How often do you cook shrimp? Although not everyone has an equal taste for seafood, a well-made shrimp dish is generally a crowd pleaser no matter who’s eating. Generally speaking, shrimp have a pleasant texture and a mild fishy taste that isn’t too overpowering. Though they can get tough if they’re too old or they get overcooked, when they’re perfectly prepared and dipped in butter, they can be pretty hard to beat. If you don’t cook with shrimp too often but want to get started, we have a perfect recipe for you to try out.
This garlic butter Tuscan shrimp dish checks off all the necessary boxes for a successful seafood meal. The butteriness combined with the garlic is a classic fit for shrimp or scallops, and the Italian herbs kick the entire thing up a notch as well. Our mouths are watering just thinking about this one—and it couldn’t be easier to make.
Here’s what you need:
- 2 tablespoons of salted butter
- 6 cloves of finely diced garlic
- 1 pound of shrimp or prawn (tails on or off, your preference)
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 cup of white wine
- 5 ounces jarred sun-dried tomatoes in oil (drained)
- 1 3/4 cups of half and half
- 3 cups of washed baby spinach leaves
- 2/3 cups of fresh, grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with water (optional)
- 2 teaspoons of dried Italian herbs
- 1 tablespoon of fresh, chopped parsley
- salt
- pepper
Here’s what you do:
1. First, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Melt some butter in it and throw in your minced garlic. Let it fry until it gets fragrant (for about a minute). Add in your shrimp and fry them for two minutes on each side. Only cook them for a few minutes, until they are barely cooked through and pink. Pull the shrimp out and put them in a bowl.
2. In the leftover butter, fry your diced onion until the pieces get soft and translucent. Add in your white wine and let it reduce by about half. Make sure to keep scraping the pan throughout this process! Next, throw in your sun-dried tomatoes and fry them for one to two minutes.
3. Next up, turn your heat down to low-medium and add in the half and half. Bring the entire thing to a soft simmer and keep stirring throughout. Season the entire mixture with salt and pepper as well.
4. Next, throw in your spinach leaves and let them wilt in the sauce. After that, throw in your Parmesan cheese as well and let it cook for about a minute until it all melts. If you want to make it even thicker, add a little milk and cornstarch to the middle of the pan and keep simmering while stirring to mix it all in.
5. After the sauce has thickened to your liking, throw your shrimp back in the pan and sprinkle everything with herbs and parsley. Stir it all together to make sure it’s evenly incorporated.
6. Finally, take the pan off the heat and serve! Ideally, this would go well with rice, pasta or some kind of steamed vegetable!
As you can see, this recipe has just about everything you could ask for from a buttery shrimp recipe. For even fuller flavor, we recommend getting fresh wild caught shrimp rather than going with a bag of frozen shrimp—you will definitely taste the difference! If you’re cooking this with pasta, be sure to prepare your noodles al dente for the perfect balance of tastes and textures. Enjoy!
Have you given this recipe a try? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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