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(13,868)
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
13,868 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Easy and excellent. I added strips of beautiful red russian kale from my garden. A perfect one pot meal.

This was quite good and really easy. Scooped up with toasted sourdough! I halved the whole recipe and its still 4 servings for us with the bread and a veggie side dish

Leeks are really big in Ohio? Is that what's happening? Had to scoop some out to keep it from being a giant mound of un-brownable leeks but then I tasted the broth (before I even added the shrimp) and I went "holy SH-word that's good" so I guess the leek removal was a good move...and this is a really good recipe. Also consider dill -- I had some so I put it in.

I’ve made this a few times and it’s always great. This time I used shallots, doubled the beans, and added some shredded carrot and sliced celery for a little color and crunch. Delicious!

We loved it. It was an easy dish to prepare. I bought sourdough bread and toasted it with Irish butter. In spite of it sounding heavy because it is called "stew", it was very light because of the lemon. The flavors were all perfectly balanced.

Easy and delicious. I used a “large” onion. I don’t think you can use too much onion. That’s what I had and didn’t bother to go out to buy leeks! Didn’t consider parsley optional and had it, so bam! Served with garlic bread I’d made and previously frozen. I’ll keep this in rotation.

This was excellent! I used onions instead of leeks and added an extra can of beans. Perfect! Thanks, Ms. Li.

I used onion as I couldn't find leeks and didn't have fresh parsley but added a bunch of Swiss chard at the end for a more balanced one dish meal. Cut back on the oil as well. Healthy easy and delicious!

Made this as directed. DE-LI-CIOUS and super easy. Will make this again.

Made the Lemony Shrimp & Bean Stew tonight for the first time. My husband & I loved it! Served it with crusty multigrain sourdough bread. Perfect. Followed the recipe. Did add 5 cloves of garlic plus some white wine. Instead of 1/2 stick of butter used a mix of salted butter and EVO. Came out perfect!! Will make again.

I finally made this gorgeous recipe I’ve had my eye on for some time. I made recipe as written, and it did not disappoint! My condolences to anyone who doesn’t have big beautiful fresh Gulf shrimp to use in this.

My first review and this one is worth it! Added another can of cannellini beans which thickened it up, but did not leave enough juice to sop up bread! Winner

Soooo tasty; agree extra can of beans would help thicken, but didn’t have extra can so I sifted in 1-2 tsp flour as stew simmered and that did the trick. Can’t imagine making without the leeks because they’re magical.

I did it backwards. Using slowly defrosting pre-cooked shrimp, I put the pre-cooked shrimp in a bowl, then added the s&p, a little garlic powder, etc. I marinaded the shrimp while I started with food-processed large onion in olive oil for 8 minutes, then added the canenelli beans for another 8 minutes, then added the marinated shrimp and liquid. In my serving, I added a little more olive oil. It was terrific!

This was pretty much perfect. I accidentally added the lemon juice with the marinade but would do it again it was so good.

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