Food in Films – Beetlejuice

~ foodinbooks

Well, it’s that time of year again, the high holy season of horror, darkness and goth – October! My personal favorite time of year, when I can indulge my love of all things dark and deathly. I can wear black from head to toe and no one bats an eye. I can watch all the horror films I want, read all the scary books I want and no one will think I’m weird. (OK, they MIGHT still think I’m weird but what do they know?)

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One of my favorite Halloween-themed movies of all time is Beetlejuice. I mean, how can you not love Winona Ryder as Lydia? I WAS Lydia in high school, dark and goth and in love with death, running around in black with white makeup and listening non-stop to Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees and of course, The Cure.

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It’s hard to pick a favorite character or indeed, a favorite scene, because the whole movie is so hilariously funny and the cast fucking rocks! I mean, Michael Keaton as the title character was so terrific! Catherine O’Hara as the evil stepmother who isn’t so bad after all. Jeffrey Jones, Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin, Glenn Shadix, such a great cast of characters! And the scenes both in the afterlife and in the real world are so awesome. But of course, being a foodie post, I had to blog this particular scene, because come on! What else could I possible make except shrimp cocktail?

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There’s this scene!

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And of course, the best one of all!

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So in honor of Beetlejuice himself, I created what I call a monster shrimp cocktail, garnished with jade-green chunks of avocado, nice pungent cilantro, and a couple of shots of silver tequila. Perfect for a lovely fall afternoon.

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INGREDIENTS
20 raw jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined but with tails still on
1/2 fresh lemon
3 tablespoons sea salt
1/2 cup Frank’s Hot Sauce or any hot sauce you like
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 generous tablespoon prepared horseradish
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Juice of 1 fresh lime
2 generous shots tequila blanco
1 avocado, cubed
Fresh cilantro, finely chopped

METHOD
In a large pot, boil about two quarts of water, including the lemon and sea salt. Add the shrimp and cook until pink and opaque, maybe two minutes at most.

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Drain and put the cooked shrimp into a bowl of ice water, to immediately stop them cooking. Drain, pat dry, squeeze over more lemon juice, and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.

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Combine the hot sauce, the celery salt and pepper, the horseradish, the Worcestershire sauce, the lime juice and the tequila together in a mixing bowl, taste for seasoning and garnish with cilantro.

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Arrange the cold shrimp artistically along the side of the bowl with the spicy sauce, as similar to the shrimp cocktail in the movie as possible.

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Cube the avocado and sprinkle it around the serving platter for garnish, along with the cilantro and some lemon slices.

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Admire your platter and wolf it down, occasionally busting out into a chorus of “Day O!”

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Published by foodinbooks

I read, I cook, I travel, I love pugs, I drink wine, and I blog about food and books.

26 thoughts on “Food in Films – Beetlejuice”

    1. Thank you so much! Yes, I was a Goth girl through and through in my teens. I had a poster of Robert Smith from The Cure on my bedroom wall on which I would blot my lipstick before going to school. This horrified my grandmother, as you can imagine. 🙂 We really enjoyed the shrimp cocktail, too. The tequila and avocado just gave it a little extra oomph.

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    1. I am so glad you liked it! I had so much fun planning it and making it, and styling it to look as much like the possessed shrimp cocktail in the film. Thank you for reblogging, too! 🙂

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