Lemony Shrimp and Bean Stew

Lemony Shrimp and Bean Stew
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(14,331)
Notes
Read community notes

With minimal prep and a quick cook time, this shrimp stew feels elegant for such an easy weeknight meal. You can also take the dish in a number of directions: Substitute the shrimp with an equal amount of flaky white fish or even seared scallops, or stretch the dish into a meal for six by stirring in some butter and serving over cooked spaghetti or rigatoni. A good glug of your best olive oil would also be a welcome.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1teaspoon fresh lemon zest and 2 tablespoons juice
  • 1teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
  • 2garlic cloves, grated
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1pound peeled, deveined large shrimp (tails removed)
  • 4tablespoons unsalted butter (½ stick)
  • 2large leeks, trimmed, then halved lengthwise, white and light green parts sliced crosswise ½-inch thick (or 1 large onion, minced)
  • 1(15-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed
  • 2cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
  • 2tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
  • Toasted bread, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

445 calories; 15 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 44 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 36 grams protein; 1000 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine lemon zest, paprika, garlic, ¾ teaspoon salt and ¾ teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat.

  2. Step 2

    In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. When butter is foaming, add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink and starting to curl, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to a plate; set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Add leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium until leeks are soft and starting to brown on the edges, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans and chicken broth and bring to a boil over high. Lower heat and simmer, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in reserved shrimp and any juices from the plate, parsley and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Serve with toasted bread.

Ratings

5 out of 5
14,331 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

@Cassie: Shrimp will turn rubbery and flavorless if cooked ahead and reheated...not good. To make ahead: Make marinade but DO NOT add the shrimp. Make the leek & bean stew. Both can be done ahead and held in the refrigerator (cooled & covered) without deteriorating. Just before serving, reheat the stew, marinate the shrimp, saute the shrimp in butter just until they turn pink and then add them to the stew. The shrimp will be tender and the stew will be perfect.

Make a quick shrimp stock with shrimp shells to use in place of chicken stock: 1TBS veg oil warmed in pan, add shells and sauté for 3 min. Add 1/4C dry white wine and 1 3/4 water to pan with celery leaves and lemon peel if you have. Simmer for 10 min. Drain through sieve into pan with leeks and beans.

Made this exactly according to the recipe and it may be the best thing I ever cooked in my life — I’m 71.

Lovely! I traded shallots for leeks and added a bag of spinach for more greens. Served with some garlic naan on the side.

i'm going to be real, i eat this whole thing in one meal.

This was really quick and delicious, but next time I would use slightly less shrimp, more beans, and more broth. I used a half of an onion instead of leeks because that is what I had on hand and it tasted great.

I wonder if adding a bit of white wine and letting it cook down before adding the broth would add a nice flavor to it ....

This was easy to prepare as a week night meal and quite delicious. I followed the recipe as written except that I used about 5-6 cloves of garlic. My husband felt it needed more beans, so next time I make it, I will use two cans. I sautéed the shrimp in two batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. I also made some penne rigate as I thought rigatoni is too large. The rigate was the perfect size and a good addition to add some heft for those wanting a heavier meal. Definitely a keeper.

This is the rare recipe that I could smell and taste as I read it. I made it for my family tonight. They were wowed. I served it over linguine with torn, toasted French bread to sop the juice. I made one change. I wanted the lemon juice in the marinade. So I put it in with the shrimp marinade and reserved it. When the recipe calls to add the lemon juice, I added the reserve marinade. The whole recipe took about an hour, not 30 minutes. But one of the best.

My wife and I loved this. Thinking of swapping in shallots for leeks next time to speed up the prep.

Oh, yum! Made this tonight in about an hour, served with crusty bread and a good pinot noir. Flavors are bold, rich and satisfying, the beans add heft and creaminess and the lemon juice adds a fine note of brightness. I increased the lemon zest to the entire lemon's worth (about a Tablespoon) because I love that flavor and decreased the salt and pepper added to the shrimp to 1/2 teaspoon each, which to my taste was plenty. This is so good, the two of us almost finished it off!

