How to make potted shrimp – recipe

I adore potted shrimp. Not only do these little ramekins, with their jolly red sprinkle of cayenne pepper atop a golden cap of clarified butter, feel like fishy emissaries from a more elegant age, but they can also be prepared days in advance, which frees me up to drink fizz with friends instead of faffing around in the kitchen. A Christmas gift indeed.

Prep 5 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 4

200g unsalted butter
Juice of ¼ lemon
¼ tsp ground mace
¼ tsp ground white pepper
½ tsp anchovy paste/Gentleman’s Relish
200g cooked and peeled brown shrimps
Cayenne pepper, to serve (optional)
Fresh dill, to serve (optional)
4 slices thin white bread, to serve (optional)

1 Shrimp or small prawns?

Cooked and peeled brown shrimp (whiskery beasts about 5cm long) are available in many supermarkets, fishmongers and online, but small peeled prawns will also work fine here, too. If you’re eating this dish within a couple of days, there’s no real need to clarify the butter (though it does give the end result a pleasingly silky texture), so you can skip steps 3 to 5, if you prefer.

2 The other ingredients

I’ve stuck to traditional flavourings here: anchovy paste can be easily tracked down in larger supermarkets, delis and online, but if need be, you could substitute some finely mashed anchovies in oil, or indeed leave them out altogether and salt more generously. Nutmeg is a good replacement for mace, and black pepper for white. See step 9 for other suggestions.

3 Melt the butter

Put the butter (unsalted is best here, because clarifying will concentrate the flavour, but it’s not the end of the world if you have only salted) in a small pan, preferably one that’s white or silver in colour, because that makes it easier to see what’s going on inside, and melt over a gentle heat.

4 Ready your tools

While keeping an eye on the butter pan, put a clean piece of cheesecloth, a thin cotton or linen tea towel, a thick or doubled-up sheet of kitchen towel or a fine sieve over a heatproof jug. The butter will come to a simmer and then begin to foam vigorously.

5 Strain the butter

Once the foam dies down, the liquid butter underneath will begin to bubble as the water boils off. When it slows and almost stops, this means most of the water has evaporated. Keep a very careful eye on the pan – once the solids in the bottom begin to colour and brown, strain the butter through the cloth into the jug.

6 Add the flavourings

Wipe out the pan and return two-thirds of the butter to it. Stir in the lemon juice, mace, pepper and anchovy paste, and simmer very gently for five minutes. Add a pinch of salt, take off the heat and leave to cool to warm or room temperature, but not so much that it starts to set.

7 Pour over the shrimp

Divide the shrimp between four ramekins, pressing them in tightly, then top with the spiced butter and put in a cool place to cool fully and set. Once solid, pour over the remainder of the clarified butter and chill in the fridge until set. Bring to room temperature, then sprinkle with cayenne pepper and/or fresh dill before serving with hot toast (melba for preference). I like watercress on the side, too.

8 To make melba toast …

Lightly toast thin, crustless slices of bread under a grill or in a toaster, then cut in half sideways/horizontally through the soft middle to create even thinner slices. Cut these into triangles and toast again until golden on both sides. If you’re making the melba toast in advance, leave to cool completely, then store in an airtight container. Reheat briefly in a medium oven before serving.

9 Variations on the theme

Play around with the flavourings. Try adding lemon zest, black pepper and chopped dill, say, or smoked paprika or chilli flakes and crushed garlic, or mustard powder, Tabasco and chives. Stir in any fresh herbs once the butter has cooled, though. As long as the clarified butter covers the shrimp completely, these should keep for a good week in the fridge.