Lowcarbezine!

Brined Lemon Pepper Shrimp, Brined Shrimp, and Memphis Mustard Barbecue Sauce

In celebration of the debut of my new book, The Low-Carb Barbecue Book, here are a couple of sample recipes!

Brined Lemon Pepper Shrimp
Brined Shrimp
Memphis Mustard Barbecue Sauce

Brined Lemon Pepper Shrimp

1 pound brined, uncooked shrimp in the shell (recipe for brining below)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon pepper

While your shrimp are brining, crush the garlic and pour the olive oil over it. That way you'll have garlic flavored olive oil by the time the shrimp are ready to cook.

Drain the brine off of the shrimp, and pat them dry with a paper towel. Put them in a bowl (if you brined the shrimp in a bowl, there's no reason not to use the same one; just rinse it and dry it first. Pour the garlic olive oil over them, and toss. Now sprinkle the lemon pepper over them, and toss again.

You'll need a small-holed grill rack, or a grill wok - I like to use a grill wok for this. Lift your shrimp out of the olive oil with a fork, to let the excess oil drip off, and put over a medium-hot fire. Grill quickly, turning two or three times, until pink clear through - the timing will depend on the size of your shrimp, but shouldn't be more than 6 or 7 minutes.

3-4 servings. Assuming 3, each serving would have 6 grams of carb - if you drank the brine! But you won't, of course. So figure no more than 4 grams per serving, a trace of fiber, and 31 grams of protein. (You'll actually get a little more protein if you cook big shrimp than if you cook little ones, because of the better shrimp-to-shell ratio.) 325 calories.

Brined Shrimp

Brining shrimp makes them plumper and firmer - some say the texture resembles lobster. Adds flavor, too! I mean, what is sea water but a kind of brine? If you want to be terribly authentic, use sea salt!

1 quart water
2 tablespoons kosher salt or large-crystal sea salt
2 tablespoons Splenda
1/4 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
1 pound shrimp in the shell - whatever size you like

Dissolve the salt in the water - using warm water makes it easier to dissolve the salt, but don't make the water hot enough to cook the shrimp! Stir in the Splenda and molasses. Now pour this mixture over your shrimp, in a bowl, or in a large zipper-lock bag. If you're using a bag, press out the air, and seal it. Either way, make sure your shrimp are submerged. Let them sit in the brine for 30 - 45 minutes for medium-sized shrimp, or as much as an hour for really huge ones.

If you'd rather have some ribs or the like, try:

Memphis Mustard Barbecue Sauce

This tasty Memphis-style barbecue sauce is one of the lowest carb in the book, and packs a serious mustard note. Enjoy!

1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup mustard
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/2 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Splenda

Just measure everything into a non-reactive saucepan, whisk it together, bring it to a simmer, and let it simmer for 5 minutes or so. That's it!

Makes about a cup, or 8 servings of 2 tablespoons each. 3 grams of carbohydrate each, with 1 gram of fiber, for a usable carb count of just 2 grams. 1 gram protein. 15 calories.

Posted by HoldTheToast at March 26, 2004 04:15 PM