Guest Blogger: Patrick!

I’m a big fan of cooking with beer.

A well-crafted blend of sweet malt and acidic hops, when added to almost any dish, produces a nice complexity of flavor. This same blend, when added to my diet, produces a modest tolerance for cooking. Thus many of my recipes involve liberal use of beer in support of both of these goals.

One of my favorite summer recipes uses a balanced amber ale to pull together a wide range of spices to complement and enhance the flavor of fresh gulf shrimp.

Patrick’s Shrimp Sandwiches

Makes 2 large servings

Ingredients*

• (4) 12 oz. bottles ice-cold Fat Tire Amble Ale
• (2) lbs fresh, raw gulf shrimp: in shells and medium in size
• (3) sprigs fresh chervil, de-stemmed
• (3) sprigs fresh dill, de-stemmed
• (3) sprigs fresh parsely, de-stemmed
• (3) sprigs fresh tarragon, de-stemmed
• (4) bay leaves
• (1) tbsp. whole black peppercorns
• (1) tbsp. cayenne pepper
• (1) tbsp. coriander seeds
• (4) cloves garlic, diced
• (1) rib celery, chopped
• (4) tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
• (4) slices pepperjack cheese
• (4) large sandwich rolls, toasted

  *I don’t use measuring cups. So while approximate amounts were added in deference to my wife, I suggest you amend them according to your own seasoning-related prejudices.

Steps

1. Immediately open and begin enjoying a Fat Tire Amber Ale
2. Place everything except the shrimp, sandwich rolls, cheese, and Old Bay into a stock pot or large sauce pot, bring to a boil, and cook for 10 minutes
3. While the pot is boiling, rinse shrimp and remove heads (if present and likely to cause your wife to refuse to eat)
4. Don’t neglect your Fat Tire (bonus points if you kept it in your hand while performing the previous two steps)
5. Add rinsed shrimp to boiling water and stir, then cover the pot, turn off the burner and let sit until the shrimp are cooked through (about 8 minutes)
6. Strain into a large bowl and let cool
7. Finish off that beer to steel yourself for shelling and cleaning
8. Remove the shells (grab the legs and twist, then pull sideways to slip off the shell), remove the tails and de-vein
9. Toss with Old Bay, pile onto toasted rolls, and top with pepperjack cheese
10. Split the four sandwiches between two plates, pop the tops on a couple more beers, and breakfast/lunch/dinner is served