Name: Lowcountry Shrimp Butter
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 11 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 1-tablespoon pieces and softened, divided; 1 pound extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled, deveined, and tails removed; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1 tablespoon minced shallot; 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives; 1 teaspoon table salt; ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper; ½ teaspoon dry sherry

Why This Recipe Works

For a flavorful spread that showcases shrimp, we sautéed the shrimp in butter until just done to keep them tender and flavorful. Incorporating the still-warm shrimp into the butter helped emulsify the mixture, and pulsing exactly 25 times created a spread that was neither too smooth nor too coarse. Finally, stirring in the shallot and chives at the end prevented them from breaking down and bruising. We chilled the mixture for 15 minutes to help it set for a firm but spreadable texture.

Before You Begin

Use untreated shrimp—those without added sodium or preservatives such as sodium tripolyphosphate—here. You can substitute any size shrimp except popcorn shrimp; just be sure you have about 12 ounces of shrimp after peeling, deveining, and removing the tails. You can omit the sherry, if desired. Serve with sesame wafers, crackers, or buttered toast.

Instructions

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp and cook, stirring often, until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer shrimp to plate and let cool for 5 minutes.

Pulse remaining 10 tablespoons butter in food processor until smooth and creamy, about 5 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add shrimp and pulse until mostly smooth with some visible pieces of shrimp remaining, about 25 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl halfway through pulsing.

Transfer mixture to bowl and stir in lemon juice, shallot, chives, salt, cayenne, and sherry. Refrigerate shrimp butter until firm yet spreadable, about 15 minutes. Serve. (Shrimp butter can be refrigerated for up to 2 days; let sit at room temperature to soften slightly before serving.)