Sizzling Butter Shrimp

| 11 Comments

I made a big order from US Wellness a couple of weeks ago which consisted of a whole bunch of chicken parts like drumsticks, feet, and gizzards, plus some bone marrow bones. I was a little confused when I opened the box and saw a huge bag of shrimp on top. I thought, “Oh my god, they’ve sent the wrong order! But, wait, all my chicken parts are in here and my bones…” Julian pulled out the packing slip and read,

“Merry Christmas to Peggy and family.”

What a thoughtful gift. Thank you US Wellness!

So, with about half of the shrimp (the other half is still in the freezer) I made a version of a dish I used to enjoy at a Spanish tapas restaurant called Cascal’s in Mountain View, California. Their dish is called Sizzling Shrimp. It is one of my favorites probably because it is so oily. I love oil.

But the thing that always bugged me about the dish was that it was made with EVOO and it is truly sizzling all the way from the kitchen to the table. I mean, similar recipes recommend heating the oil on high until almost smoking. Not a great way to eat your olive oil (not to mention the fact that I’m mildly allergic to olives).

So, at home I’ve made a similar dish with butter (no longer a problem for me in case you’ve been paying attention. Actually it was the amount of cooked meat I was eating that was giving me problems digesting dairy fat. I quit eating cooked meat some months ago and dairy fat has ceased to be a problem).

So, with no further ado…

Sizzling Butter Shrimp

12 large shrimp, peeled
2 tbsp ghee
1 large garlic clove, sliced not minced!
1 dried chile de árbol or 1 tsp plain old red pepper flakes if that’s all you’ve got.
sea salt to taste

1. Rinse and dry the shrimp, and leave them out so their not too cold when you throw them in the oil.

2. Combine the butter, garlic, and peppers in an iron skillet. Gradually raise the temp to medium or medium-high. Keep the butter hot until the garlic sizzles and turns golden, 2 to 3 minutes, flipping them once.

3. Add shrimp and cook until firm, 2 to 4 minutes, depending on size.

4. Transfer to a flat bottom bowl, with all the oil, and sprinkle with salt.

5. Enjoy.

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11 Comments

  1. This looks so good. I always call in my order to U.S. Wellness and always try to tell them that I got hooked on Pemmican because of you, Peggy! Thank you!

  2. That sounds yummy. I’m gonna have to make that soon.

  3. Peggy, love your stuff. In this case I love US Wellness, Shrimp, and your stuff. I’d like to invite your Blog to be a part of an exciting new portal about to be introduced, http://www.itsPALEO.com and its companion site, http://www.APaleoRecipeADay.com.

    For example: http://itspaleo.com/recipe/free-recipe/prawns/sizzling-butter-shrimp/529/index.html Looks yummy, links back to you.

    I’d like to feature your Blog’s content on a regular basis as well. Interested? Please email if so. Happy New Year!

  4. I just got some shrimp and was wondering what I was going to do with it. Thanks!

  5. I made this tonight, and it was delicious! The red pepper flakes were a welcome change to the parsley I usually use for shrimp scampi.

  6. Yum yum yum, I’m defrosting some shrimp for tomorrow! The simplest recipes are always the best aren’t they? I mean it doesn’t get simpler than butter, hot pepper and shrimp. But the taste, scrumptious.

    That’s very thoughtful and kind of US Wellness to treat you to an xmas gift of shrimp :)

  7. I love that this is so simple but yet so delicious. I have a buttload of shrimp in the freezer that are just crying out for the sizzling butter treatment.

    I recently just switched to ghee for frying – is this better than ordinary butter? I can tolerate dairy pretty well so that’s not an issue. just wondering if ghee is nutritionally the better choice?

    P.S Love the blog, thanks!

  8. Sounds delish!

    Just wondering about your definition of “cooked meat”? You obviously eat cooked shrimp… So do you mean that you just don’t eat cooked red meat? Im trying to work out the best diet for myself at the moment. I’ve been primal for a while (which has really improved my energy levels) and i am starting the GAPS intro and want to have something else to try next if GAPS fails (problem:acne) and I was thinking of cutting back on cooked meat but am figuring out where I’d start.

    • Sophie, my diet has changed quite a bit over the years. There have been times when I didn’t eat cooked meat at all. And there are times when I do. There are also times when I eat half and half. It just depends on my cravings and what I’m dealing with. Congratulations going Primal. I’m glad to hear your energy levels have improved. That’s huge!

  9. Yummy, aren’t thy?

    We do prawns (what Ozzies call shrimp) on the BBQ like this. I picked up some cast iron platters with boards under them at the op (thrift) shop for $1 each. I do my partners prawns the way you’ve described here, with the garlic and chilli from our garden. But I cannot eat anything from the chilli family, or garlic (they REALLY cause me extreme pain) so for mine I put fennel seeds in when the butter just starts to bubble, then add the prawns and sprinkle with herbs – it might bed ill on week, mixed the next, sage the next – just depends on my state of mind.

    It’s our regular Friday Fast – easy and quick and absolutely delicious!

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