Cast-Iron Shrimp Recipe

Sinkology is proud to present Emily Schuermann, our food-loving guest blogger who runs Food for a Year. Emily is here to share some recipes she has created exclusively for the Sinkology blog that reflect her view of a copper sink: simple, timeless, affordable and beautifully rustic.

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I recently traveled to Sonoma County as a “tag along” to my husband’s business trip — hey, now that I think about it, it was a work trip for me too! I had a list of to-do’s ((more like “to-eat’s”)) stretching from downtown San Francisco, through Sausilto, all the way up to Yountville, some zig zags between Petaluma & Napa and then all the way back through Berkeley to Chinatown. It was a tough job – well, tough isn’t exactly the right word … more like a pants-tighteningly tasty job! ((The hard part is getting rid of those last few “souvenirs” if you know what I mean, ho hum.))

With all the delicious food I enjoyed, it is hard to pick a favorite – but a little restaurant in Petaluma definitely got my attention when I tasted a simple “shrimp for two” appetizer. The shrimp was swimming in a white wine, garlic butter sauce, cooked to perfection, topped with melted sharp cheese and crisp herbed bread crumbs. I had to restrain myself from licking the plate, it was so good!

Although I didn’t come home with the recipe, I did return with the inspiration to recreate this flavor-packed, fancy “Wine Country” treat in my very own Okie kitchen. I have to say, trying to pull-off “trained chef-like” cooking without a recipe is a little scary. But because I won’t be heading back to Wine Country anytime soon, I decided to see if I could crack the code.

Since I am sharing the recipe, you must have figured out that my recipe experimentations were a success. Yes, besides the fact that the first bite flashed me right back to the West Coast ((which was my goal!!)), this shrimp was actually super easy to make. I went from chopping, to cooking, to broiling, to eating in under 12 minutes. Delicious & easy = the perfect recipe for Sinkology!

Start off by melting your butter in a small cast-iron skillet ((of course any heavy, oven-proof skillet will work nicely)) with the shallots & garlic. Give the butter a chance to turn golden before adding the Pinot Grigio. Once the liquid has reduced by half, it’s time to add the shrimp.

Adding the shrimp brings us to what may seem like the trickiest part of this recipe – but no need to panic! The shrimp will let you know when it’s cooked to perfection by changing from gray to pink & losing it’s almost translucent appearance. Fat this point in the recipe, we want to leave the shrimp a touch underdone. So, once the skillet-side of the shrimp turns pink, flip them over and turn off the flame. The shrimp will finish cooking while under the broiler.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the shrimp, top with the seasoned bread crumb mixture & a pat of butter.

Broil on high until the cheese melts and the bread crumbs turn medium golden brown & crisp. Isn’t that easy?! And, really, even if you overcook the shrimp on your first try, they aren’t inedible — just a bit chewy. Just don’t undercook them! Once you cook shrimp a few times you will become an expert, perfectly trained to spot the exact moment the shrimp are done.

My favorite part about this dish is how the bread crumbs & melted cheese combine with the garlic-butter, white wine sauce. It’s so very rich, slightly thickened, a little salty and packed with deep flavors of garlic & white wine. This shrimp would cost big bucks at a fancy restaurant ((trust me — I know!)). Instead, you can make this “souvenir recipe” in the comfort of your own kitchen & spend less than $10. Simple, rustic, affordable & amazingly delicious — this recipe is certain to become a fast favorite!