Olive and Preserved Lemon Poached Shrimp

Olive and preserved lemon poached shrimp are juicy and flavourful. This dish is super easy to make for a weeknight meal in 30 minutes. 

My best tip for cooking shrimp is to not overcook it. Poaching is a great way to produce tender and juicy shrimp under low moist heat.

I bought green olives and preserved lemons initially to make a Moroccan chicken tagine. Despite the best intention, sometimes plans don’t work out. The Moroccan chicken tagine wasn’t as good as I expected, and I had quite a bit of green olives and preserved lemons left. I thought I could use them up in a dish with shrimp, thus this olive and preserved lemon poached shrimp was created. 

I used regular pitted green olives fresh from the deli. Alternatively, you may use canned green olives instead. The preserved lemons have a distinct flavour, so I would not replace them with fresh lemons. The brine the preserved lemons came in is salty and delicious; I added some of the brine in the poaching liquid too, be sure not to throw the brine away.

The green olives and preserved lemons add saltiness, tanginess and so much depth to the shrimp. I was surprised how simple and flavourful this dish was. I used ghee instead of butter in the poaching liquid, therefore it is dairy free. This olive and preserved lemon poached shrimp is a low-carb dish suitable for Paleo, Keto and gluten-free diets. 

More dinner recipes under 30 minutes:

• Easy Stir Fry Kimchi & Pork Belly
• Sheet-Pan Keto Zucchini Noodles and Shrimp (Paleo, Whole 30, Keto)
• Coconut Pea Puree + Baked Sole Flowers {Video}
• Smoked Salmon Potato Salad with Pickle Juice Dressing (a Probiotic Twist)

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Olive and Preserved Lemon Poached Shrimps

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

Olive and preserved lemon poached shrimp are juicy and flavourful. This dish is super easy to make for a weeknight meal in 30 minutes. 

Course: dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, French

Keyword: preserved lemon, shrimp

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 449 kcal

Author: Yang

Ingredients

• 1 lb sustainable shrimp, shell removed
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cup green olives
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 preserved lemon
• 2 tbsp preserved lemon brine
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 cup ghee

Instructions

1. Devine the shrimps. Thinly slice the preserved lemons.

2. Add all of the white wine, green olives, tomato paste, preserved lemon, brine, thyme, and ghee in a saucepan.

3. Heat the saucepan until the ghee melts, and stir to combine all ingredients well. Divide the shrimps in half to be cooked in 2 batches.

4. Bring the poaching liquid in the saucepan to a boil. Submerge the first batch of shrimps into the poaching liquid, then immediately turn off the heat, cover with lid and let it stand for 3 minutes. You may turn the shrimps over once half way through if the poaching liquid isn't enough to cover the shrimps entirely. Transfer only the shrimps to a serving dish, leaving the poaching liquid in the saucepan. Repeat the whole preocess again with the second batch of shrimps.

5. Cook the poaching liquid for 10 minutes uncovered, to reduce it by half to a thicker consistency.

6. Pour the sauce over the cooked shrimps and serve.

Recipe Notes

1. There should be no need to add extra salt to this dish, because the saltiness of the olives and preserved lemon brine. If you don't find the sauce to be salty enough, add a pinch of salt to taste near the end.