Mix up pasta night by making this Italian-American shrimp Francese for dinner. Lightly-battered shrimp, a wine sauce, served over pasta with some lemon. Serve this delicious shrimp dish with chopped parsley and wedges of lemon.
Francese meals are typically made with chicken, but there are other options such as shrimp or veal. Francese also means “in the french matter”, which is a french technique. It typically is done in the order of dredging it in flour, dipped in a beaten egg, and often served with a lemon butter sauce. In this case, it is a white wine sauce with lemon and butter. I served this over angel hair, but linguine will work since both noodles pair perfectly with the sauce.
How to make Shrimp Francese
This meal takes 30 minutes from start to finish and is simply delicious. This recipe serves 2, but feel free to double it for 4 servings if you want leftovers or to feed the family. (Full ingredient amounts and complete instructions are available in the recipe card down below).
- Large or Extra Large Shrimp: Peeled and deveined. Pat them dry as well so the flour sticks to them properly
- All-Purpose Flour: For dredging the shrimp
- Egg: To dip the shrimp in.
- Salt, Ground Black Pepper, and Garlic Powder: Mix this in with the egg
- Butter
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Garlic
- Pinot Grigio: You want a dry white wine for this recipe. I recommend using a pinot grigio since it is on the drier side. You can use sauvignon blanc as well.
- Chicken Broth: I used this to have some more sauce.
- Fresh Lemon Juice: I recommend squeezing a lemon rather than using lemon juice concentrate from the bottle. You won’t get the same vibrant flavors. The squeezable bottle doesn’t offer much flavor either.
- Lemon Slices: Boil with the sauce. I removed them after a few minutes, but it’s your choice to keep them in!
- Fresh Parsley
- Angel Hair Pasta: Linguine works too!
Butterfly the shrimp then pat them dry. Add some flour to one bowl. Whisk the egg and seasonings in a separate bowl. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and keep warm. In a skillet, heat the oil on medium heat. Dredge the shrimp in the flour, then dip them in the egg. Once the oil is heated, carefully place the shrimp in the skillet to cook. Pan-fry until the shrimp is opaque and the coating is golden brown. Work in batches if needed. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and set aside; keep warm. Wipe out any excess oil. Melt half of the butter in the skillet. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add in the broth, pinot grigio, and lemon juice and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add in the lemon slices. Cook until the sauce is slightly reduced, then remove the lemon slices. Reduce the heat to low, then add a tbsp of butter at a time until the sauce is thickened. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Stir in the parsley. Add the shrimp to the sauce, turning the shrimp until they’re coated in the sauce. Serve over pasta. Top with fresh parsley.
Tips & FAQs
- Since this dish is best enjoyed immediately, I would not recommend storing leftovers as seafood and shellfish tend to not be good when microwaved. The shrimp will become chewy if you microwave it, so be sure to just make enough for dinner!
- This sauce thickens slightly as it sits, so keep that in mind if you want a thicker sauce.
- Variations:
- Gluten-Free: Use cornstarch instead of flour for dredging.
- Add in some spinach when simmering the sauce so it wilts. Toss in roasted broccoli. Add in some grape tomatoes before cooking the garlic to get some burst tomato action.
- Change the shrimp out for some chicken or veal! Just skip the butterfly step, of course. The recipe directions are still valid!
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Shrimp Francese
Ingredients
- About 1/2 lb large or extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- All-purpose flour, for dredging
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tbsp butter, divided
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 cup pinot grigio, or other dry white wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 6 round, thin slices of lemon, seeds removed
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 8 oz angel hair
Instructions
- Butterfly the shrimp and pat them dry.
- Cook the angel hair according to the package directions. Drain and keep warm.
- Add some flour to one bowl. Whisk together the egg and seasonings in another bowl. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Dredge the shrimp into the flour, then dip into the egg. Pan fry the shrimp, turning once or twice, working in batches if necessary, until they are golden on the outside, and cooked on the inside, about 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp. Set aside and keep warm.
- Wipe the excess oil out of the skillet. Melt 2 tbsp of butter in the skillet. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the pinot grigio, chicken broth, and lemon juices and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add in the lemon slices.
- Cook until the sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes, then remove the lemon slices (or keep them if you prefer!). Reduce the heat to low, then swirl in 1 tbsp of the remaining butter at a time until the sauce is thickened. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Stir in the parsley.
- Add the shrimp to the sauce, turning the shrimp until they’re coated in sauce. Serve the shrimp over pasta with extra sauce ladelled over it and garnish with extra parsley.
Notes
Since this dish is best enjoyed immediately, I would not recommend storing leftovers as seafood and shellfish tend to not be good when microwaved. The shrimp will become chewy if you microwave it, so be sure to just make enough for dinner!
This sauce thickens slightly as it sits, so keep that in mind if you want a thicker sauce.
Variations:
- Gluten-Free: Use cornstarch instead of flour for dredging.
- Add in some spinach when simmering the sauce so it wilts. Toss in roasted broccoli. Add in some grape tomatoes before cooking the garlic to get some burst tomato action.
- Change the shrimp out for some chicken or veal! Just skip the butterfly step, of course. The recipe directions are still valid!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
603Fat (grams)
25Sat. Fat (grams)
10Carbs (grams)
122.29Fiber (grams)
2Net carbs
109.16Sugar (grams)
3Protein (grams)
35.66Sodium (milligrams)
846Cholesterol (grams)
345The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and the brands of ingredients used.
Miss Raven's Kitchen 
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