Celebrate spring - or any season - with this amazingly simple recipe for lemony-garlic shrimp and asparagus with white bean puree that may find you licking the plate.
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I wish I could adequately describe this shrimp and asparagus recipe to you.
White beans, good. Asparagus, love it. Shrimp, yes. Garlic? Lemon? Yes, yes, it all seems like a nice combination, with the unique addition of the beans.
But I had no idea how good it would be as this came together. No idea.
And then when something that tastes this good, also looks this good - what?
When you plate this up, it looks like something that you'd get at a fancy restaurant. The type where if I saw the waiter bringing this I'd roll my eyes a bit, thinking it's one of those restaurants (you know, the kind that are more into presentation...).
All I would need, though, is one bite to understand that presentation and deliciousness can go hand in hand. And as long as you're a fan of these ingredients like me, you are going to want many bites of this. I promise.
Shrimp and Asparagus with White Bean Puree
As if flavor and presentation weren't enough, how about simple and easy with whole food ingredients?
- Shrimp
- Fresh Asparagus (Seasonal Tip: green beans and snap peas also work well.)
- Onions
- White Beans (cooked, either canned or cooked and frozen)
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Parsley
Add some olive oil, butter, a bit of salt and pepper and maybe a red pepper flake or two and that's the entire recipe right there.
Pretty, yummy, and uncomplicated. It just gets better.
Shrimp and Asparagus with White Bean Puree Steps
This recipe consists of three very quick steps - really.
Step 1: Briefly heat the beans with garlic, lemon juice and water and puree them right in the pan with an immersion blender (you've gotten yours, right?).
If all you have is a regular blender, you'll need to transfer the beans to the blender bowl first, and it works, too, just not quite as conveniently.
Step 2: While that is heating, whisk together the dressing/topping ingredients.
Step 3: The final step is to quickly cook the onions and asparagus until just crisp-tender before adding the shrimp.
Since each step takes just a few minutes it all comes together in about 30 minutes.
To serve, place about 1/2 cup of the pureed beans on a plate, add some of the shrimp-asparagus mixture, and pour part of the dressing over the top. Beautiful.
And prepare to be amazed at your first bite. Really, truly, honestly.
You will want to serve this with a good bread (easy artisan or sourdough artisan are of course our favs) to soak up all the beany-dressing goodness. Again, trust me on this, it's either bread or licking the plate, so make it easy on your family and guests.
You've probably have figured out that I've made this a lot. When asparagus isn't in season any more I make it with with snow peas in later spring, and then green beans in the summer. I even made it once with small scallops. It's all good!
Shrimp and Asparagus with White Bean Puree
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups cooked white beans or about 2 cans
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice divided
- 2 cloves garlic minced and divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- pinch of red pepper flakes optional
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 onion cut in half then sliced thinly
- 1 pound asparagus trimmed and cut in 3 to 4 inch pieces*
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined**
Instructions
Beans:
- Place the beans, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper, 1 clove of the minced garlic, an optional red pepper flakes in a medium saucepan. Add 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and puree with a handheld immersion blender (if using a regular blender or food processor, return beans to pan after pureeing). Keep warm over lowest heat.
Dressing:
- Combine the remaining minced garlic clove and 3 tablespoons lemon juice along with 1/2 teaspoon salt, parsley, and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a small glass measuring cup, whisking to emulsify. Set aside.
Vegetables & Shrimp:
- Saute onions in 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil for 3-5 minutes over medium heat.
- Stir in asparagus, cover and cook for about 3-4 minutes just until crisp-tender.
- Add shrimp and cook until they turn pink, 1-2 minutes (pre-cooked shrimp only needs to be heated through).
To Serve:
- Place a quarter of the beans on each of four serving plates and divide the asparagus-shrimp mixture evenly.
- Pour the dressing over the top of each and serve immediately.
Notes
**This also is wonderful with scallops. Cook just the same as shrimp.
Nutrition
Other Seafood Recipes to Try:
Garlic Shrimp and Green Bean Pasta
Baked White Fish with Parmesan-Herb Crust
Note: this recipe was originally published in 2010 and has been updated with all new photos, formatting and printable recipe. Enjoy!
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