SPICED POTTED SHRIMP

Spiced Potted Shrimp image

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.

Provided by Melissa Clark

Categories finger foods, appetizer

Time 20m

Yield 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

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Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks)
4 anchovy fillets, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme or lemon thyme, minced, more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon mace (or nutmeg)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne
Pinch celery seed
1 pound peeled shrimp, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 garlic clove, grated on a Microplane or minced
Lemon wedges, for serving
Tabasco, for serving
Hot toast, for serving

Steps:

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.
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.
Divide shrimp among 8 ramekins, top with the remaining herbed butter from the skillet and chill until set, about 1 hour.
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.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 350, UnsaturatedFat 11 grams, Carbohydrate 1 gram, Fat 35 grams, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 9 grams, SaturatedFat 22 grams, Sodium 399 milligrams, Sugar 0 grams, TransFat 1 gram