In Louisiana there is a legendary story about the naming of Shrimp Mosca.  There is a small Creole Italian restaurant in Avondale, Louisiana, outside New Orleans.  In addition to serving the best Creole Italian food outside the city of New Orleans, it was the favorite restaurant of Carlos Marcello. Mr. Marcello’s claim to fame was his leadership of the Marcello Mafia crime family from 1947 to the 1980’s.  Mr. Marcello’s favorite meal was Shrimp Mosca.  The story goes that when it was first served to him, the Chef and owner wanted to name it after him. However, Mr. Marcello said he would be honored but the publicity may reflect badly on the Chef and the owner of Mosca’s restaurant.  At the time the Marcello crime family was being investigated by Attorney General Bobby Kennedy. Marcello suggested to the owner that the new dish be named after the restaurant.  It became known as Shrimp Mosca.

We don’t know how accurate this story is, but we do know that Shrimp Mosca is delicious. Enjoy!!

Shrimp Mosca
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 lbs. shrimp
1/2 c. butter
½ c. extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp. dried oregano
6-10 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. ground black pepper
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. paprika
¾ tsp. basil
½ c. dry white wine
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp. parsley, minced

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Remove shrimp skin leaving the tail and place shrimp in single layer in large 7×11-inch pan. Melt butter and add wine and remaining ingredients; pour mixture over shrimp. Bake 10 minutes. Broil 5 minutes. Serve with crusty French baguette.

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