5 Sauteéd Spicy Butter Shrimp

I have been a busy girl.  This recipe is one of the best ways to prepare peel-and-eat shrimp, in my opinion.  I had a few pounds of beautiful tiger prawns and prepared them this way.

Here's what you'll need.


2 lb. fresh shrimp in the shells, heads removed
1 cup (2 sticks) salt butter
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
3 cloves finely minced garlic
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 + teaspoon cayenne (to taste - this makes it just very mild)
4 bay leaves, finely crushed
1 Tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoon rosemary, crushed with a mortar and pestle
fresh lemon juice to taste

Melt the sticks of butter over medium heat with the oil in a 3 to 4 quart heavy saucepan or sauté pan, then stir to mix.

While the butter is melting, crush your rosemary (I do it with the salt to help it along.)

Before:

After:

Then get all your herbs and spices ready to go.  

Add all the remaining ingredients except the garlic and shrimp.

Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce comes to a boil. A certain line from Hamlet seems to be appropriate at this point.

Reduce the heat a bit and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the pan from the heat, and at this point add your garlic and allow to stand, uncovered, at room temperature for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Enter: SHRIMP.  Gosh, aren't these lovely?  I bought these fresh and de-veined.  Thank goodness.

To cook the shrimp, return the pan of sauce to medium heat and cook when the sauce is well heated, about 3
minutes, stir once and add the shrimp. 

Cook for 5-7 minutes, just until the shrimp turn pink, stirring frequently but gently with a spoon. 

Remove the pan from the heat and place in a preheated 450 degree F oven for 10 minutes.

Oven baking it makes the shrimp shells really crispy on the outside (not that you'll eat those, but makes for easy shell removal) and the herbs and spices to really get in there and on them.

To serve, just pile on a plate and dish up some of that delectable sauce for dipping into.  If you skim off the clarified oil on the top, you can even make it into a cream sauce and serve over fettucine (I have done that before, marvelous!)