By Sam Sifton
- Total Time
- 15 minutes, plus chilling
- Rating
- 4(82)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This is my cover-band take on a dish served one spring at the restaurant Joe Beef in Montreal, which paired an enormous quantity of chilled steamed Canadian shrimp, bright and sweet, with a tureen of lobster butter. It was a dark and clouded sauce, slightly yellow, slightly green. We dipped and ate – sweet shrimp meat against deep salinity and velvet sauciness – and it was like hearing a hit song for the very first time, addictive from the start. We dipped everything in lobster butter that night. We’re still at it now.
Featured in: Summer Dinner Ideas That Work Again and Again
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 2pounds fresh shrimp
- Lobster butter (see recipe)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Preparation
Step
1
Place the shrimp in a large saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover them. Turn the heat to high, and bring the water to a boil. Cover the pan, remove it from the heat and let the shrimp sit for 8 to 10 minutes.
Step
2
Drain the shrimp carefully, then place in a large shallow bowl and chill completely. (You can speed the process by placing the shrimp in an ice bath for 10 minutes or so.) Serve with warm lobster butter.
Ratings
4
out of 5
82
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Cooking Notes
Annie
Sam, do we leave the shrimp in their shells? This sounds terrific and I am anxious to try soon. Thanks.
Dena
This sounds lovely except for one little issue regarding the lobster butter: due to budget constraints, I'm not likely to be buying and preparing lobster these days, so I wonder if shrimp shells would work instead?
Sam Sifton
They would indeed!
Gigi
Hi Annie, Yes, when you are boiling the shrimp, they should be left in the shells - lots more flavor and it is a little protection to them as well.
david shepherd
Why boil the shrimp? Why not steam? To my taste, boiling shrimp (and lobster, too) leaches a lot of flavor from the protein.
Just Here for News (and Arts, and Food)
And as a footnote, this is a great idea for lots of things. Think about all the shrimp and pasta dishes, or vegetable and pasta dishes, that would benefit from a lobster butter instead of olive oil. For those of us who believe food is just a vehicle for delivering melted butter under certain circ*mstances, this is ideal.
George DeBaby
Cooking shrimp still makes them rubbery. Try boiling the water first. Remove from heat. Add shrimp and cover. Shrimp should be soft and tender but cooked through and through. IMO, placing them in boiling water with the heat on, only toughens them.
Just Here for News (and Arts, and Food)
Yes, absolutely. Sitting in the hot water all that time until it comes to a boil is much too long.
betteirene
This method of cooking prevents overcooking, so the shrimp are cooked through and tender, never rubbery. Wish I had learned this years ago. Up until now, I had been relying on the "boil until the shrimp turn pink" method to tell when they were done--not good. This is the same method I used for perfect hard-cooked eggs.
LEL
Any suggestions for using frozen shrimp?
Katherine
Thaw the frozen shrimp in cold water, takes only minutes!
Annie
Sam, do we leave the shrimp in their shells? This sounds terrific and I am anxious to try soon. Thanks.
Gigi
Hi Annie, Yes, when you are boiling the shrimp, they should be left in the shells - lots more flavor and it is a little protection to them as well.
Gigi
Good question! Yes, Sam, could you also get similar results using Dungeness crab shells?
Maggie
Looks like Sam missed Annie's question. I'd like to know, too.
Thanks!
Dena
This sounds lovely except for one little issue regarding the lobster butter: due to budget constraints, I'm not likely to be buying and preparing lobster these days, so I wonder if shrimp shells would work instead?
Sam Sifton
They would indeed!
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