Potted Shrimp

Ingredients

• 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• Pinch essence, recipe follows
• 2 tablespoons sherry
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch ground mace
• Pinch cayenne
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• 12 ounces very small shrimp, peeled, cooked, and chopped
• 8 ounces crawfish tails, cooked, peeled, and chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced chives
• French bread croutons, as accompaniment

Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, lemon juice, cream cheese, shallots, Essence, sherry, salt, mace, cayenne, and chives and mix with a rubber spatula. Add the shrimp and crawfish and mix to combine. Fold in the chives. Transfer to a large bowl, smoothing the top with the spatula. Chill until just firm, not letting the butter get too hard, about 30 minutes.

Serve with croutons.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.