5 Ingredients or Fewer

Southern Sherried Shrimp

by:
July 22, 2009
4.3
7 Ratings
Southern Sherried Shrimp
  • Serves 4 as a main course
Author Notes

Inspired by Edna Lewis' recipe for shrimp paste--which is something between pureed potted shrimp and a flavored butter--this recipe leaves the shrimp whole as a main course. It's ideal served over slow-cooked stone-ground grits but also excellent on its own, chopped and tossed into fettucini or toothpicked individually as a cocktail snack. - EBeier —EBeier

Test Kitchen Notes

The ease of EBeier's Southern Sherried Shrimp recipe belies its complex flavor. We love how you taste the sherry but it's the lemon that pulls together the sauce and the cayenne that gives it character. You half-cook the shrimp in an ocean of butter, then pull them from the pan and finish the sauce before adding them back. This way, the shrimp flavors the foundation of the sauce, and by finishing the shrimp once the sauce is properly reduced and seasoned, there's no risk of drying it out. The shrimp, wrapped in its sherry sauce, was so springy we ate most of it right from the pan. - A&M —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1/4 pound best-quality butter (1 stick)
  • 1 pound shrimp, medium or large, peeled and deveined
  • 1/3 cup dry sherry
  • juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • salt & freshly ground black pepper
Directions
  1. In a frying pan or large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat until foamy but not browned.
  2. Increase heat to high, add shrimp to pan all at once and sautee, tossing and stirring constantly, until shrimp is pink and almost cooked through (about 3 to 4 minutes).
  3. With a slotted spoon, remove shrimp from pan and set aside.
  4. Turn heat down to medium, add sherry, and cook, stirring constantly, until sherry and butter are intregrated and have formed a glossy, syrupy, bubbling and thickened sauce.
  5. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, cayenne, salt & pepper, and continue cooking and stirring until lemon juice is integrated and sauce syrups up again (about 1 minute).
  6. Return reserved shrimp to the pan and cook, tossing the shrimp until they are napped with sauce and cooked through.
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7 Reviews

Linda D.
Linda D. March 15, 2022
Absolutely delicious and so simple to pull together! I served the shrimp with brown rice and steamed green beans.Thank you Ebeier.
 
sircooksalot
sircooksalot March 19, 2017
This is the same photo as the marinated shrimp by Catherine Lamb. Is this the accurate pic?
 
Dmcp48@yahoo.com
[email protected] January 2, 2015
Would cream sherry work?
 
KarenCatherine
KarenCatherine December 27, 2020
Don’t think so
 
marsiamarsia
marsiamarsia September 30, 2014
Having grown up on the Gulf Coast, I thought I'd had shrimp just about every way it could be served, but this recipe was new to me--and it is just delectable. I made it twice within 24 hours (last night's dinner, today's lunch), it was that good! Definitely added to my list of culinary favorites.
 
ReggieDoobar
ReggieDoobar April 26, 2013
Holy Mary, Mother of God was this good! My only regret is living for 50 years before discovering this!
 
chop C.
chop C. January 12, 2013
I have made this dish four times over the last six months. Simple ingredients, easy to prepare and full of flavor. Also evil. Thanks for the recipe.