Simple, Spicy, Scrumptious Shrimp

Adam and I took a little stroll through the park yesterday. We sat on a bench and watched a guy boxing with himself while a terrified child looked on. We were approached by some very, very bold squirrels looking for food. We watched a guy with two yellow labs get pulled in two directions. The humidity has finally broken here in beantown and the shady bench was cool, but our bellies were starting to grumble so we made our way over to the T, thinking about what to make for dinner. Suddenly, a voice from above!


"You should make Pioneer Woman's spicy barbecue shrimp for dinner," the voice intoned. "Stop at the store and pick up a loaf of crusty bread. And some shrimp." How could we do anything but comply with such divine gustatorial guidance? We made a quick stop on the way to my house and also picked up one avocado and several limes. Here is what we had for dinner on my back porch:

Mojitos by Adam (you'll have to ask him what's in there - all I know is it took longer to make the drinks than the meal), spicy "barbecue" shrimp, half an avocado each and most of a loaf of bread. I rubbed the avocado halves with one of the squeezed limes so they wouldn't discolor too much, and that bowl is for shrimp shells. What's that? You want to see the shrimp? Ooooh, ok. I dare you not to drool.
These little puppies were totally scrumptious, and my lips were still tingling half an hour later. Over on The Pioneer Woman Cooks there are step by step photos, but here's the rundown of what I did:

Preheat your broiler. Dump some shell-on shrimp in a pan - I used just under a pound for the two of us and it was plenty. Drizzle with olive oil. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the shrimp. Shake on the Worcestershire sauce and the Tabasco (I used Frank's Red Hot because that's what I had). Sprinkle Kosher salt and cracked black pepper. I used about a teaspoon of salt but probably closer to a tablespoon or two of pepper. Luckily I had cracked pepper in my spice cabinet and didn't have to use the grinder for this. As for butter I used half a stick, cutting it into pats and scattering them over the surface of the shrimp. Broil for 10-15 minutes. Prepare to get messy. Bring the whole thing outside with a loaf of bread, and a bowl for the shells, peel the buggers and enjoy the juicy, flavorful goodness. Sop up the sauce with the bread, and slurp your mojito. Be happy it's summer, and thank the statues in the park for their guidance.