Grilled Blackened Popcorn Shrimp with Popeye's Sweet & Spicy Seafood Dipping Sauce

Just like blackened redfish, blackened  shrimp should only be cooked outside, as the basting sauce will generate quite a puff of savory smoke when it drips off the shrimp and hits the coals or any other hot cooking surface.

Sweet & Spicy Seafood Dipping Sauce
6 tablespoons sugar or Splenda
6 tablespoons Crystal spicy brown mustard
6 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons cream-style horseradish
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon paprika

FOR SHRIMP
3 to 4 pounds small to medium head-on shrimp (2 pounds total peeled)

BASTING SAUCE
6 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons lemon juice
Peanut oil for grill basket

Black Magic seasoning mix*

To make dipping sauce: In a small saucepan, combine sugar, mustard, milk, horseradish, salt and paprika. Bring to a low boil over a low flame; simmer a minute or two and turn off heat. Transfer to a serving bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit an hour or so to cool and for flavors to blend.

Clean, peel, devein, rinse and drain shrimp. Transfer to a shallow serving bowl.

When ready to cook, put perforated grilling basket into position on grill. Light grill.

To make basting sauce: Combine lemon juice, soy sauce and olive oil. Pour over shrimp. Stir to coat the shrimp.

Use peanut oil to oil the grill basket. Mix shrimp again with the basting sauce, then use a slotted spoon to remove shrimp from the sauce, letting excess drip back into the bowl. Toss shrimp into grill basket. Sprinkle shrimp heavily with the seasoning mix.

Grill 12 minutes for small shrimp, 15 minutes for medium, turning with a large spoon 2 or 3 times while shrimp cook. After each turning, spoon on a bit more basting sauce and sprinkle again with spice mix.

Serve with the dipping sauce and a cold beer or white wine as party food, an appetizer or a main course.

*Use Chef Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish Magic Seasoning Blend, or Prudhomme's recipe for Black Magic seasoning mix: 2½ teaspoons salt; 1 teaspoon each garlic and onion powders; ¾ teaspoon each white and black peppers; ½ teaspoon each dried oregano and thyme; 1 teaspoon cayenne and 3 teaspoons sweet paprika.

Makes 4 appetizer or 2 entree servings