Do y'all remember that on the Day of The Sardine I also raved about the fresh Alabama shrimp I bought? They were gorgeous. Big beauties from the Gulf- best shrimp in America, hands down.

You do not want to do anything with shrimp like that but let them shine in the brightest spotlight, and so I decided to make real New Orleans BBQ shrimp with them. Emeril's style.

Real BBQ shrimp have zero to do with barbecue sauce. Zero. And thank goodness. For while I love barbecue sauce as a condiment atop things like grilled chicken, I do not want to veil or disappear shrimp into it.

Emeril's recipe first asks you to make a foundational sauce by stewing shrimp shells with onions, garlic, "Bayou Blast" seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, lemons, bay leaves, white wine, salt, pepper, and water. After a half-hour simmer, you strain that, reduce the liquid, add cream (Emeril calls for two cups of cream; I use one cup of cream and a half-cup of 2% milk; no one is the wiser; your arteries are all the better.), your reserved shrimp, and just a bit later, butter.

The shrimp are tender and full of flavor, the sauce is lick-your-lips-sigh-and-close-your-eyes divine. You MUST have freshly toasted baguette on hand to sop up all excess.