With last week’s warmer temperatures here, I was absolutely craving a really great grilled meal.  Unfortunately, we’re in between grills right now (though we just bought a beautiful new Weber over the weekend – thanks for the recommendations on the Facebook page everyone!) and even though the evening weather was perfect for grilling, I had indoor meals planned all week.  Which is not to say that I was disappointed by the circumstances because this garlicky shrimp with buttered crumbs was one of the meals I had planned and it turned out to be a fantastic and relatively quick meal to pull together.

Sautéed shrimp, an ample amount of garlic, and a light sherry sauce topped with toasted buttered bread crumbs and set over some linguine is the perfect meal for a busy weeknight or even to serve to guests.  The recipe calls for some French bread to be used to make the bread crumbs, which I had in the house, but you can certainly use panko bread crumbs instead.  The only thing I did differently from the original recipe was that I thinned out the sauce a little with some chicken broth and extra lemon juice so that it would coat a small serving of pasta.  Whether you serve it over pasta or with rice on the side, I’m sure you’ll love this shrimp dish as much as we did!

Garlicky Shrimp with Buttered Crumbs
source: adapted from The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook

Ingredients:

  • 3-inch piece baguette, cut into small pieces, OR 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 5 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces
  • 1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tbsp)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
  • 2 lbs extra-large shrimp (21-25), peeled and deveined
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • 4 tsp vegetable oil
  • 4 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 4 tsp)
  • 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 tsp all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup dry sherry
  • 2/3 cup bottled clam juice
  • 1/3 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Instructions:

  1. Pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground; you should have about 1 cup crumbs.  If you use panko bread crumbs, you can skip this step.
  2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add crumbs, shallot, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon parsley and transfer to plate to cool. Wipe out skillet with paper towels.
  3. Thoroughly dry shrimp with paper towels; toss with sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in bowl. Return skillet to high heat, add 2 teaspoons oil, and heat until shimmering. Add half of shrimp in single layer and cook until spotty brown and edges turn pink, about 3 minutes (do not flip shrimp). Remove pan from heat and transfer shrimp to large plate. Wipe out skillet with paper towels. Repeat with remaining 2 teaspoons oil and shrimp; transfer shrimp to plate.
  4. Return skillet to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon butter. When melted, add garlic and pepper flakes; cook, stirring frequently, until garlic just begins to color, about 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high and slowly whisk in sherry, clam juice, and chicken broth. Bring to simmer and cook until mixture reduces to 3/4 cup, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in remaining 3 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Stir in lemon juice and remaining tablespoon parsley.
  5. Reduce heat to medium-low, return shrimp to pan, and toss to combine. Cook, covered, until shrimp are pink and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs. Serve with lemon wedges.