As much as I love shrimp, the prices of it lately have been pretty high so I have not been able to get it very often. Even the price of frozen shrimp has been a bit much at the supermarket, so when I saw some on sale at the fish market lately and saw it was gulf shrimp I decided to make the splurge and get some to have for dinner. Instead of just making the standard fried shrimp or shrimp scampi, I wanted to try something a little different and something that was not going to be very labor intensive to make it perfect for an easy weeknight meal that can be done in just a few minutes. I found this recipe from Bon Appetit for garlic shrimp and white beans and it sounded perfect and included everything I had on hand already, with the exception of the chiles de arbol, which I left out and substituted some chili powder instead.

Garlic Shrimp and White Beans

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 garlic cloves, minced, divided

2 dried chiles de arbol

1 bay leaf

1 1/4 cups chopped tomato

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 15-ounce cans white beans (such as cannellini), rinsed and drained

1 cup chicken broth

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Grilled bread (optional)

Preheat the broiler. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, heavy, ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add 1 garlic clove, the chiles de arbol, and the bay leaf, and cook, stirring constantly, just until the mixture is fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Do not allow the garlic to burn. Add the chopped tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and smashing the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon, until the tomatoes are completely broken down, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste is a deep red and caramelized, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the white beans and the chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the juices are slightly reduced and thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper.

Combine the remaining 2 garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the shrimp and the smoked paprika in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss the mixture to evenly coat all of the shrimp. Scatter the shrimp over the bean mixture in an even layer.

Broil until the shrimp are golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over he shrimp and the beans. Garnish the dish with the chopped parsley and serve with grilled bread, if desired.

While the grilled bread sounded really good, I didn’t have any on hand that day so I simply served the shrimp as it was. All of the flavors melded nicely together and the beans and the shrimp had a great taste from the garlic, chili powder and paprika. The tomatoes added a nice touch to the whole dish and having some bread to dip in to sop up the juices would have been a nice touch. The whole meal can be put together in under 30 minutes, so it is perfect for one of those busy weeknights when you need something fast to cook.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!