Weeknight-quick Lemony Shrimp and Bean Stew

Shrimp, white beans, lemon, paprika and a mix of aromatics create a hearty, big-flavored stew that is weeknight quick. Recipe below.

EVERY TIME WE HAVE SHRIMP, WE WISH WE MADE IT MORE OFTEN. Shrimp is deliciously versatile, quick and easy to cook, low in calories and high in protein. Having tried it once, this weeknight-quick stew is something we’re definitely going to make more often.

“Shrimp” and “stew” don’t seem to naturally go together as food ideas, but trust us, here they do. This hearty, big-flavored dish includes white beans and plenty of aromatics—garlic and shallots (or leeks or onions), butter and paprika, a great stew seasoning. It also uses lemon juice and zest for a bit of brightness, always a good match for shrimp. Serve this with some crusty bread and you’ll have a stew-level satisfying meal.

What makes this dish quick and easy? For starters, you use canned beans, so no long cooking time there. And shrimp, by definition, cooks fast—three or four minutes. Once you’ve cooked the shrimp and sweated the aromatics, your remaining cook time is eight to ten minutes.

Speaking of the shrimp, frozen (and thawed before cooking) is fine. In fact, Serious Eats says frozen shrimp is often better and offers shopping tips. A little spoiler alert: the fresh shrimp you buy in the store was flash frozen at sea—shrimp is highly perishable, so markets thaw their shrimp just before selling to make sure it’s fresh tasting.

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Lemony Shrimp and Bean Stew

Shrimp, white beans, lemon, paprika and a mix of aromatics create a hearty, big-flavored stew that is weeknight quick.

Servings 3 to 4 servings, with bread

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika (see Kitchen Notes)
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound peeled, deveined shrimp, tails removed (see Kitchen Notes)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 large shallots, peeled and roughly chopped (see Kitchen Notes)
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini or other white beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• chopped chopped parsley (optional)
• crusty bread or toast for serving (optional)

Instructions

• Mix the lemon zest, paprika, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and minced garlic in a medium-sized bowl. Add the shrimp and stir to coat the shrimp with the mixture.
• Melt butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. When it’s foaming, add the shrimp (and any seasonings left in the bowl) and cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp is pink and starting to curl, 3 or so minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to a bowl. Set aside.
• Add shallots to the pot and cook until they’re softened, 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 bowl, and cook for another 2 minutes to warm the shrimp through. Stir in parsley (if using) and lemon juice, and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve with toasted bread.

Kitchen Notes

Sweet paprika, please. Some recipes say sweet or smoked, or specifically call for smoked paprika. We find that smoked can easily take over a dish. Sweet paprika brings a nice flavor and color to the dish and, depending on your variety, maybe a tiny bit of heat (some paprika is made from dried and ground chili peppers).

Shrimp—don’t go jumbo. Medium-sized shrimp are scaled nicely for spooning up with some beans. If jumbo is all you can get, diners can break them into bites with their spoons. And again, frozen shrimp is fine.

Pick your aromatics. We chose shallots, partly because we like them, partly because we had them on hand. You can also use leeks or onions. The garlic is a must.