Seared shrimp over herbed rice, finished with a tart Michigan-style sour cherry pan sauce.
This dish leans on Midwestern sour cherry season, especially the Montmorency cherries grown around Michigan, which are traditionally cooked down into a tart-sweet sauce for pork and duck. Applying that same sauce logic to seared shrimp is a modern home-cooking pairing rather than a historic dish, and the tartness of the cherries is what keeps it from tasting like dessert on a plate. Shrimp are seared quickly in a hot pan to build a browned crust, then set aside while the same pan is deglazed with a little vinegar and reduced with sour cherries, butter and a touch of sugar into a glossy pan sauce. Building the sauce in the same pan the shrimp cooked in picks up all the browned bits left behind, adding savory depth to balance the fruit's acidity. Served over a simple herbed rice, this makes a bright, slightly unexpected dinner that's ready in well under an hour.
Serves 4
Bring rice and stock to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15-18 minutes until tender. Fluff with a fork and stir in parsley.
Pat shrimp dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a skillet over high heat and sear shrimp 1.5-2 minutes per side until pink and just cooked through. Remove and set aside.
In the same pan, add garlic and cook 20 seconds, then add red wine vinegar to deglaze, scraping up the browned bits.
Add sour cherries, brown sugar and stock. Simmer 5-6 minutes, mashing a few cherries against the pan, until the sauce thickens slightly and turns deep red.
Remove from heat and swirl in butter until glossy.
Add the butter off the heat and swirl rather than stir, so the sauce stays emulsified instead of separating.
Return the shrimp to the pan and toss briefly in the sauce to reheat. Serve over the herbed rice.
Use fresh or frozen sour (tart) cherries specifically, not sweet cherries — the tartness is what balances the dish and prevents it from tasting like a dessert sauce.
Sear the shrimp in a single layer without crowding the pan, or they'll steam instead of developing a browned crust.
Reduce the sauce until it coats the back of a spoon before adding the butter; a thin sauce won't cling to the shrimp properly.
Use boneless chicken thighs instead of shrimp for a heartier version of the same sauce pairing.
Add a splash of bourbon to the sauce while it reduces for a deeper, slightly boozy note.
Swap the herbed rice for wild rice for a nuttier, more textured base.
Refrigerate shrimp, sauce and rice separately for up to 2 days. Reheat the sauce gently on the stovetop, then toss in the shrimp just until warmed to avoid overcooking.
Sour cherries have been a signature Midwestern crop since the 19th century, with Michigan producing the majority of the United States' tart cherry harvest, and cooks in the region have long paired the fruit's tartness with rich meats.
Yes, plump 3/4 cup dried tart cherries in warm water for 10 minutes first, then proceed with the sauce, reducing the added sugar slightly since dried cherries are sweeter.
It likely needs a few more minutes of reduction — the sauce should visibly thicken and coat a spoon before you swirl in the butter.
Yes, just thaw completely and pat very dry before searing, since wet shrimp won't brown properly in the hot pan.
Per serving (380g / 13.4 oz) · 4 servings total
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