Description
Make these quick and flavorful garlic butter shrimp bites served on toasted French bread slices for an elegant Valentine’s Day appetizer.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 ounces large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 thick slices French bread
- 6 tablespoons clarified butter, melted, divided
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Butterfly the shrimp and place them in a mixing bowl. Add cayenne, paprika, and garlic. Stir until the shrimp are evenly coated. Refrigerate until needed.
- Trim most of the crusts off of the bread slices.
- Add 4 tablespoons melted butter to a skillet over medium heat. Add both slices of bread and toast until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove the bread to a plate and wipe out any crumbs.
- Add the remaining melted butter to the skillet and increase the heat to high. When the pan is very hot and you see the first wisp of smoke, add the shrimp and use tongs to spread them into an even layer. Sear, without stirring or tossing, for 1 minute.
- Sprinkle with lemon zest and add lemon juice and cream. Stir with a spoon to scrape any browned bits off the bottom. Let the cream boil and reduce for 1 ½ to 2 minutes as the shrimp finishes cooking and the sauce thickens.
- Turn off the heat and stir in parsley. Taste and add salt if needed.
- Divide the shrimp and sauce evenly over each piece of toasted bread.
Notes
- Use raw shrimp; cooked shrimp will not work in this recipe.
- If you substitute small or medium shrimp, you do not need to butterfly them.
- You can substitute scallops, lobster, or crawfish for shrimp.
- Make sure your French bread slices are 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick.
- If the shrimp finish cooking before the sauce thickens, remove them to a bowl, cover them, and finish the sauce. Add the shrimp back with the parsley in the final step.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 2
- Sodium: 300
- Fat: 25
- Saturated Fat: 14
- Unsaturated Fat: 11
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 15
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 18
- Cholesterol: 180
Keywords: garlic butter shrimp bites, Valentine appetizers, party food, finger foods, seafood appetizer, quick shrimp recipe, romantic appetizer, toast bites