Shrimp Butter is Your New Best Friend

So few things in life can make almost anything better. But I think shrimp butter falls into that category. Hear me out:  It is basically a sauce that can be made easily but elevate any type of dish. Spread it on toast in the morning or make a fancy-seeming pasta at night for guests. Make a tomato sandwich spread with shrimp butter or put it in a bowl of rice and take it to the next level. There are very few things that shrimp butter can't do. And you know what makes it even better? It takes less than 10 minutes to make.

I grew up with variations on shrimp butter since in the Lowcountry of South Carolina there are few things more prevalent than shrimp. But I also saw a version in Normandy that knocked my socks off. So this aims to be the in-between - a Southern staple but one that still tries to be as light and bright as possible.

This is also great in the freezer - keep it on hand and then whip it out when you have guests. Trust me, no one will think you didn't plan ahead.

Shrimp Butter

Makes approximately 1 cup

Shrimp Butter Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup shrimp, deveined and cut lengthwise
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 clove garlic
Juice of half a lemon
Salt to taste

Place a pan on high heat and add the canola oil. When hot, add the shrimp and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the shrimp are just cooked through. Set them aside to cool.

In a blender addthe shrimp and pulse until the shrimp is in small chunks. Add the butter, garlic and lemon. Pulse until combined, being careful not to go too fast so as to overheat the butter. Taste and then add salt as needed.

To make the toasts spread the butter on bread and add arugula and cooked shrimp on top.