the prize is not an insult.....the review is an insult...potted shrimp is delicious. This is a Brit doing the review....he received a tongue (not pickled) in cheek award for writing a scathing review of a book. Potted shrimp is lovely...it's a British dish of chopped cooked and spiced shrimp packed into a crock with lots of butter and herbs and served on toast for cocktails.

My favorite bbq shrimp! BBQ shrimp 3-4 lb shrimp, shell on or off 2 tsp thyme 1 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp pepper 2 bay leaves 2 crushed garlic cloves juice 2-3 lemons 1/4 lb butter Melt butter, mix with ingredients. Place shrimp in bottom of pyrex dish, pour ingredients over. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 400 for 25 minutes. Yummy!

Congrats Alexa!!!! What a great accomplishment. I'm smoke free 10 years last month. Like FOAS says it gets easier especially once you start hating the smell of smokers ! I posted a very easy "Greek" Scampi recipe on the New recipes thread. I think it would make a great starter. Ina's Scampi is delish too. For the entree I would go traditional surf and turf . The Iceberg wedge with Blue Cheese is so retro, fits perfectly with Surf and Turf. If you want beyond decadent I had lobster mashed potatoes at a sea food restaurant that was to die for! Very smooth, creamy mashed potatoes with lots of fresh ground pepper, chive snips and chunks (no shreds , chunks) of lobster. Now you have me jonesing for lobster! Broiled Greek Scampi 1/2 stick butter 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice 1 TBSP minced garlic 1/2 tsp dried dill ( I omitted) salt and pepper to taste 2TBSP fresh bread crumbs 1 TBSP grated Parmesan 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/4 tsp paprika 10-12 extra large shrimp, deveined, peeled, tail on ( butterflied) Preheat broiler with rack placed 6-8 inches from broilers Melt butter in large sauce pan. Stir in lemon juice, garlic, dill, salt and pepper. Let stand off heat to steep. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, oregano, and paprika. Set aside. Coat 2 6 oz casserole dishes with non stick spray and place on baking sheet. Arrange shrimp evenly on each dish. Divided butter mixture evenly between dishes. Top with bread crumb mixture. Broil until shrimp are cooked and topping is golden brown ( about 5 minutes) Let cool one minute before handling Baked Shrimp Scampi 2008, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, All Rights Reserved Serves: 6 servings Ingredients 2 pounds (12 to 15 per pound) shrimp in the shell  3 tablespoons good olive oil  2 tablespoons dry white wine  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper  12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature  4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)  1/4 cup minced shallots  3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves  1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves  1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes  1 teaspoon grated lemon zest  2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice  1 extra-large egg yolk  2/3 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)  Lemon wedges, for serving Directions Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture. In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined. Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval gratin dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute

We had Christmas dinner with Jimmy and Maartje, and so I have energy for New Year's Day. We went shopping at Ralphs today and found fresh okra, and so I decided to make seafood gumbo, which is one of my top five favorite dishes. It will include fresh frozen shrimp, Alaskan King Crab, and Maine lobster. I made some stock from the leftover Cornish game hen bones from Christmas dinner, but I may or may not use this stock, as I like for the seafood to dominate. I plan to start cooking early because I want to use as much of the seafood shells for stock as possible. I only add the seafood meat at the very last minute before serving, and I plan on freezing a few servings for later. We got the refrigerator cleaned out on Sunday, which was the first we had to go through and sort everything for the past month or so. I'm very happy with the new space that I recovered and pledge to keep it. Lars