SALT-AND-PEPPER SHRIMP WITH BLUE CHEESE AND CELERY

Salt-and-Pepper Shrimp with Blue Cheese and Celery image

Yield Makes 10 to 12 (first course) servings

Number Of Ingredients 18

For blue-cheese dip
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 bunch celery, cut into sticks
For shrimp sauce
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup medium-dry Sherry
2 to 4 tablespoons hot sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
For shrimp
3 lb large (16 to 20 per lb) shrimp, in shells
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
About 1/2 cup olive oil

Steps:

Make dip:
Purée blue cheese, oil, and lemon juice in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in cream. Serve dip with celery.
Make sauce:
Stir together sauce ingredients.
Cook shrimp:
Make a deep lengthwise incision along inner curve of each shrimp with a small knife, cutting all the way through flesh but not shell. Devein.
Toss with kosher salt and cracked pepper to coat.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook shrimp in batches, without crowding, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side, adding more oil as needed. Transfer to a large bowl as cooked.
Add sauce to shrimp and toss well to coat.