Singing Shrimp




The night my husband and I were engaged we dined at a French bistro. It was a memorable evening, of course, and the Singing Shrimp I sampled prior to the proposal will always be a special dish to me. In honor of our 17-year anniversary, I recreated the dish for home cooks.

Plump shrimp are marinated in white wine and minced garlic while sliced mushrooms, green onions and more garlic are sautéed in butter. The shrimp are sautéed at the end, and a simple yet luscious pan sauce is created by the addition of the reserved marinade and fresh lemon juice. Serve your Singing Shrimp over cooked white rice, and add a salad and crusty bread for a romantic meal.

  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed, divided
  • 1 pound medium-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 cup chopped green onions, divided
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • Cooked white rice
Pour wine into a zip-top plastic bag or bowl. Add 1 minced or pressed clove of garlic, shrimp and several grindings of black pepper. Seal bag or cover bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Drain shrimp, reserving marinade.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter. When the butter bubbles but is not browned, add mushrooms, half of the green onions and the rest of the garlic. Sauté until mushrooms are golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Heat remaining butter in the skillet. Add shrimp and remaining green onions and sauté 1 minute. Add reserved marinade, lemon juice and chopped parsley and simmer until shrimp are pink and liquid is slightly reduced. Season to taste with salt and additional freshly ground black pepper. Serve over cooked rice.

Makes 4 servings.