Shrimp and Tortellini with Beurre Blanc
Every good dish starts with butter, which is why this tortellini with shrimp and beurre blanc sauce is delicious!
Table of Contents
Gulf Shrimp Recipe
Are you really from New England if you don’t like seafood? I grew up eating all sorts of traditional Massachusetts seafood dishes, but I was absolutely delighted when I moved to Pensacola and discovered local Gulf shrimp.
Gulf shrimp has become a favorite in our house. They take minutes to cook on the stove or grill, and they are juicy!
Now, I’m fixin’ to combine the best of both worlds and create a delicious twist! We are making a French beurre blanc sauce, with Italian cheese-filled tortellini, and adding Gulf Coast shrimp.
The pan-fried paprika garlic shrimp takes only minutes! Tortellini is usually boiled for under 5 minutes, and the beurre blanc sauce takes 10 minutes. Preparation is key!
Shrimp and Tortellini Ingredients
- Tortellini– Did you know the plural form is tortellini?
- Fresh shrimp- To make this recipe even easier, get deveined and peeled shrimp.
- Asparagus- Adding asparagus to this dish really kicks it up a notch!
- Spices- Paprika and garlic powder coat the shrimp to give it a gorgeous and delicious color!
For the beurre blanc
- Lemon juice– Just a squeeze of lemon juice will add a delicious zing to your beurre blanc sauce.
- Butter– Lots and lots of butter! Get a high-quality grass-fed butter, this recipe heavily relies on the quality and flavor of it.
- Shallots– These finely diced shallots add a whole lot of flavor!
- White wine– A dry white wine will work perfectly for this recipe. Consider using your favorite Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, or Pinot Blanc.
- Heavy Cream- Heavy cream really helps thicken the beurre blanc, so don’t skimp out!
How to make an easy beurre blanc
I know, it’s a fancy French word and honestly, it’s kind of intimidating. Say it with me, now- Buuurrr Bl-ah-nc. It’s easy to pronounce and it translates to “white butter” in English.
Beurre blanc is a deliciously silky, creamy, yellow butter sauce that is made with white wine vinegar, butter, white wine, shallots, and a splash of heavy cream.
Make beurre blanc, the easy way
- Chop the shallots extra fine. If you want to speed the process up, you can toss it in a food processor.
- Boil the white wine, white wine vinegar, and lemon juice over medium-high heat. Toss in the finely chopped shallots.
- Allow the wine combination to reduce. Let the mixture reduce at least 1/2, rendering roughly 1/4 cup.
- Add the heavy cream. Mix to combine the heavy cream into the wine mixture. Reduce the pot to low heat.
- Chop the cold butter into cubes. Add one cube at a time to the pot, using a fork to stir it around the pot to melt it faster. Once the cube has melted, continue to add one at a time, allowing it to melt before adding the next.
- Serve. The sauce will have a silky texture similar to hollandaise.
Pro Tip:
- When the white wine, vinegar, lemon juice, and shallots are boiling, add in thyme, rosemary, basil, or any of your favorite herbs to kick this up a notch!
- When adding butter to the pot, if the butter is melting very fast, remove the pot from the heated burner for 30 seconds at a time to let it cool down a bit.
- For an extra silky sauce, strain the shallots and herbs (if you choose to add) from the beurre blanc.
Listen, mistakes happen. Sometimes a beurre blanc doesn’t come together for some reason. If this disaster occurs and the beurre blanc is a watery mess, don’t fret! Add a slurry to the sauce. Mix 1 tbsp of water and 1 tbsp of cornstarch together, then add it to the pot and stir over low heat for a couple of minutes. This will thicken up the sauce to the silky texture.
How to make this dish
Let’s break this down in a few simple steps so we can accomplish this dish in 30 minutes!
- Heat a medium pan over medium heat with a tablespoon of oil. Bring a pot of water (and a tbsp of salt) to a boil.
- Boil the tortellini. Cook according to package instructions. Make sure you add a tbsp of salt to the water!
- Chop the asparagus. Add the asparagus to the tortellini pot in the last 2 minutes of boiling.
- Pan-fry the shrimp. First, toss them in a bowl with paprika, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt. Heat the pan up. Cook the shrimp for roughly 5 minutes, or until they turn pink.
- Make the beurre blanc. While the tortellini is boiling and the shrimp is cooking, begin to make the beurre blanc.
- Add the shrimp to the tortellini and asparagus. After draining the tortellini, toss it in a large serving bowl. Add the shrimp to the bowl and mix.
- Serve! Eating is all about making (delicious) decisions. You can add the beurre blanc to the serving bowl, or you can serve the tortellini mixture into individual bowls, then top with the beurre blanc! Mangia!
What goes with this shrimp and tortellini dish
- Pan-roasted broccoli with garlic is always my go-to vegetable side dish!
- White wine roasted artichokes are packed with flavor and would taste absolutely amazing if dipped in the extra beurre blanc sauce you might have!
- Crispy baked eggplant will have you totally hooked! Crunchy, crispy, and so flavorful!
- Beer and bacon brussles sprouts never disappoint.. I mean, c’mon, beer…and bacon!
Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram to stay in touch! I love to see your creations! Tag me at #SeaSaltSavorings to show me what you’ve made!
Shrimp and Tortellini with Beurre Blanc
Equipment
- 2 medium pots
- 1 medium pan
- Cutting Board
- Sharp knife
Ingredients
- 12 oz dried or frozen tortellini
- 1 cup asparagus bottom 2 inches removed and discarded, rough chopped to bite size pieces
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup peel and deveined shrimp
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- pinch of salt
For the beurre blanc sauce
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp shallots chopped extra finely
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 cup cold butter cubed
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a medium pan. Toss the shrimp in a bowl, then add paprika, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt. Make sure the shrimp is evenly coated. Add the shrimp to the pan in a single layer and cook for 3-5 minutes depending on the size. Make sure the shrimp is pink. Remove the shrimp from the pan.
- While the shrimp is cooking, bring a large pot of water (and 1 tbsp of salt) to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook according to package instructions. In the last two minutes of cooking, add the chopped asparagus. Drain the tortellini and asparagus and add it to the bowl with the shrimp.
- Make the beurre blanc sauce. Add the white wine, vinegar, lemon juice and shallots to a pot. Bring to a light boil over medium high heat. Allow this mixutre to reduce by atleast 1/2. This mixture should not render much more than 1/4 cup after it is reduced.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add in the heavy cream. Mix the heavy cream and let it simmer for 1 minute. Add the cubed butter, one cube at a time. Use a fork to move the butter cube around the bottom of the pan to help it melt faster. Once it is melted, add the next cube of butter. Continue to add more butter once the previous cube has melted. Melt all the butter into the sauce. Remove from heat.
- Serve the tortellini, asparagus and shrimp mixture into individual bowls. Top the bowls with beurre blanc cause and serve with red pepper flakes or fresh herbs. Mangia!
Nutrition values are estimates, for exact values consult a nutritionist.
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