Swedish Creamy Dill Shrimp and Rice

About This Recipe

Dill and cream form the backbone of Swedish fish cookery, showing up in everything from gravlax sauce to fish soup (fisksoppa). This dish channels that same base into a comforting rice bowl: shrimp gently poached in a butter-cream sauce built on a soft-cooked onion, brightened with mustard for a little sharpness and finished with a heavy hand of fresh dill, then served over rice to soak up the sauce. The key technique is keeping the shrimp from overcooking. They go into the cream sauce only in the final few minutes, just long enough to turn pink and curl slightly — any longer and they turn rubbery, which is the single most common mistake with quick shrimp dishes. The sauce itself should be simmered gently rather than boiled hard, since cream can split if it's pushed too fast. This isn't a single named Swedish classic, but the pairing of cream, dill, mustard and shellfish reflects real Swedish coastal cooking, particularly in the west coast fishing towns where shrimp and cream sauces are a lunchtime staple. Serve it hot, straight from the pan, with extra dill scattered over the top.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 600 graw shrimp(peeled and deveined)
• 3 tbspbutter
• 1yellow onion(finely diced)
• 2 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 tbspgrainy mustard
• 1 cupheavy cream
• 0.5 cupfish or vegetable stock
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 0.25 tspwhite pepper
• 0.5 cupfresh dill(chopped, plus extra to serve)
• 2 cupslong-grain rice(cooked)
• 1lemon(cut into wedges)

Instructions

1. 1

   Soften the onion

   Melt butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Cook onion for 5 to 6 minutes until soft and translucent, then add garlic for 30 seconds until fragrant.

2. 2

   Build the sauce

   Stir in mustard, then pour in cream and stock. Bring to a gentle simmer, not a boil, and let it reduce slightly for 5 minutes.

   Keep the heat at a gentle simmer once the cream goes in — boiling hard can cause it to split.

3. 3

   Poach the shrimp

   Season the sauce with salt and white pepper, then add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until just pink and curled.

4. 4

   Finish with dill

   Remove from heat and stir in most of the chopped dill, reserving some for garnish.

5. 5

   Serve

   Spoon warm rice into bowls, ladle the creamy shrimp over the top, and finish with the reserved dill and a lemon wedge on the side.

Variations

• •

  Fish version: swap the shrimp for chunks of firm white fish like cod, poaching for 5 to 6 minutes instead.

• •

  Lighter version: use half cream, half whole milk for a lighter sauce that still holds together.

• •

  Add crayfish: fold in cooked crayfish tails along with the shrimp for a more festive west-coast Swedish spread.

Storage

The cream sauce is best eaten fresh, but leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat gently over low heat, stirring often, and avoid boiling to keep the shrimp from toughening.

Frequently Asked Questions