Delicious and simple, only thing I would change is cooking time of shrimp to 1-2 mins, slightly undercooked. Before adding to sauce. Or even cooking shrimp separately and adding to sauce immediately after cooking for 2-3 mins.

Fast, easy and tasty. A stick-to-your ribs kind of meal (as in very filling). Made for 2 with 1/2 lb. shrimp, 1 can of Great Northern Beans, and 1/2 of a large onion instead of leeks.

A really good recipe! I followed the advice of another cook and added a second can of cannellini beans. I also made a quick stock with the shrimp tails, and supplemented it with a bit of veggie broth to make 2 cups instead of using chicken broth, but otherwise followed the recipe. We loved it, and it came together quickly.

Excellent and easy. I used fennel instead of leeks because that’s what I had on hand and we love fennel. It worked beautifully. I’ll definitely make this again.

Holy cow - I had some leftovers that were in the fridge for a few days and I just ate them. Magic! Twice as good as the night I made it. I added lots of garlic so I think the opportunity for the beans to sit in the garlicky broth for a couple of days did the trick.

So good- I think you can play with this, but so good as is!! Don't skimp on lemon or parsley...

Can I freeze this?

Delicious! Definitely a repeat recipe!! Used 1 3/4c vegetable stock instead of 2c chicken stock.

This is a great dish! I added halved grape tomatoes to the leeks. The next day, I had leftovers with brown rice, and they were outstanding.

This recipe is so delicious! Sharing our small tweaks: We doubled the garlic, zested and juiced a whole large lemon and added white wine (about 1/4 cup) when we were cooking the shrimp. I used dried cannellini beans which I cooked the night before (some extra work, but I recently joined a bean club so trying to use what we have!)

This was delicious - definitely adding to my rotation. Next time I will double the beans and use a bit less leek. We did not add garlic as one of my guests can't tolerate it - it was still delicious and so flavorful. Will add garlic when making for different guests. I like the idea of adding a bit of white wine and cooking it down before adding the broth, as one reviewer suggested. I think this would be equally delicious as a simple vegetarian meal too!

I care for the Shrimps

Oops - I forgot the paprika! I used scallions because I didn’t have any leeks, and two cans of beans instead of one. I added about 1/4 cup of heavy cream to cook and thicken in the last 10 minutes. I also had an ear of corn that I scraped into it. I can imagine some bacon would be tasty in this!

This could be a delicious recipe if you cut back on the salt. Will make again, perhaps with white fish.

This was not good at all. The lemon overpowered the paprika. As it also did do with settle taste of the leeks. All of the ingredients felt thrown together but did not taste harmonious in any way. Felt like a total waste.

I subbed shallots for leeks (don’t have any) added a heaping TB of Gochugaru to add some sweet pepper heat to the shrimp (great add for a spice guy), used organic butter beans with the liquid, a full jar of capers (which I fried with the shallots) and 1/2 pound of cooked organic steel cut Italian penne with a cup of pasta water. Topped with some finely chopped parsley from local outstanding Mideast market, grated Parmesan, extra lemon juice, pepper and a little EVVO. Didn’t need any bread….wow!

I've had this on my summer "cook this again" list all summer. With this week's beautiful farmer's market leeks, I knew today would be the day. I boiled the tops of the leeks and the shrimp shells to make the broth. Served over pasta with a side of corn on the cob. A slice of crusty bread to soak up the juices. Delicious!

My recommendation is to add about 1/2 a teaspoon of red pepper flakes when you add the beans and broth. It helps balance the flavors so that you’re getting more than straight lemon. Also, the first time that I made this, I only let the beans and broth simmer with the onion for eight minutes, and the second time when I did 10 minutes it was way better.

Spectacular last night for a dinner party of 6. Made easy shrimp stock from the shells and a few more in the freezer. Started with 6 cups of water and cooked until there were about 3 cups left--it took about 45 mins on simmer, with no lid. (Add 2 stalks celery, onion, peppercorn, lemon zest, thyme and bay leaf, wine) Late summer addition was kernels from 2 ears of corn and a pint of roasted red cherry tomatoes (in the oven at 325 for approx 25 mins). Served with bread and salad.

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