Lemony Shrimp and Bean Stew
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This lemony shrimp and bean stew is a dream for cold days and busy nights. It’s hearty, flavorful, and cozy, with tender shrimp and Cannellini beans simmered in a rich lemon and rosemary-infused broth. Best of all, it’s easy to make in just about 25 minutes.
We were in love with this dish from the first time I tried it. Although it immediately struck me as the perfect January dish—cozy, flavorful, protein-packed but not at all heavy—it’s so delicious that we enjoy it throughout the year.
Why You’ll Love a Shrimp and Bean Stew
- Quick and easy: takes about 25 minutes, maybe 30 if you need to defrost the shrimp
- Minimal prep or clean-up thanks to the one-pan method
- Real food all the way, with ingredients that are simple and minimally processed
- Just plain satisfying! The combination of shrimp, beans, and a rich lemony broth with hints of rosemary, garlic, and the subtle heat of paprika is warming to body and soul
What Others Say:
“Made this today…hands down, a FANTASTIC dish! … I sent this recipe to so many people and urged them to make it. It is quick, easy, and AWESOME! 😁” -Kirsten
“Great recipe. It’s simple and delicious, which is a great combination. The rosemary is a deft touch. Overall the stew had me wishing I had, as you suggested, made enough for leftovers.” -Phil
This is lightly adapted from a gorgeous New York Times recipe. All credit to them for the delicious spice combination that seasons the shrimp; you may not be sure about adding paprika together with these other flavors, but trust me, it’s perfect. My tweaks are mainly using a shallot and adding rosemary sprigs for more woodsy flavor in the broth.
Ingredient Notes
Cooking Shrimp: Tails On or Tails Off?
You typically can cook shrimp with the tails still on for a touch more flavor and to keep them less sensitive to overcooking, but in the case of this recipe I recommend pulling off the tails before cooking. It’s just a convenience thing: having the tails off makes it much easier to enjoy your finished stew with just a spoon. If you’re feeling especially industrious, simmer the tails in water to make a quick shrimp stock, which you can use as broth or freeze for another day.
Minor Variations
Many readers note they like to thicken the broth with a smidge of flour or cornstarch, add extra beans to stretch out the servings, or add red pepper flakes for a little kick!
This stew is also delicious with a glug of dry white wine—stir it in just prior to cooking the shallots and let the liquid simmer off to concentrate the flavor—or with pan-seared scallops in place of or in addition to the shrimp.
How To Make Shrimp and Rosemary Bean Stew
First, defrost the shrimp if necessary—just five minutes in a strainer under cool running water does the trick—and toss them in a medium bowl with the garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, olive oil, and lemon zest.
Equipment Tip
A microplane zester makes zesting citrus incredibly quick and easy. It’s also useful for finely grating small amounts of cheese, garlic, ginger, chocolate, and more. Definitely add one to your kitchen tool drawer if you don’t have one already, and be sure to buy one with an easy-to-grip handle!
Next, melt the butter. Be sure you choose a pretty large skillet; it will eventually hold the entire stew! Let the butter melt and start to foam, then stir in the shrimp together with any seasoning left in the bowl.
Shrimp cook very fast—usually in just five minutes or so! They’re done when curled into a tight “C” and opaque all the way through. Remove to a bowl or plate and set aside.
Sauté the shallot briefly in the same skillet, then stir in broth, beans, and whole sprigs of rosemary.
Bring to a simmer. Let this bubble away on low heat for roughly 8 minutes. The beans should become nice and tender, and the broth should reduce a bit and intensify in flavor.
Stir the shrimp back in, then add lemon juice, parsley, and more salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the rosemary sprigs; the flavor is already infused into the broth by this time, and the stems have an unpleasant texture.
Serving Suggestions
- My favorite situation is piping hot bowls filled with shrimp stew, garlic bread or garlic knots, and green beans or a peppery arugula salad for some roughage on the side.
- If you prefer to incorporate a grain right into the bowl, serve this over rice, orzo, or angel hair pasta.
Make It Family-Friendly
In my experience, kids can usually be persuaded at least to dunk some side bread in the broth, which can then be a stepping stone for the skeptical towards sampling a bean or a shrimp. Of course you also can deconstruct the stew and choose strategic side veggies that you know they will try.
More Cozy Soups and Stews
If you love this vibe and these flavors, try my Tuscan chickpea stew next, followed by our favorite Italian chickpea soup, lemon white bean and spinach soup, or a Tuscan white bean skillet. All super easy and delicious!
Lemony Shrimp and Bean Stew
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon paprika sweet or smoked
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled, deveined, and tails removed
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large shallot sliced
- 1 (15 ounce) can Cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 2 cups chicken, shrimp, or vegetable stock low-sodium recommended
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley minced
Instructions
- Combine olive oil, lemon zest, paprika, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add shrimp, toss to coat, and set aside.1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest, 1 teaspoon paprika, 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 pound large shrimp
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. When the butter starts to foam, add the shrimp together with all of the seasonings. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the shrimp are opaque on both sides and curl gently. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer shrimp to a plate and set aside.4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- Add sliced shallot to the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until starting to become tender and translucent.1 large shallot
- Stir in the beans, broth, and the whole sprigs of rosemary. Bring the mixture to a rapid boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 8 minutes, until the beans are tender and the liquid is reduced a bit. Remove the sprigs of rosemary.1 (15 ounce) can Cannellini beans, 2 cups chicken, shrimp, or vegetable stock, 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- Stir the shrimp and any juices back into the pan, followed by lemon juice and parsley. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Serve right away with crusty bread, pasta, rice, or veggies as desired.2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley
Notes
- Variations: Many readers note they like to thicken the broth with a smidge of flour or cornstarch, add extra beans to stretch out the servings, or add red pepper flakes for a little kick!
