For an elegant yet easy dinner recipe, try this One Pot Creamy Lemon Shrimp Gnocchi. Ready in 20 minutes, it tastes like something you would get in a fine dining restaurant. With just a few grocery store ingredients, you can create this simple prawn gnocchi. The creamy lemon sauce is rich and delicious, making this a great date night dinner. BUT this is so quick and easy that you could easily serve this one-pot shrimp gnocchi recipe as a family weeknight meal.
1poundraw shrimp (peeled and deveined )-see note 6
Salt & pepper
Fresh parsley(optional)
Instructions
Finely chop the onion and garlic.1 onion 3 garlic cloves
Place a large deep skillet or saute pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and then fry the onion for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for a minute.1 tablespoon olive oil
Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. While the broth is coming to a simmer, zest, and juice the lemon.½ cup/125ml broth/stock 1 lemon
Add the lemon juice and most of the zest to the pan, pour in the heavy cream and bring the sauce to a very gentle boil.1 cup/250ml heavy cream/double cream
Add the gnocchi, then cover the pan and cook over medium-low heat for 4 minutes.1lb/500g gnocchi
Remove the lid, Give the gnocchi a good stir, then add the shrimp. Stir well and cook uncovered on low heat for 3 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked through. Be sure to stir your sauce regularly while cooking the shrimp.1lb/450g raw shrimp/prawns
Season with salt and pepper and serve garnished with parsley and the remaining lemon zest.salt and pepper fresh parsley
Notes
Onion - I use a standard brown onion for this recipe, but you can use any onion you like here or swap the onion for leek or shallot.
Lemons - Use fresh lemons here; rather than the bottles of juice, you need to add the zest to the sauce, and the fresh juice will make the sauce taste better. Make sure you zest the lemons before you cut them open and juice them. It is very, very hard to zest a juiced lemon!
Broth/Stock - I use either homemade shrimp stock or store-bought fish stock for this recipe, but you can use seafood, chicken, or vegetable broth. Better than Bouillon fish base or lobster base would be great too. (made up as directed)
Heavy Cream - The recipe specifies heavy cream, and to be honest, I would not recommend trying to use half and half in its place here. There is a significant danger that the addition of lemon juice will split the sauce. This doesn't happen with heavy cream. You can use whipping cream or double cream as these both have a high enough fat content to avoid splitting.
Gnocchi – I like to use shelf-stable pre-packaged gnocchi. You can find it in the pasta aisle at the grocery store. It is usually vacuum-packed and lasts for several months in the pantry or cupboard. It is quick to cook and can be added to the sauce straight from the packet! No need to precook!
Shrimp – I always have a stash of 36/40 count, shelled and deveined shrimp in the freezer. They defrost quickly and are perfect for a quick dinner! Or you can use fresh shelled and deveined shrimp. Ensure if you are using frozen that they are fully defrosted before cooking. Be sure not to over-cook the shrimp. Overcooked shrimp are rubbery!