Sauteed shrimp and artichokes is the recipe for someone who needs something simple, fast and delicious at short notice.
The drill goes as follows: While the butter is melting, dice the bell pepper and garlic, add to butter, then peel shrimp and add to your saute which is now smelling really good. (And if you want to make it really fast use pre-peeled frozen shrimp and bottled artichokes.)
If you’re serving it as an appetizer you may want to leave the tails on the shrimp – makes them easier to eat with your fingers, but tail or no tail – it’s your call. When the shrimp starts to get a little sunburned you throw in the artichokes and remaining seasonings, cover the pan for five, and you’re done. Don’t forget to toast some french bread to soak up the sauce. The bell pepper and paprika turn that sauce a beautiful clear rose color which you will fleetingly admire as you gobble it all up and attempt to keep it from running down your elbow.
Mix it with some pasta and cheese and it’s a main course.
Goes well with a crisp white or a dry martini.
- ½ cup butter (1 stick)
- 1 small clove garlic, diced fine
- ½ cup diced red bell pepper
- 1 cup artichoke hearts, quartered
- 1 lb. large shrimp (peeled & deveined)
- Coarse ground black pepper to taste
- Juice from ½ of a medium lemon
- ½ tsp. paprika
- parsley (curly or flat leafed)
- Melt the butter over a low heat in a wide saute pan.
- Add diced red bell pepper and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the shrimp and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until done.
- Add the artichoke hearts, black pepper, lemon juice, and paprika.
- Cut the heat and cover the pan for a few minutes to let the flavors mingle.
- Give the pan a little shake, uncover, garnish with parsley, and serve.
Some grocery stores sell canned artichoke hearts and some come in glass jars. My experience with the canned version is that they all taste like metal. The ones in the glass jars taste good enough but are harder to find.
If you are using fresh artichokes you'll need to follow the usual procedure of steaming them, then cutting them down to the heart then quartering them before adding to the pan.