Garlic Shrimp Bake. Photo by Rey Lopez for The Washington Post
As fall ebbs and winter looms, the days may grow chilly and a little gloomy, but there is so much to celebrate: first Diwali and Thanksgiving, and now Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.
If you live on the east coast of the United States, it’s also a time to rejoice in the end of hurricane season, which runs June 1 to Nov. 30. True, most hurricanes get swirling in August and September, but as I flip my calendar to December, I breathe a little sigh of relief, and I often pull out “Cooking Up a Storm.”
The cookbook was first published in 2008, three years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Mississippi Gulf Coast and a collapse of the levees caused devastating floods in New Orleans, my hometown and where I was living at the time.
It is a collection of recipes, of course, but the book also contains life-affirming tales about how people reached out and helped one another in a time of crisis. “Cooking Up a Storm” grew out of a regular column in the Times-Picayune newspaper that focused on helping New Orleanians recover recipes lost to the floodwaters.
This fast, easy recipe for shrimp baked under a blanket of breadcrumbs, parmesan and herbs was contributed by Kelly Hamilton, a history professor who ran culinary tours in the French Quarter. Her home flooded to the rafters, and volunteers from Oregon – so many kind people descended on the city to help – came down to help her muck out the water-soaked structure. When their friends and neighbors in the Western state heard Hamilton had lost her cookbooks, they began sending her volumes to rebuild her collection. This recipe was one of her favorites from the bunch.
It’s also one that a dear friend from New Orleans makes again and again for her family.
The generosity and heartwarming stories that fill the pages of “Cooking Up a Storm,” which was lovingly written by food writers and former Times-Picayune columnists Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker, make it a natural one to pick up around the holidays when I am at risk of getting lost in marathon baking, travel planning and gift shopping.
The stories it contains serve as a reminder that family, friends and neighbors are what matters, and even people we’ve never met can be compassionate, generous and giving. And, frankly, I’m sharing this recipe now because it is also a quick, delicious dinner idea to keep in your pocket during this hectic season.
The recipe is a snap to make. A single layer of shrimp is topped with garlicky seasoned breadcrumbs, which protect the delicate crustaceans as they bake. (It’s important to use large shrimp; smaller ones require less cooking time and will dry out before your topping crisps and turns golden.)
The dish smells great, too. You can eat it on its own or serve it with pasta, rice or a favorite grain, or on top of a salad.
And remember: This little dish comes to you thanks to the generosity of strangers who cared.
Garlic Shrimp Bake
4 to 6 servings
Storage: Refrigerate for up to 2 days; reheat in skillet over medium heat or in a 350-degree oven.
Active time: 15 mins; Total time: 30 mins
Adapted from “Cooking Up a Storm” by Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker (Chronicle Books, 2008).
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing
2 pounds large shrimp (16-20 per pound), peeled and deveined
3/4 cup fresh or panko breadcrumbs, white or whole-wheat
3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
3 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Cooked rice, couscous or quinoa, for serving (optional)
Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange the shrimp in a single layer in the baking dish; it’s OK if they touch and overlap a bit.
In a medium bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, parsley and pepper flakes until combined. Add the 3 tablespoons of oil and mix until well combined.
Spoon the breadcrumb mixture over the shrimp, covering them as evenly as possible. Drizzle the melted butter over the breadcrumbs and bake for 15 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden and the shrimp are cooked through. If desired, switch the oven to broil for 1 to 2 minutes to further brown the topping, watching carefully to ensure it does not burn.
Serve the shrimp as is, or with your favorite grain, rice or pasta, with lemon wedges on the side, if desired.
Substitutions: No parsley? Use fresh basil.
Nutrition | Per serving (6 shrimp, 1/4 cup of topping, 1/2 cup rice), based on 6: 304 calories, 6g carbohydrates, 265mg cholesterol, 15g fat, 0g fiber, 36g protein, 6g saturated fat, 419mg sodium, 1g sugar
Send questions/comments to the editors.
