When I asked a fried-chicken chain restaurant owner for a
favorite recipe for a cookbook I was compiling, this one is what he hand-wrote. Shrimp? I was expecting a chicken recipe. Using unusual ingredients--- bottled salad dressings, baking powder, bacon and chili powder-----it was intriguing enough that I felt compelled to do a little quality test that very day. Not only is it good, but it's an easy last-minute dish....as long as I keep a bag of shrimp in the freezer, I can put it together in a jif. I usually make a half-recipe.
Have your rice cooked before you start, this only takes a few minutes to prepare. Fry 4 bacon strips til crisp, remove and crumble. Saute 2 lb. large peeled raw shrimp in the bacon fat for about 4 minutes, until they begin to turn pink. If making a full recipe, you will have to do this in 2 or 3 batches before putting them all together in the pan. Don't try to crowd them all in at one time. Then mix together 1 cup French salad dressing and 3/4 c Thousand Island dressing together with 1 tsp chili powder. Add to the shrimp and stir in 1 tsp baking powder (powder, not soda!). Stir over low heat until the sauce thickens - less than 5 minutes ought to do it. Stir in the bacon, and a little color with a pinch of chopped parsley. Serve with or over rice, if you like. I use yellow rice, Mahatma and Vigo brands are both delicious.