Why wine _before_ butter in shrimp scampi?

Why wine _before_ butter in shrimp scampi? - Cooked Shrimp and seashell dish

According to this recipe:

To make shrimp scampi you want to first cook the (marinated) shrimps in olive oil, then remove them, then lightly brown garlic slices, add white wine and let the alcohol evaporate, then add butter to melt and add the shrimps back.

Is there some specific reason to avoid putting the butter in before the wine?

I ask because in the video they mistakenly put the butter first and then they even throw the whole thing away and start over.



Best Answer

Because you want to cook (reduce) the wine down (or any other liquid).

Also, adding butter, usually cold butter chunks in the pan at the end will help emulsify the sauce.

in the grand scheme of things it is not a big problem if you add wine after the butter, but the result will be different, the wine will taste more raw, the sauce will not be as smooth.

I personally would not throw it out if it is for me only.




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What does wine do in scampi?

The bright acidity from the wine cuts the rich, buttery sauce of the Shrimp Scampi and adds a complex flavor. Not only that, but this wine pairs well with food, especially seafood. So you can serve the rest of it with the meal.

What can you substitute for white wine in scampi?

Typically shrimp scampi is made by adding a dry white wine to the sauce. The wine gives is a subdued sweet acidity that builds an incredible amount of flavor. If you don't want to use wine, you just need to replace it with chicken stock and lemon juice, which will give some of the flavor that the wine does.

Does scampi sauce have alcohol?

So, What is in a scampi sauce? Scampi by itself is a tiny, lobster-like crustacean that has been swapped with shrimps here in the United States. The sauce is a simple garlic, white wine and butter sauce. Very flavorful and goes very well with pasta or can be mopped with bread or rice.

What is shrimp scampi sauce made of?

Scampi sauce. In this garlic shrimp scampi, the sauce is made with a bit of butter, olive oil, white wine, garlic, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice. If you like, a little parsley for garnish.



Gordon Ramsay Cooks Shrimp Scampi In Just 10 Minutes | Ramsay in 10




More answers regarding why wine _before_ butter in shrimp scampi?

Answer 2

When adding wine for such a sauce, you want to reduce it down quite a bit (not to complete drynesss, though). The butter is there to give the sauce body by thickening it. But as there's not much that acts as an emulsifier1 except the butter proteins, you don't want to heat it more than strictly necessary once you add the butter: excessive heat would denature the proteins and destroy the emulsifier properties. This kind of sauce is also very difficult to reheat without it separating.

And of course, reducing a water-based liquid with a lot of oil in the pan gets messy. Butter or olive oil won't make a difference in that.


1: It's the emulsifying action of the butter proteins that keeps your sauce smooth, and prevents it separating in oil and water layers.

Answer 3

Fat and liquid don't mix well. If you add the better first you risk the wine splattering all over the place. It will be difficult and messy to reduce the wine down with the butter already in. Also as the other poster said the butter will emulsify the sauce, which it will not do if added first.

Answer 4

Well, as you're adding the wine directly after browning some garlic, I would expect that the wine ends up deglazing the pan - it will cool the pan, stop the garlic from overcooking, and loosen any bits of frond from the bottom, which brings all that lovely browned flavor into the sauce.

If you add butter first, it tends not to stop food from overcooking the same way liquids do (the butter gets to frying temperature quickly, as opposed to the liquid boiling off and taking heat with it) and it really doesn't loosen the frond the way liquid does.

The other answers mention the reduction, and longer/shorter cooking times for the wine and butter on the flavorings, and they all can play roles, but I thought it'd be worth mentioning the mechanical role the liquid can play

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