The spoons are another story entirely. I’ve been drooling over these little one bite spoons for months while many of my favorite blogs use them often in their pictures. I even went so far as to pick them up at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. But, $10 for 4 spoons seems ridiculous, doesn’t it? I passed. Then, we were at a family party a few weekends ago with the entire family. And, they served beet salad in these little spoons. Loving my good luck, I immediately set about cajoling everyone to hand me their used spoons so I could stash them in my purse.
M and K are much better people than I. Therefore, the spoons never went farther than everyone’s mouths. By then, I already had this stuffed shrimp recipe in mind and I couldn’t think of a better vehicle to showcase them. And that is when this story takes a fortuitous turn. Mom likes to walk, and I like to be with Mom. The next weekend, we walked to Marshalls (about 2 miles) and there, on a shelf were four ceramic spoons…for $3.50. That same night, I finally made this recipe. It was well worth the wait, and so were the spoons.
Serves: 4
1 celery stalk
1 large shallot
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup lump crabmeat
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lemon juice, divided
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon dry white wine
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
12 jumbo shrimp (peeled and deveined)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons of butter (1/2 stick)
Finely chop celery and shallot. By hand, combine celery, shallot, panko, crabmeat, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon white wine, and Old Bay Seasoning. Roll into twelve small balls onto a greased cookie sheet. Set aside. Butterfly the shrimp from the underside and lightly place one over each ball. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the shrimp about 12-15 minutes, until the shrimp are pink and firm. Meanwhile, make the beurre blanc. In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar and remaining wine to a simmer over low heat. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until reduced by half (2-3 minutes). Remove the pan from heat and immediately whisk in 1 tablespoon of butter until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining butter, one tablespoon at a time. Stir in the remaining lemon juice. To serve, place a buddle of sauce on plates or shallow bowls. Arrange three shrimp in the sauce with the tails toward the center.
*I liberally adapted this recipe for a number of reasons. The first is that just because it’s Valentine’s Day, doesn’t mean we need to stop watching what we eat. Rachael calls for 2 sticks of butter for 4 servings with 16 shrimp! Which is way beyond my diet. Also, I don’t believe that 4 shrimp is dinner. These should be served as a light dinner/fancy appetizer. I served a light chicken and lots of vegetables after we started our night with these.
Until the next time my oven is on…