I love the flavor of this broth! It’s robust and has a nice kick to it. Once you’re done with the broth, the rest of the dish takes only about five minutes. The broth can take two hours but is truly worth it. Most of that time it’s just simmering away so you can be doing other things. Make a double batch and freeze half for an effortless meal on a later date. From frozen broth and frozen shrimp (purchased already peeled and deveined) to dinner consists of opening bags and turning on the stove, and takes only 15 – 20 minutes!

I first came across Killer Shrimp when I was looking for freezer meals to tide me over during the months when I wasn’t able to cook. There are many variations of the original (the signature dish of a California restaurant of the same name); I took the best bits of several of them and skinnied it down to make it easier and to lower the fat and sodium. Even so, the “healthy” tag only applies if you are not concerned about your sodium intake. Those of you who are should skip this dish – sorry!

You’ll find a printer-friendly version of the recipe at the bottom of this page.

Ingredients:

6 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp dried rosemary

2 tsp dried thyme

½ tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp crushed red pepper (“crushers”)

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp celery seed

2 (8 oz) bottles clam broth

4 cups fat-free, unsalted chicken broth

6 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp butter

2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined

Preparation:

1.) Mince the garlic, then heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a 4½-qt. pot. Add the minced garlic; cook just until it becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2.) Measure rosemary, thyme, and fennel seed into a mortar; grind with the pestle until crushed. You aren’t looking to pulverize, just crack.

3.) Add the crushed spice mixture, crushers, pepper, and celery seed to the pot. Cook, stirring constantly, about another 30 seconds.

4.) Whisk in the broths, tomato paste, and butter. Bring to a slow boil.

5.) Reduce heat to low, leaving the broth mixture at a slow simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced by about half. This should take an hour or two. Keep an eye on the pot, to ensure that it neither boils dry nor boils over. If you’re making this to eat now, skip to step 6.

If you’re freezing for a later date, here is where you cool the broth and then freeze it in a 1-qt zip-top freezer bag.

Thaw and return to a simmer when you’re ready to eat. You can do this on the stovetop, or use the “Sauté” function of your Instant Pot. This takes about ten minutes with either method.

6.) Add the shrimp to the simmering broth. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until shrimp are done. (Instant Pot note: I think it’s just as fast to do the whole thing on “sauté” as it is to use pressure. There’s plenty of broth, so a five-minute simmer isn’t going to boil the pot dry. But you can use “Manual” to set a 3 – 4 minute high-pressure cook time if you prefer.) You can add vegetables as well if you’d like a one-bowl meal. Serve with fresh sourdough bread for dipping.