We have a local trendy restaurant called Zydeco in Central Oregon that has this amazing shrimp appetizer, and they sell the sauce they use in it for $16 a bottle. Now who the heck pays $16 for a bottled sauce? Without even buying the bottle to figure out the ingredients, I cobbled together this dish that I think surpasses the taste. My husband swooned! I made it again for SuperBowl! I'm inviting friends over for it soon, it's that bread-sopping good! Yes, this is a recipe I am definitely most proud of.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili sauce (found in the ketchup aisle)
• 3 tablespoons worcesterhire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (i used stubb’s mesquite)
• 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cajun (creole) seasoning
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon sriracha sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon tabasco sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried spicy or mexican oregano
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• generous amounts of ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 pound large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
• prepared refrigerated polenta
• 1 tablespoon butter
• chopped parsley, green onion, and lemon for garnish
• lots of crusty bread for sopping up the sauce!

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat, then add all the ingredients through to the ground pepper. You may want to add the spicy spices a little at a time until the spice level suits your tastes.
2. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes until it’s reduced just a tad. Add the shrimp to a casserole dish, then pour the sauce over it, stirring around to coat. Spread the shrimp around so they’re in a single layer. Cover and place in refrigerator for 1 to up to 4 hours.
3. About a half hour before you are ready to eat, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When preheated, place shrimp dish uncovered in oven for 15-20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, slice the polenta into 1/2-inch or so cakes. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to a skillet over medium-high heat, then fry the polenta cakes on each side until slightly browned.
5. Place two polenta cakes in a bowl, then add desired amount of shrimp over the cakes, pouring generous amounts of the BBQ sauce over it. Garnish with additional chopped parsley and green onion. Serve with a crusty bread, for sopping up all the sauce. Try not to fight over who gets to mop up the last of the sauce out of the casserole dish.