Garlicky Shrimp with Buttered Crumbs

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!

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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.

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