Mix it up by making Shrimp Francese for dinner, an Italian-American classic comprised of lightly battered shrimp, a creamy white wine sauce, wilted spinach and lemon juice.
More favorite seafood recipes and shrimp recipes: Honey Walnut Shrimp, Crunchy Spicy Tuna Roll, Ahi Tuna Poke, Kani Salad, Lemon Garlic Shrimp, Coconut Shrimp, and Mexican Shrimp Cocktail.
Shrimp Franceses Recipe
Shrimp Francese is typically make with chicken or veal, but our version turns it into a pan fried shrimp dish instead. Serve this Italian seafood dish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and lemon slices take it over the top. Even a hit of lemon zest would be a welcome addition.
Shrimp Pasta
This Italian seafood dish prepared over pasta takes it to the next level. The lemon wine sauce served over angel hair pasta or linguini is the perfect pairing, with a glass of white wine, when you’re craving comfort food. One cup dry white wine for the recipe and one for you. We’re all for equal rights round these parts.
Ingredients
- Protein – Shrimp and eggs
- Spices – garlic powder, salt and pepper
- Produce – Fresh flat leaf parsley, fresh lemon juice, cherry tomatoes, spinach, garlic
- Liquid – Olive Oil (or vegetable oil), chicken broth, white wine
- Pantry Items – Flour, butter
How to Make Shrimp Francese
From start to finish, Shrimp Francese takes just 30 minutes. It’s remarkably easy for such a refined meal. Here’s a highlight of the main steps so you have a visual if you’re new to battering or butterflying shrimp.
First thing is to butterfly the shrimp. If you’re unsure how to butterfly a shrimp, check out this how-to video.
Prep two shallow bowls with the egg and flour mixture to dredge the shrimp in.
The rest of the recipe is pretty straight forward! Check out the recipe card below for full details!
Recipe Tips
- Since Shrimp Francese is based on featuring hot cooked shrimp, make sure to serve immediately after finishing the sauce.
- If you’re alcohol free, replace the white wine with more chicken broth. We use our Instant Pot Bone Broth when we’re out of wine.
- The sauce thickens slightly as it sits, so if you prefer thicker sauce, it’s something to keep in mind when serving.
What Wine Pairs With Shrimp
Sauvignon Blanc or Rosé
If you like this recipe, you’ll love our recipe for Boom Boom Shrimp.
Ingredients
- 20 Large Shrimp, Peeled and Deveined
- 4 Large Eggs
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tbsp Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley, Divided
- 1½ cups All-purpose Flour
- Olive Oil, For Frying
- 1-2 Garlic Cloves, Finely Minced
- ⅔ cups Low-sodium Chicken Broth
- ¾ cup Dry White Wine
- 1 Lemon, Juiced
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
- 10 oz Fresh Baby Spinach
- 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter, Cut Into Small Pieces
Instructions
PREPARE AND COOK THE SHRIMP:
- Butterfly the shrimp and pat dry.
- Whisk the egg with the salt, black pepper, garlic powder and 1 tbsp. parsley in a shallow bowl and set aside. Add the flour to a second shallow bowl and set aside.
- Add 1/8" of olive oil to a large skillet and pre-heat to medium-high heat. Working in small batches, roll the shrimp into the flour to coat. Shake off the excess flour. Using a fork, dip the flour coated shrimp into the egg mixture until coated. Let the excess egg drip off. Place the coated shrimp cut-side down in the hot skillet, turning and frying until lightly browned (approx. 3 minutes total). Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Repeat until all shrimp are fried.
COOK THE SAUCE:
- Remove any leftover oil from the skillet. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, approx. 30 seconds. Add the broth, wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Add the tomatoes and cook until the sauce is reduced slightly (approx. 4 minutes). Add the spinach and stir until wilted, approx. 1 minute.
- Push the tomatoes and spinach to one side of the skillet. Whisk in the butter 1 tbsp at a time until combined. Gently stir in the shrimp.
- Divide between plates, top with the remaining parsley and serve immediately.
Ann Kubicki
Saturday 4th of March 2023
It took a little longer than 30 minutes but was well worth it. Shrimp were delicious. the entire dish itself was a lovely, inviting presentation that was as good as it looked. Willndrfinitely make again. Used frozen chopped spinach, that was allI had. Make sure shrimp is from the USA.