Grilled Shrimp with Vanilla Beurre Blanc
This Grilled Shrimp with Vanilla Beurre Blanc is kind of like a culinary school lesson, with a more modern twist. Beurre blanc is a classic French sauce (translated as “white butter”) that is similar to a hollandaise in theory, but without any eggs.
Don’t let the French name intimidate you: beurre blanc is simply an emulsion of butter + a vinegar and/or wine reduction. It sounds fancy, but just like my coconut risotto and salmon stuffed with crab, it’s a restaurant-quality recipe that is actually pretty quick and easy to make.
Now, for the modern twist. I’m kind of loving the delicate combination of seafood and vanilla lately. I had a restaurant dish of halibut with a light vanilla sauce awhile back, and I’ve been thinking about that plate of food ever since!
Vanilla isn’t just relegated to vanilla bean creme brulee and cardamom tea lattes in my kitchen – it comes out to play in savory food, too. Just a small spoonful of Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste added to this beurre blanc gives a modern twist to this very classic French sauce.
Madagascar Bourbon vanilla has a sweet, creamy flavor and is an excellent “all-purpose” vanilla, perfect for any sweet or savory recipe. I love it in my frozen yogurt pie.
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The vanilla beurre blanc would pair wonderfully with almost any type of seafood – including fish like my best Chilean sea bass recipe, lobster or shrimp – or even grilled asparagus.
Serve this Grilled Shrimp with Vanilla Beurre Blanc as an appetizer or light entree at your next summer barbecue!
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Grilled Shrimp with Vanilla Beurre Blanc
Ingredients
- 1 pound 16/20 size peeled and deveined shrimp
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 1 small shallot minced
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 6 ounces unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons 1 1/2 sticks
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste
- Pinch of kosher salt and ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives optional
Instructions
- Preheat grill for direct grilling over medium heat. Season shrimp with salt and ground black pepper. Transfer shrimp to grill and cook 6 to 8 minutes or until internal temperature of shrimp reaches 145 degrees F, turning once. Transfer shrimp to plate and cover to keep warm.
- In small skillet, heat shallot, wine, vinegar and peppercorns to simmering over medium-high heat. Cook 3 to 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced to about 1-1/2 tablespoons, swirling pan occasionally. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer; discard solids.
- Transfer liquid back to skillet and return to stove over low (lowest possible!) heat. While whisking constantly, add butter 2 tablespoons at a time, allowing each addition to melt before adding more butter. When all butter is fully incorporated and emulsified, whisk in lemon juice, vanilla bean paste, and one pinch each of salt and ground white pepper.
- Serve Grilled Shrimp drizzled with Vanilla Beurre Blanc and sprinkled with chives, if desired.
Notes
Disclosure: This was a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Nielsen-Massey. Sponsored posts help me pay for the costs associated with this blog (groceries…lots of groceries), and help support me as I pursue a career in recipe development and food photography. All opinions are 100% my own.
Hi!
Is it possible to leave out or substitute the wine? The hubbs birthday is in a couple of days, seems like a great idea as he loves shrimp.
Hi Fadia. Great question! You need to use the same amount of liquid, so instead of 1/4 cup white wine, I would suggest 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar + 3 tablespoons water. Hope that helps!
I have not been finding good shrimp for a while. I don’t eat farmed, Atlantic or Indonesian, and the last I had fresh from the gulf were tasteless. I am in AZ, so frozen is often an only choice. Do you know of any you would recommend? Love your recipes.
Hi Sharon! Unfortunately, I’m in Michigan, so great shrimp is hard to come by here as well. Frozen is often my only choice, so I just try to make the best of it!
Made this tonight with Rockfish filet sauteed with salt & pepper. It is reminiscent of a dish I had in Durango many years ago, which I have been unable to find a recipe for. Didn’t have vanilla paste, so used pure vanilla extract. What would you consider a proper amount of extract to replace the paste? I found it slightly more acidic than I prefer, so I will likely reduce the vinegar a tad next time I make it. Thank you for a lovely recipe that I will use frequently, as I love seafood.
Hi Sharon – vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract is a 1:1 conversion. So glad you liked this recipe, and love the rockfish idea!
I made this on NYE (at my beach holiday in Australia) as part of an 8 course degustation and it was the stand out dish! It rocked my foodie world! Love, love, loved it! Thanks for sharing!
What a fun way to celebrate NYE! I’m so glad this was a hit for you, Zinta!
Whoaaaaaa I love this dish! That shrimp…and the sauce…looks so perfect and beautiful!
Thank you so much, Linda. I really appreciate it!
The vanilla sauce is very interesting. We make quite a bit of seafood at home, I’ll have to try this flavor idea!
Love seafood! I hope you get a chance to try this one, Mary 🙂
Ok, now all I want to do is steam a lobster and dunk it in vanilla beurre blanc. That sounds amazing!!
I say you go for it, and invite me over!
Ooh, Lori! What a wonderful idea! My husband doesn’t like shrimp but I could see doing this with cod or salmon. Add asparagus and sweet potatoes and what a meal! (way to many exclamation points here!) Seems like the sauce would be nice with a lot of things – on veggies with mild flavor. This one has definitely gotten my imagination going.
Yes yes yes! I think that restaurant meal I had where there was a vanilla sauce + fish, it was halibut, or maybe cod. It came with asparagus, spring peas, and a few potatoes. This sauce will definitely pair with any fish or veggie with a mild flavor. I hope you get a chance to try this one, Susan.
Oh my! This looks great.. Such a classic dish.
Beautifully photographed as well. Love those bowls! 🙂
Thank you so much, Ice! The bowls are from MM Clay: http://www.mmclay.com/