These juicy prosciutto wrapped shrimp are bursting with such complex, smoky flavors, no one will believe how easy they are to make. The prosciutto is porky and crispy, the rosemary is earthy, and the cognac sauce is dark and sweet, almost butterscotch-like in its richness.
The saltiness of the prosciutto is assertive, so much so that I’ve done a couple of things here that I very rarely do, in order to compensate. First, it’s unheard of for me not to add salt in the preparation of a dish. Normally I would add a generous pinch to the marinade, and would taste the sauce in the last step and probably add some salt there, too. But resist the temptation to add salt in either of those places; the finished dish will taste plenty salty without it.
Here’s the other unusual step that’s necessary to save the sauce from coming out excessively salty: I wipe out the pan before making the sauce. This is just never done – anyone who’s ever made a pan sauce knows that the browned bits on the bottom of the pan and the juices from the shrimp (what chefs call the “fond”) are culinary gold, adding flavor and depth to a sauce. But in this dish, the fond contains the melted fat of the prosciutto, and it’s extremely salty. The first time I made this, I poured the cognac right into the pan after removing the shrimp, scraping up all the lovely fond and incorporating it into the sauce – which was so salty I ended up throwing it away and eating the shrimp bare. So clean the pan, and the sauce will taste rich, sweet and buttery. The only salted element of the dish will be the prosciutto itself, and it’s all you need.
And one last little trick: I reserve a couple of teaspoons of the cognac from the sauce, and dribble the pure cognac over the dish just before serving. When the cognac cooks in the sauce, it loses most of its alcohol and some of its distinctive flavor – it mellows. Finishing the dish with a few drops of uncooked cognac brightens and heightens the flavor. Oh and by the way, when you’re making the pan sauce there’s no need to light the cognac on fire – the heat of the pan is enough without having to resort to theatrics.
This recipe serves 3 to 4 as a main dish (3 or 4 shrimp per person). It also makes a yummy appetizer (2 shrimp each on small plates to serve 6, or on a platter on a buffet table.)
Making prosciutto wrapped shrimp ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- Don’t make this ahead – it’s quick to put together, and since shrimp cooks (and overcooks) quickly it doesn’t like to be reheated. If by chance you do end up with leftovers, enjoy them cold as a sophisticated snack, or nestled into a salad.
To see this recipe combined with other dishes in a special-occasion menu, read the post for Saturday, January 11, 2020.
Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp with Rosemary Cognac Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1¼ teaspoons minced fresh rosemary, divided
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 12 jumbo shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled and de-veined, tails on or off as you prefer
- 6 thin slices of prosciutto, cut in half crosswise
- ½ cup cognac
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Directions
- Step 1 Combine the minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of the rosemary and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium bowl. Add the shrimp and toss to coat them with the marinade. Let the shrimp sit in the marinade for 30 minutes (on the counter, no need to chill).
- Step 2 Toward the end of the marinating time, heat a very large heavy skillet (stainless steel or cast iron – do not use non-stick) over medium-high heat until hot. (If you don’t have a skillet that’s large enough to hold all the shrimp in a single layer, cook the shrimp in two batches or use two pans, so you don’t have to crowd the shrimp.)
- Step 3 Place one half-slice of prosciutto on your work surface. Lift one shrimp out of the marinade and brush off most of the marinade with your fingers. Place the shrimp on one end of the prosciutto and roll it up to enclose the shrimp. Transfer the shrimp to a plate, with the seam of the prosciutto facing down. There’s no need to secure the prosciutto with a toothpick. Repeat with the remaining shrimp and prosciutto.
- Step 4 Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the hot pan and let it heat for about a minute. Add the shrimp, seam side down, spacing them evenly so as not to crowd them in the pan. Cook the shrimp for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the bottom side of the prosciutto is browned and crispy, and the shrimp is starting to turn bright pink around the edges. Turn and cook the other side for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the other side is crispy and the shrimp is fully cooked. (You can tell they’re done when the shrimp have curled into a U shape and the exposed edges you can see around the prosciutto look pinkish-white with no hints of blue.)
- Step 5 Remove the shrimp to a clean plate and tent it with foil to keep it warm.
- Step 6 Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, then return it to the burner. From the ½ cup of cognac, scoop out 2 teaspoons and transfer that amount to a small cup. Pour the remainder of the cognac into the hot pan and cook it until it’s reduced by more than half and becomes thick and syrupy. Swirl the pan occasionally while reducing the cognac. This should take about 3 minutes.
- Step 7 Add the chicken broth and remaining ¼ teaspoon of rosemary to the pan and continue to cook, swirling the pan, until the chicken broth is reduced, another couple of minutes.
- Step 8 Turn the heat down to low. Add the butter and whisk the sauce until the butter is melted and incorporated and the sauce is thick and glossy, 1 or 2 minutes.
- Step 9 Arrange the shrimp on plates or a platter and drizzle the sauce over the shrimp. Sprinkle the shrimp with the reserved 2 teaspoons of cognac. Serve immediately.
