taste. Stir in green onion tops.

4. For the white remoulade sauce, just blend all the ingredients except the green onions. Then add the green onions last.

5. Place the shrimp on a leaf of lettuce, sliced avocados, sliced tomatoes, or Belgian endive leaves. Drizzle half the shrimp with one sauce, half with the other. The sauces can also be served in pools for dipping.

Makes eight appetizers or six entree salads.

From “Tom Fitzmorris’s New Orleans Food,” by me. . .

Tastefully yours,Tom Fitzmorris