Last weekend after seeing a recipe for Shrimp on the Rocks (head-on fresh shrimp roasted in spiced hot rock salt) I ambled over to a tiny little neighborhood fishmonger’s shop that the neighbors rave about and caught them just before closing.
Their case room in the front of their building was about as big an average living room; it had one L-shaped open case, filled with crushed ice and piles of fresh fish and shrimp from the Gulf. When I got there the line was nearly to the door and she had me turn the sign to closed as I stepped in the shop.
There was a single open door to the back and a spotless stainless table just inside the door; upon that table sat a glass pitcher of what appeared to be fresh lemonade, replete with fresh lemon slices.
Two iced-filled glass sat nearby with another two glasses in the hands of a pair of ah…let’s say middle-aged ladies, who were clearly enjoying the lemonade immensely and giggling like a pair of school kids at recess. They laughed (loudly) one last time, drained their glasses nearly in perfect unison, marched to the front of the shop and relieved the two other workers just as I, the last customer of the day, moved to the counter.
Wordlessly the guy and gal who had been working the front stepped to the back room, filled two glasses, clinked a toast I couldn’t quite hear and drained them pronto.
As one of the still-giggling gals bagged my shrimp, I said something along the lines of ‘gee, you guys sure enjoy your Saturdays around here’ leading to the sharing of a tasty beverage recipe.
It appears they actually do enjoy closing time on Saturday as it starts their retail weekend (Sunday and Monday closed) and they traditionally celebrate with a batch of Cajun Lemonade or Hurricanes (the owner used to live in New Orleans) as they close up shop on Saturdays.
That day was, of course, Cajun Lemonade day. There are dozens of recipes for this (and it’s damned close to a Pimm’s Cup), but I convinced the shop to share their version which must, they insisted, include the Tabasco.
12 ounces white rum (vodka works as well)
8 ounces fresh lemon juice
4 ounces Pimm’s #1
4 ounces simple syrup
2 tsp. Tabasco
Ice
8 ounces 7-Up (cold)
Lemon slices
Mix and chill. Combine the first 5 ingredients and chill for at least an hour.
Now finish it. Fill a pitcher with ice; cover the container with the first five ingredients and shake like mad. Stir in the 7-Up, add the lemon slices and pour.
Enjoy.
