Shrimp in Cream Sauce

A main dish of juicy shrimp coated in a buttery, creamy sauce gives dinner a classy feel, even before you set the table with sparkling stemware and candles. For black-tie elegance, this shrimp in cream sauce recipe oven-bakes butterflied shrimp in a bubbly sauce until tender.

The extra time you take to butterfly the shrimp and arrange them in the baking dish affects more than the presentation. Butterflied shrimp cook more evenly and for less time than they would whole. Each flared-open shrimp has a larger, thinner surface and will allow more sauce in every bite. It’s also a sneaky way to make every serving look as if it contains twice as many shrimp.

You might save such a rich sauce for special occasions, but you don’t have to wait for the weekend or a holiday. Grab some kitchen staples and bake these shrimp for a quick, saucy 30-minute dinner recipe any night. For restaurant-worthy plating, buy shell-on shrimp and leave the tails in place when you peel and butterfly them.

Shrimp in Cream Sauce Ingredients

TASTE OF HOME

• Butter and flour: The roux formed by mixing flour into bubbling butter thickens the sauce. Stir the flour until completely blended with the butter to avoid a raw, floury taste.
• Chicken broth: Use broth instead of water for a more flavorful foundation. Whisk the broth into the roux a little at a time so that the liquid thickens evenly without clumps of flour.
• Garlic: This recipe infuses a strong garlic flavor into the creamy sauce with shrimp, yet the garlic itself mellows as it bakes. Mince garlic into uniform pieces with a sharp knife, or grate it with a ribbon grater.
• Heavy whipping cream: Heavy cream withstands oven temperatures better than lighter cream or half-and-half, which could curdle when baked too long. The broth-thickened roux cuts some of the heavy cream’s richness.
• Fresh parsley: This recipe uses a lot of fresh parsley for flavor and color. Store parsley as a florist stores cut flowers (in a jar with the stems in water) to keep it fresh.
• Seasonings: Paprika, salt and pepper are the only seasonings for this dish. Paprika adds a red hue and mild spiciness, so use it liberally. Use freshly ground black pepper; it has more complex flavors than preground. Taste the dish before you add salt, especially if you used salted butter.
• Raw shrimp: Choose uncooked shrimp whenever you’re baking them in a sauce. Large shrimp (25 to 30 per pound) are easier to butterfly than smaller ones and are less likely to overcook and toughen in the oven.
• Noodles or rice: Almost any cooked noodles, from long pasta like fettuccine or egg noodles to shorter shapes like farfalle, will soak up the rich and creamy shrimp sauce. When deciding how much pasta to cook, aim for about 2 ounces of dry noodles per person. If you serve creamy sauce with shrimp over rice instead, measure at least 1/4 cup of dry rice per person.

Directions

Step 1: Make the sauce base

Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, and then stir in the flour until the roux is smooth. Gradually whisk in the broth and garlic.

Step 2: Add the cream

Bring the broth to a boil, then cook and stir until it has thickened, about two minutes. Remove the broth from the heat. Stir in the heavy cream, fresh parsley, paprika, salt and pepper.

Step 3: Butterfly the shrimp

Butterfly the shrimp by cutting them almost in half lengthwise, leaving the flesh attached on the opposite side. Spread them open until they butterfly. Place the cut side down in a greased 13×9-inch baking dish.

Editor’s Tip: To butterfly the shrimp, hold a paring knife in one hand and the peeled shrimp in the other, with the curved back facing you. Slit the shrimp from the tail end toward the head, cutting shallowly so that the halves stay connected on the opposite side.

Step 4: Bake and serve

Pour the cream sauce over the shrimp. Bake, uncovered, until the shrimp turn pink, 15 to 18 minutes. Serve the shrimp in the cream sauce with noodles or rice.

TASTE OF HOME

Shrimp in Cream Sauce Variations

• Make it gluten-free: For a silky gluten-free roux, use sweet rice flour, whisking and cooking it into the butter for about five minutes to remove its raw taste. Some gluten-free flour blends also work, but avoid ones with a gum binder or nut flours; these won’t thicken the sauce as effectively. Serve the creamy sauce with shrimp over rice, gluten-free pasta or zucchini noodles.
• Use homemade stock: Replace the chicken broth with light, affordable homemade vegetable broth. Even better, add the shells you collect when cleaning shell-on shrimp and make shrimp stock. Either choice converts this to a pescatarian recipe.
• Enhance the sauce: Warm the broth and let dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes rehydrate until soft, about 30 minutes; stir the infused broth into the roux and dice the tomatoes to add with the cream. Stir in a handful or two of chopped spinach just before baking. For a spicier sauce, replace the paprika with Creole seasoning mix.
• Add a garnish: Sprinkle a little grated Parmesan or Romano cheese over the finished dish when serving, or add it in the last five minutes of baking time to create a crunchy, golden garnish. Other potential garnishes for each serving include thinly sliced basil, lemon zest and hot chili flakes.

How to Store Shrimp in Cream Sauce

Store shrimp in cream sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It’s easy to overcook the shrimp and cause the sauce to separate while reheating; to keep it pretty and the shrimp tender, make the dish from scratch each time and avoid leftovers.

How long does shrimp in cream sauce last?

Shrimp in cream sauce lasts for up to four days. Keep it tightly sealed in its refrigerated container to avoid picking up other flavors. Find a space for it at the back of the fridge, where the temperature stays more constant, rather than near the frequently opened door.

How do you reheat shrimp in cream sauce?

Reheat shrimp in cream sauce on the stovetop; in the oven or a microwave, it’s more challenging to monitor and easy to overheat the shellfish. Pour off most of the creamy shrimp sauce into a skillet first and warm it over medium-low heat, whisking to keep its consistency. When it starts to steam, add the shrimp and a splash of additional cream if the sauce is too thick. Heat the shrimp just until warmed through.

Shrimp in Cream Sauce Tips

What’s the best way to clean and devein shrimp?

To clean and butterfly shrimp like a pro, thaw uncooked, shell-on shrimp. Clean the shrimp by twisting off the head, if it is still in place, and peeling off the body shell without removing the tail. Hold onto the tail shell as you gently pull away the body shell. Slit open the back to butterfly the shrimp, and the dark vein will be immediately visible and easy to pluck out. Then spread each shrimp open like a book until it lies flat, still attached at the “spine” and tail. It also works if you remove the tail shell; flare open the shrimp gently so you don’t accidentally separate the halves.

What can you serve with shrimp in cream sauce?

Pair a rich dish like shrimp in cream sauce with lighter sides. Toss baby greens with homemade balsamic vinaigrette, and then cook artichokes for a second upscale dish. Choose a seasonal side instead, like spring pea and radish salad or warm tasty greens with garlic, when serving creamy sauce with shrimp. The layers of burrata Caprese salad offer a presentation similar to the pan of butterflied shrimp. Stretch the display to dessert with German plum cake or a pear tart.