FTBBQ: Drunk & Blacked Out Shrimp

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Last 42 minutes of my life (I counted) are gone, wasted away, circling the drain of curiosity, incapable of escaping the Marianas Trench of Internet wormholes.

And who (or what) is to blame? Why it’s the title of this week’s tailgate recipes: Drunk & Blacked Out Shrimp.

I let out a faint chuckle when this creative culinary concoction arrived in my Inbox thanks to the good folks and Blue and White bleeders at the 409 Tailgate Club. It certainly paints a picture, doesn’t it? An inebriated shrimp, keeled over, his shrimp buddies stacking empty red solo cups on his head or taking a Sharpie to his little shrimp face…which got us wondering, ‘Do Shrimp drink? Heck, do shrimp even have mouths?’

According to the first Google search result that popped up – the customary depth of all our research, football and otherwise, here at FTB – the shrimp’s mouth is located on “the ventral surface of the head region anterior to the first maxilliped.” After three re-readings, we gave up on trying to decipher what any of that last sentence means and instead clicked the ‘Images’ tab on Google.

Hey, there’s the mouth! Looks like it’s sorta on the underneath-y part of the shrimp – you know, on the ventral surface of the head region anterior to the first maxilliped. For those wondering, the hypnotizing circles in the image are watermarks because, well, we aren’t spending $29.99 for a picture of a shrimp’s mouth.

And why should we? Shrimp don’t even drink using their mouths!

According to the Curious Kids series at www.theconversation.com, shrimp, “don’t necessarily drink water the same way we do, but they can suck water and salt through their skin via processes osmosis and diffusion.” Seeking more information we scrolled further down Google. No luck. The next couple search results were news reports from 2010 about microscopic shrimp infiltrating NYC’s public water supply, which sounds gross if you’re full but kind of delicious if you’re hungry.

Speaking of hungry, let’s close all these damn tabs and get to the recipe.

You may be familiar with the Asian recipe Drunken Shrimp. This isn’t that. Our BBQ version is “Drunk & Blacked Out Shrimp!” A very easy recipe that simply involves Peachy Pa’s Bourbon Tailgate Sauce (ORDER HERE) and blackened seasoning. Blackened seasoning can be bought in any grocery store, but it’s also easy to make at home with the spices in your pantry.

Ingredients-Blackened Seasoning

2 tbsp. Paprika

1 tbsp. Onion Powder

1 tbsp. Garlic Powder

1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp. dried Thyme

1 tsp. dried Basil

1 tsp. dried Oregano

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Black Pepper

Directions

• Preheat grill to 375-400.

• Peel and devein large or jumbo shrimp. Shrimp cook best when the tails are left on, so we would recommend doing so if they are fresh or previously frozen with shells on (fresh are the best!).

•Skewer shrimp without overcrowding.

• Give a quick spritz with olive oil on both sides so that your seasoning will stick to the shrimp and apply seasoning.

• Grill 2 minutes on each side, mop with Peachy Pa’s, and then grill another 2 minute on each side. Remove and enjoy!