Shrimp with Green Onion Basil Sauce
Submitted by autunos
Butter-seared shrimp served over a pool of emulsified green onion and basil butter sauce made with champagne vinegar and chicken stock. A refined, restaurant-quality plate ready in 30 minutes.
YIELD
24 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
10 minREADY
30 minThis is the dish that separates home cooks from home chefs. And it’s easier than it looks.
The sauce is essentially a beurre blanc: green onions and garlic get reduced down with champagne vinegar and chicken stock until almost dry, then pureed with fresh basil and emulsified with a slow stream of melted butter. The result is a thick, glossy, herb-flecked sauce with incredible depth.
Shrimp get a quick sear in butter, then arranged in a circle over a pool of that gorgeous green sauce. Garnish with a bouquet of basil sprigs in the center and you have a plate that could grace any fine-dining restaurant.
Chef Tips
- Reduce the liquid down to about a tablespoon before blending. The concentrated flavor is what gives the sauce its punch.
- Cool the melted butter to lukewarm before streaming it into the blender. Too hot and the emulsion will break.
- Pour the butter in a very slow, thin stream with the blender running. Rush this step and you’ll end up with a greasy, broken mess instead of a silky sauce.
- Sear the shrimp just 2 to 3 minutes total. These are large shrimp, and they need very little time. Overcooking them would waste this beautiful sauce.
Ingredients
Directions
For the Green Onion Basil Sauce, melt the butter and cool it to tepid.
Boil the green onions, garlic, vinegar and chicken stock in a heavy small saucepan until the liquid is reduce to 1 tablespoon.
Transfer it to a blender with the minced basil.
Process until the basil is almost pureed.
With the machine running, pour in the butter in a slow, thin stream, forming a thick, emulsified sauce.
Season with salt and pepper.
For the shrimp, melt the butter in a heavy large skillet over medium high heat.
Add the shrimp and cook until just pink and opaque, about 2 to 3 minutes total, turning halfway with tongs.
Season with salt and pepper.
To serve, ladle a pool of hot sauce in the center of 4 large plates.
Arrange the shrimp in a circle over the sauce with their tails meeting in the center.
Place the basil bouquets over tails in center.
Serve immediately.
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