Our son Robbie’s favorite dinner meal is Shrimp Diane.   I make it for him almost every time he is home.  He came home this past weekend and I prepared the dish but he was not able to join us…so I will post the modified recipe and he will have a chance to make it himself. The origingal recipe comes from the Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen cookbook (c 1984).  It is the book Dave bought me for our first wedding anniversary (paper anniversary!) – and I still use it 33 years later.

The dish is spicy but comforting and was perfect for a cool late spring evening.  We most commonly serve it with a short grain white rice that I make just like sticky sushi rice.  Pasta is also very good with this dish. I like long pasta, like spaghetti or angel hair.  This past weekend we cooked a thicker almost tubular spaghetti that had a lot of texture.  It was a little heavier, but delicious!

large 15/18/lb shrimp, peeled and cleaned with baby bella mushrooms

The sauce is made with chicken broth or a richer version that you make with the shrimp tails and chicken broth.  Either is fine and the shrimp stock only takes about 10 extra minutes.  I opted for the quicker version with just plain stock in this batch.

Spices ready to be added to the saute pan

Finely chopped green onion – and parsley for garnish at the end.

Cleaned and sliced mushrooms

I modified the original recipe to reduce the fat and to have enough for 4 or 5 servings.  The original recipe called for 1 1/2 sticks of butter for 2 servings (a bit excessive!)  I also modified a few of the spices.  I think 1/2 tsp of red cayenne pepper is enough for four easily.  If you like it hot, you can add an additional 1/4 tsp or so.  Vidalia onions or leeks can be substituted for the green onion.  I often add some chives at the end with the parsley to give a nice green color garnish and extra flavor.

mushrooms and onions saute first – until mushrooms release their liquid. They will then begin to brown nicely.

A little action shot of Dave stirring the flour into the mushrooms before adding shrimp and stock.

Pasta added directly to the pan to finish cooking and marry the flavor. I added some pasta water as well since the pasta was so thick and absorbed the stock very quickly.

I like the dish to have a healthy amount of sauce that is really good with crusty bread to finish off what remains in your bowl.  Be prepared to add more stock – or pasta water if you have it to alter the consistency and volume of the sauce.

Here’s what the dish looks like with rice (and a flash on the camera!)

Shrimp Diane

Serves 3-4 healthy portions

Total time including prep and cooking 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails on
• 3/4 to 1 1/2 cups chicken broth or shrimp stock
• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 lb mushrooms, cut into 1/4″ thick slices
• 2 Tbs flour
• 4 Tbs finely chopped parsley

1 1/2 cups white short grain rice cooked as directed, or 10-12 ounces of pasta of your choice, cooked as directed.

Instructions

Rinse shrimp and remove tails.  Tails can be added to chicken broth in a small saucepan.  Heat together for about 10 minutes to make a richer broth. This step can easily be skipped as the chicken broth will be sufficient – it just adds flavor!  Place shrimp in refrigerator until needed.

In a large skillet, melt 6 Tbs. of butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.  When almost melted, add green onions.  Saute until the mushrooms begin to give off their liquid.  Add salt, garlic, ground peppers, basil, thyme and oregano; stir well.  Next, add flour to coat and stir to incorporate the flour.  Add shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes, flipping shrimp as they begin to turn pink.

When shrimp begin to turn pink, add a little broth at a time and let it come to a boil.  The shrimp will cook in 3-5 minutes.  Continue to add until all broth is added and a nice sauce remains.  Add the last 2 Tbs of butter and shake the pan.  It will melt and form a creamier sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with sticky rice or pasta of choice.

Notes

Original recipe has been modified from Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisianna Kitchen Cookbook (copyright 1984)