6 mins
+ waiting
Potted Shrimps
Recipe by Graham
Sounds complicated? Not at all ! This is probably the easiest seafood you will ever prepare. It looks and tastes wonderful and will impress your guests no end. Served with a little smoked salmon this simple dish makes a perfect starter when entertaining on a summer's evening.
Potted shrimps are a traditional Lancashire dish. It is traditionally eaten with bread, while the butter acts as a preservative. Potted shrimp was a favourite dish of Ian Fleming who passed on his predilection for the delicacy to his famous fictional creation James Bond. Fleming reputedly used to eat the dish at Scotts Restaurant on Mount Street in London where it is still served to this day.
Potatoes with Cheese and Bacon 
Chicken with Tarragon (Poulet à l'Estragon) Ingredients for Potted Shrimps
Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements
How to Cook Potted Shrimps
- If frozen, allow the shrimps to defrost, then blot dry on absorbent kitchen tissue. Place about two-thirds of the butter into a small pan and add all the spices and salt to taste. Add the shrimps and heat very gently for a few minutes (do not allow the butter to brown). Divide the mixture between four cocotte or ramekin dishes (small glazed dishes usually about 3½" in diameter by 1½" deep) and pack the prawns down tightly. Chill until set.
- Heat the remaining butter until it has just melted, then pour it evenly over the shrimp mixture so that it forms an airtight seal. Cover and keep in the refrigerator for at least a day to help develop the flavour. Garnish each dish with a slice or twist of lemon and serve with hot whole-wheat toast.
GRAHAM'S HOT TIP:
If you do not have small ramekin dishes, you can put the whole mixture into a larger glazed dish and serve it from the centre of the table. The taste is just as good!
Reviews of Potted Shrimps
 February 19 2015Potted shrimps belong to the world of Enid Blyton. However, this nostalgic classic deserves a place on modern dinner tables for no other reason than the brown shrimp (traditionally used for potted shrimp) is a relatively sustainable British choice with a high recoverability and low vulnerability to exploitation. It can be made days in advance, and makes an ideal dinner party starter (or light lunch on a summer's day.) The secret is to use lots of seasonings so the butter isn't bland. I usually spinkle a little ground nutmeg over the top just before serving. The balance in this recipe is about right, so well done for that! norfolklady (3 reviews) |
 December 31 2014This tasted very good as I was making it, but is a bit of an acquired taste since you are tasting the butter more than the shrimp/prawn. My husband liked it and simply spread it on some crusty bread! kaylawilliams (3 reviews) |
What To Eat Tonight
Just the two of you for dinner? We have lots of great recipes that are ideally suited so you can create something special for the two of you
Lamb is sometimes thought of as "tough" meat but, properly cooked, it is one of the finest meats for both everyday and when entertaining.
The main course is often the easiest to plan but, when entertaining, what do you use as a starter course? Here are some great choices.
Other Crustaceans Recipes
Garlic Prawns is one of those delicious recipes that is perfect as a starter if you are entertaining or as a light lunch for yourself and the family.
Crab and Prawn Hot Pots couldn't be simpler but they will never fail to impress. Equally at home as a starter, light lunch or just because ...
In Prawn Perfection the peppery flavour of the paper-thin slices turnip perfectly balances the sweetness of the king prawns and the red pepper sauce.
