Butter Poached Shrimp in Olive Oil

There is a dish at one of our favorite restaurants, Le Petit Maison, which has perfectly-cooked shrimp served in a warm puddle of olive oil, with some fresh basil on top.  We’ve been ordering it for years and it inspired this dish, though we have added some additional flavors.  This makes a great first course for dinner.

Ingredients 

• 4 pounds shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail off, and cut in half — down the middle
• 4 sticks of unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
• 6 tablespoons of Pernod
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons chopped dill
• 2 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
• Juice of one lemon and the zest
• Garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• Luke warm extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chiffon(ed) into 1/8 inch long strips
• Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Time to Cook

• In a saucepan, warm the olive oil with a liberal amount of salt and pepper
• Put a dutch oven over medium heat and bring the Pernod to a boil
• Add the butter, piece by piece, whisking it into the liquid until completely emulsified then whisk is the dijon
• Add the dill, lemon juice, zest, garlic and bay leaves and stir
• Stir in the shrimp with a wooden spoon and cook for 4-6 minutes, you do not want to overcook the shrimp
• Remove the garlic and bay leaves
• Place the warmed olive oil on a small plate, creating a small pool
• Place the shrimp cut side down and layer with basil
• Add a pinch of sea salt
• Serve immediately