Spiced Potted Shrimp

By Melissa Clark

Spiced Potted Shrimp
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
20 minutes, plus chilling
Rating
4(78)
Comments
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In the history of British cuisine, potting perishable foods — that is, sealing ingredients in a crock under a thin layer of clarified butter — was a way to preserve them. Thanks to modern refrigeration, preservation is no longer the point, but luscious, buttery potted dishes are still popular throughout Britain. Here, diced shrimp are aggressively seasoned with anchovy, celery seed, lemon zest and garlic before being sealed into ramekins. Potted shrimp is a very rich dish, best served in small quantities with hot toast on the side to melt the solidified butter back into a creamy sauce. Or, scoop out the shrimp and butter and mix it with hot pasta to create an instant scampi-like dish.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings
  • 1½cups unsalted butter (3 sticks)
  • 4anchovy fillets, chopped
  • 2teaspoons fresh thyme or lemon thyme, minced, more for garnish
  • ½teaspoon lemon zest
  • ¼teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon mace (or nutmeg)
  • ¼teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Pinch cayenne
  • Pinch celery seed
  • 1pound peeled shrimp, cut into ¼-inch dice
  • 1garlic clove, grated on a Microplane or minced
  • Lemon wedges, for serving
  • Tabasco, for serving
  • Hot toast, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

367 calories; 35 grams fat; 22 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 225 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Let cook, skimming the foam off the top of the butter, until the white milk solids fall to the bottom of the pan. Carefully pour about half the clarified butter into a measuring cup with a spout and set aside. Leave remaining butter and all those milk solids in the skillet.

  2. Step 2

    Add anchovy, thyme, lemon zest, mace, salt, pepper, cayenne and celery seed to skillet. Stir in shrimp and cook over medium heat until pink, about 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in garlic.

  3. Step 3

    Divide shrimp among 8 ramekins, top with the remaining herbed butter from the skillet and chill until set, about 1 hour.

  4. Step 4

    Pour reserved clarified butter on top and chill until set, about 15 minutes, or up to 5 days (or freeze for up to 1 month). Remove ramekins from the refrigerator at least 20 minutes to 1 hour before serving with lemon wedges, Tabasco and hot toast.

Ratings

4 out of 5
78 user ratings
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Comments

Milagros

PS: I use tiger shrimp when available. I retain the shrimp shells and brown them lightly (2 min) in a stick of butter. Strain the butter in a sieve lined in cheesecloth. When the butter has cooled I then add few drops of cognac and ground allspice, ground clove and piment d' espelette.....

Mary

Great dish, fairly quick to produce which is well suited for entertaining. I might try it with pasta, it is so full of favor.

BigGuy

Canned shrimp would work well.

Gretchen

Just bought some frozen and cooked langostino tails. I could readily see chopping those up and giving them the potted treatment. What do you think?

Sally N

Traditionally, potted shrimp are sold in British supermarkets in tiny tubs, and are also popular food in good pubs. Best enjoyed on very thinly sliced whole-wheat toast, with just a spritz of fresh lemon juice. In Britain the tiniest, most tender shrimp are used whole, but I’ve never seen them sold in the US. Looking forward to giving this recipe a go!

Donna

Butter may remain solid at room temperature unless warmed

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