Butter Poached Shrimp for your date night or weeknight. Easy and delicious!
Valentine's Day is coming and this is a show stopper. It sounds difficult but it's really not, otherwise it wouldn't be Home-Made-Easy.
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Butter Poached Shrimp
Start with a great shrimp. Fresh Coastal seafood is best but Red Shrimp from Argentina make a great alternate for frozen.
Ingredients for a two-person meal
10-12 Jumbo Shrimp U 16-20 (peel and de-vein)
1 lb salted butter
2 TBSP water
1 sprig of thyme
1 TBSP lemon zest (reserve lemon for juicing)
Prepare rice, micro greens or other base for the dish (see video for ideas)
Peel and de-vein shrimp leaving tail section in tact.
Pat dry and set aside
Heat water in medium saucepan on medium heat
Add butter 2-3 TBSP at a time, whisking to create creamy sauce
Continue adding 2-3 TBSP of butter at a time, whisking until melted, then adding more and increasing volume
Add thyme when all butter is incorporated
Add shrimp and ensure all submersed in poaching butter
Add lemon zest and give a quick stir
Place lid, increase heat to just over medium and cover for 5 minutes
Check for doneness (looking for firm white flesh)
Now place shrimp on plate for serving - have fun...
Stand them up, turn them to make hearts, whatever suits your mood
Top with a little cracked pepper to taste
* If you are making a rice dish, use water as the cooking liquid. Bouillon and stocks will impart a lot of flavor and the shrimp won't shine. Add juice of 1/2 lemon to rice, fresh herbs and baby peas to flavor and add color.
* If you are making a salad, look for fresh micro greens. Better visual and bolder flavors. Use juice of 1/2 lemon with olive oil and salt/pepper to make a bright dressing
As mentioned in the video, you can butter poach a variety of seafood. Our favorite is lobster tails. I recommend a cold water lobster tail first as your practice subject since they are priced much lower than Maine lobster.
Heat 1 qt of water in a medium sauce pan to simmer on medium high heat. Add 1 tsp salt when simmering. Place a skewer (bamboo preferred) inside the back of the shell to keep the tail from curling. Simmer for 2-3 minutes uncovered so you can look for the shell to turn red and the meat to just start turning white. Remove immediately. Allow a few minutes to cool. Cut shell open on the bottom side by running kitchen shears down both side. This opens the middle area up for you to slowly work the meat out in tact. Do your best to slowly squeeze and help the tail find meat to come out too. Once out, de-vein and place in butter poaching liquid. Cooking time will vary a little based on size and how much cooking they took in the water. Like the shrimp, firm and translucent. The butter temp is 160-170 degrees so they don't go overcooked as quickly as steamed/boiled lobster.
If you are not looking to remove the shells, cut the tail lengthwise down the middle, cut off the legs and go straight to the butter poaching. Lobster in shell can add a cool presentation element. A lobster fork stuck into a lemon wedge on the side of the plate is a nice touch.
Video below shows how easy this really is. Thanks for visiting our website and supporting all of us here at the Bearded Homecook and let us know how you do. Be sure to Like, Comment and SUBSCRIBE on YouTube. Tag us in your IG or Facebook posts and let us see your masterpiece.