By Melissa Clark
- Total Time
- 20 minutes, plus chilling
- Rating
- 4(77)
- Notes
- Read community notes
In the history of British cuisine, potting perishable foods — that is, sealing ingredients in a crock under a thin layer of clarified butter — was a way to preserve them. Thanks to modern refrigeration, preservation is no longer the point, but luscious, buttery potted dishes are still popular throughout Britain. Here, diced shrimp are aggressively seasoned with anchovy, celery seed, lemon zest and garlic before being sealed into ramekins. Potted shrimp is a very rich dish, best served in small quantities with hot toast on the side to melt the solidified butter back into a creamy sauce. Or, scoop out the shrimp and butter and mix it with hot pasta to create an instant scampi-like dish.
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Ingredients
Yield:8 servings
- 1½cups unsalted butter (3 sticks)
- 4anchovy fillets, chopped
- 2teaspoons fresh thyme or lemon thyme, minced, more for garnish
- ½teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon mace (or nutmeg)
- ¼teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pinch cayenne
- Pinch celery seed
- 1pound peeled shrimp, cut into ¼-inch dice
- 1garlic clove, grated on a Microplane or minced
- Lemon wedges, for serving
- Tabasco, for serving
- Hot toast, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
367 calories; 35 grams fat; 22 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 225 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Let cook, skimming the foam off the top of the butter, until the white milk solids fall to the bottom of the pan. Carefully pour about half the clarified butter into a measuring cup with a spout and set aside. Leave remaining butter and all those milk solids in the skillet.
Step
2
Add anchovy, thyme, lemon zest, mace, salt, pepper, cayenne and celery seed to skillet. Stir in shrimp and cook over medium heat until pink, about 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in garlic.
Step
3
Divide shrimp among 8 ramekins, top with the remaining herbed butter from the skillet and chill until set, about 1 hour.
Step
4
Pour reserved clarified butter on top and chill until set, about 15 minutes, or up to 5 days (or freeze for up to 1 month). Remove ramekins from the refrigerator at least 20 minutes to 1 hour before serving with lemon wedges, Tabasco and hot toast.
Ratings
77
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Cooking Notes
Milagros
PS: I use tiger shrimp when available. I retain the shrimp shells and brown them lightly (2 min) in a stick of butter. Strain the butter in a sieve lined in cheesecloth. When the butter has cooled I then add few drops of cognac and ground allspice, ground clove and piment d' espelette.....
Mary
Great dish, fairly quick to produce which is well suited for entertaining. I might try it with pasta, it is so full of favor.
Milagros
I had a pinch of ground clove, ground allspice and piment d' espelette....few drops of cognac. Superb!
Sally N
Traditionally, potted shrimp are sold in British supermarkets in tiny tubs, and are also popular food in good pubs. Best enjoyed on very thinly sliced whole-wheat toast, with just a spritz of fresh lemon juice. In Britain the tiniest, most tender shrimp are used whole, but I’ve never seen them sold in the US. Looking forward to giving this recipe a go!
Donna
Butter may remain solid at room temperature unless warmed
Jean Norris
Loved this. Thanks Melissa. Made exactly as written, using shrimp recommended as 2nd most flavorful at Berkeley Bowl fish counter. (Made a broth wiith the shells that tasted great in miso soup later.) could have used a bit more spice at first, but flavor developed over a couple more days. Sweet batard was the perfect bread, dense cell structure, toasted evenly. Agree about needing more time to warm before serving.
Mary
Great dish, fairly quick to produce which is well suited for entertaining. I might try it with pasta, it is so full of favor.
BigGuy
Canned shrimp would work well.
KL
Remarkably bland, despite increasing the seasonings.
Milagros
PS: I use tiger shrimp when available. I retain the shrimp shells and brown them lightly (2 min) in a stick of butter. Strain the butter in a sieve lined in cheesecloth. When the butter has cooled I then add few drops of cognac and ground allspice, ground clove and piment d' espelette.....
Milagros
I had a pinch of ground clove, ground allspice and piment d' espelette....few drops of cognac. Superb!
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