Garlicky Cream-Topped Baked Shrimp with Artichoke Stuffing

Info

• Hands-on prep: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• From start to finish: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Yield: 6 as an appetizer

Ingredients

Anchovy-Garlic Cream

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Shrimp, Artichoke, and Stuffing

• 1 artichoke, with the stem and leaf tips trimmed
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling over the shrimp
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
• Freshly ground black pepper
• About 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 18 large shrimp (roughly 15 per pound), peeled with the tails left intact
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

1. Start the cream sauce. In a medium skillet set over medium heat, warm the 3 tablespoons of oil together with the butter. Stir in the onion, shallots, and garlic, cooking and stirring often until the onion softens and turns translucent, roughly 7 minutes. Stir in the anchovy paste and cook until it smells fragrant. Pour in the half-and-half and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.
2. Thicken the sauce. Stir the cornstarch into an equal amount of water in a small bowl until smooth. Whisk about 1 1/2 tablespoons of that slurry into the sauce, whisking as it comes back to a simmer. Let it bubble for 1 to 2 minutes, then check how thick it is. If it still looks runny, whisk in more of the slurry the same way. Season with salt and pepper and hold it warm over the lowest possible heat.
3. Steam the artichoke. Place the artichoke in a medium saucepan with roughly 2 inches of water and a pinch of salt. Cover and steam over medium heat until a leaf comes away without resistance, about 40 minutes. Let it cool, then pull off the leaves and scoop the fuzzy fibers out of the heart. Slice the heart and set it aside.
4. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
5. Make the stuffing. Warm 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and shallots and cook, stirring often, until softened and translucent, about 7 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, then fold in the bread crumbs and half of the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Add enough chicken stock to bind the mixture so it clumps together. Set aside.
6. Stuff and bake the shrimp. Butterfly the shrimp, remove the veins, and lay them flat with the cut sides facing up. Mound stuffing onto each one. Scatter the artichoke slices across the bottom of a greased baking dish, then reshape the shrimp and set them close together in a single layer on top. Drizzle with the melted butter and a little olive oil, and bake until the shrimp turn firm and opaque, about 10 minutes.
7. Plate and serve. Set the shrimp and artichoke on appetizer plates, spoon the garlic cream over the top, scatter with the rest of the parsley, and serve.