Aida Mollenkamp’s Shrimp Simmered in Garlicky Beer Sauce
Does the thought of noshing on handful after handful of honey-mustard pretzels chased with a frosty beer sound like bliss?
Then, you’re sure to go wild for this dish from Food Network host Aida Mollenkamp that boasts all of those favorite bar-food flavors.
“Shrimp Simmered in Garlicky Beer Sauce” is from her cookbook, “Keys to the Kitchen” (Chronicle Books), of which I received a review copy. The host of “Ask Aida,” who studied at Le Cordon Bleu Paris, has created a reference book to put you at ease in the kitchen. The book includes 305 recipes for straightforward dishes that will take you through morning, noon and night. Also included are primers on various cuts of protein, cooking equipment, spices to keep on hand, and illustrations on how to expertly cut up a chicken and fillet a whole fish.
This shrimp dish is simple enough to make on a weeknight as it cooks up in less than half an hour. Large shrimp are simmered in butter, loads of garlic, a pinch of cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, a drizzle of honey and some lager beer. Mollenkamp calls for light lager, but I just used regular lager.
The plump shrimp get coated in a creamy, buttery sauce that is a lot garlicky, a little sweet and a tad spicy. The beer, honey and mustard distinguish it from being just a riff on scampi by adding sharpness tempered by sweetness and maltiness.
Serve it over potatoes, pasta, rice or other grains. The recipe says it serves 4 to 6. But if you’re making it as a main course, it probably serves more like two. After all, just like pretzels and beer, it’s a good bet you’ll end up eating more than you planned just because they’re too darned delicious to resist.
Shrimp Simmered in Garlicky Beer Sauce
(Serves 2 to 4)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup light lager beer (or regular lager beer)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When it foams, add the shrimp and cook until pink on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a large bowl.
Return the pan to the stove, add the 1 tablespoon of remaining butter, chopped garlic, and cayenne pepper. Cook until fragrant then stir in the beer. Worcestershire sauce, honey, mustard, and lemon juice and simmer until sauce thinly coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes.
Return the shrimp to the sauce and simmer until shrimp are just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season as desired, stir in parsley, and serve.
Adapted from “Keys to the Kitchen” by Aida Mollenkamp
More Recipes with Beer: Guinness Brownies
And: Beef-Ale Stew and Green Onion-Buttermilk Dumplings
And: Boiled Crab in Beer
Plus More Shrimp Recipes: Malaysian-Style Stir-Fried Turmeric Shrimp
And: Thyme Roasted Shrimp
That is such a wonderful flavor combination! I love beer in food.
Cheers,
Rosa
Thanks for reviewing Keys To The Kitchen! And, yes, I totally agree that this recipe serves 4 to 6 as an app but definitely only serves 2 to 4 as a main! Best Aida
I never heard of this woman before but what a tasty recipe: so unusual too! 🙂 A must make!
Great book concept. Can’t wait to try this recipe out!
Wow this recipe sounds great! Beer adds a great flavour to certain dishes, especially shrimp!
Goodness me, you made the shrimp sound so divine, I started drooling! I’ll take a giant serve please! 😀
Mmm, this looks so good! Rarely do I ever get to cook with beer, so this will be something fun to try… thanks! 🙂
Garlic + Beer = win! I have only cooked duck in beer sauce but have never tried to cook shrimp with it. I can almost imagine how delicious it can be when you combine seafood with garlicky beer sauce. Great stuff!
I make a similar sounding dish but without the honey and beer…can’t wait to try this recipe.
This is such a nice recipe! Something in between a shrimp boil and New Orleans barbecued shrimp. Looks wonderful – thanks for this.
This recipe is speaking – yelling – at me!!! I could eat this at least once a week! Thanks so much for sharing this one with us. I’m going to have to make this very soon.
sounds like a useful cookbook! i like the idea of slices of garlic in the broth.