- Storage: Allow leftovers to cool, then transfer into any airtight container or heavy-duty zip-top bags. Refrigerate for 4-5 days.
- Reheating: Warm portions in the microwave at 50% power (to avoid overcooking the shrimp) or in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently to ensure even heating, and if the broth thickens more than you like, whisk in a splash of broth or water.
- Recipe: Lightly adapted from the New York Times.
Perfect dish!
I served over egg noodles
I would add a little flour to broth to thicken it up a bit.
So good
Great recipe. It’s simple and delicious, which is a great combination. The rosemary is a deft touch. Overall the stew had me wishing I had, as you suggested, made enough for leftovers.
I recently tried the Lemony Shrimp and Bean Stew recipe from your blog, and it was a delightful experience! The combination of tender shrimp and creamy cannellini beans in a lemon and rosemary-infused broth was both hearty and refreshing. I was particularly impressed with how quickly the dish came together perfect for a cozy meal on a busy evening. Thank you for sharing such a flavorful and easy-to-make recipe! 😄🍕
This recipe was excellent. My husband‘s comment was To add more beans.
I made this for dinner this evening. My husband and I both enjoyed it.i did swap out the beans and used a great northern bean option. Served it over a carrot and cauliflower puree as another reviewer had mentioned and that was very tasty.
Used spicy chicken broth. Added some zip to the dish. Delicious!!!
Love that idea! Thank you for sharing!
Made this tonight and it was great! I wanted the broth to be thicker and added 1/2T corn starch mixed with water before adding the shrimp and the rest. Use garlic paste to save even more time, and some red pepper flakes for a kick.
If I have a shellfish allergy can I substitute salmon instead of the shrimp?
Although I haven’t tried it personally I read the recipe closely again and don’t see reason that wouldn’t work! I would use the olive oil-spice mixture to rub onto the salmon, then pan sear it just the same way as you would saute the shrimp, remove it and proceed as directed. Please let me know how this turns out for you – I’m sure other readers would like to know, too.
Made this today…hands down, a FANTASTIC dish! I doubled it, subbed coconut oil for the butter, and was a can short of cannelini beans, so mixed in some light red kidneys. I sent this recipe to so many people and urged them to make it. It is quick, easy, and AWESOME! 😁
Delicious!
Amazing!
This is super good! I added an extra can of beans. Love the flavors!
This was amazing! I used a leek and refrained from Rosemary but it was delicious. Very easy to make and met my dietary needs. Next time I am doubling the batch as it served 3.
We made a double batch tonight. It was very good. Added an extra can of beans and some farffalini pasta.
Made this tonight and it was good. I served w bread– no pasta or rice. Forgot to take a pic for Inst, sorry!
Love the idea of lemon, shrimp, and white beans with some excellent toasted sour
dough bread…that being said, I cannot have garlic or onion, and am allergic to paprika. Any other ideas to make it flavorful so it’s not too bland?
I would consider adding some carrots or celery — plan to saute the carrots, especially, for a longer amount of time so that they soften — and then leaning into an Italian flavor profile with the seasoning, so either using an Italian seasoning blend in place of the paprika, or any mix you like of dried basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme, etc. I think it will still turn out well. Good luck and please let me know what you try!
This was a big winner at our house! I did make a few substitutions: instead of shallots, I used two leeks, sliced thinly. I used 2 cans of beans (instead of 1) and 3 cups of chicken stock (instead if 2). I added a couple of squirts of Lemongrass paste and a xouple of squirts of ginger paste. I used my immersion blender to puree about 1/3 of the soup to thicken and give it a bit more body.
Served it over a puree of carrots, cauliflower, and onion. Topped with a few crunched up cheese crisps. So so good!
That sounds delicious! I do love leeks. 🙂 Thank you for sharing these ideas and details, and I am so glad it was a winner for you!
Fantastic! Serving with toasted garlic sourdough.
So happy this was a winner for you! And wow does toasted garlic sourdough sound delicious. 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to leave this review!
I have not made this yet. I have grated Shallot in my freezer (frozen in Ice cube tray sizes). Can I use that – and how much shallot does your recipe actually call for? Also, I have canned “no-salt” cannellini beans. Wondering if they will work.
If using grated rather than sliced shallot, I would use a scant 1/4 cup, and watch carefully because it will cook more quickly and you don’t want it to burn. You can add it to the skillet straight from frozen. The no salt beans will be fine – you can just salt the finished stew to taste. Hope you like it!
I don’t have any raw shrimp. Can I use ones that are already cooked?
Yes, but you’ll basically just be warming them in the sauce, so skip cooking them in step 2 – just melt the butter, proceed with cooking the shallots, and add the pre-cooked shrimp at the end, allowing just a few minutes for them to warm through. I would also add the seasonings in with the beans, so they have time to infuse into the broth. Enjoy!
Wonderful on a rainy chilly evening and so easy to make! I followed the recipe as written but added 2 cups of pre-cooked rice to make it extra hearty. No sides needed – it was very filling on its own and I will absolutely make this again.