Seared Shrimp with Gingered Butternut Squash
The silky butternut squash purée adds a spiced sweetness to the crisp shrimp. This is an ideal starter for a fall dinner.
Ingredients
Pumpkin Seeds
- ½ cup shelled pumpkin seeds
- 1½ teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Ginger Syrup
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup peeled and grated fresh ginger
- ½ fresh red Thai chile
- ½ butternut squash, seeded
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons whole star anise
- 1½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons grape seed, corn, or other neutral oil
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons fresh micro Thai basil or chopped fresh regular Thai basil
Instructions
Pumpkin Seeds
- To make the pumpkin seeds: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with some parchment paper.
- Toss the pumpkin seeds with the oil and salt. Spread in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake, stirring once, until golden and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Set aside to cool. Leave the oven on.
Ginger Syrup
- To make the ginger syrup: Put all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and squeeze the ginger juice into the saucepan. Return the squeezed ginger pulp back to the saucepan and stir well. Cool to room temperature, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Set aside.
- Season the squash generously with salt and white pepper and dot with 3 tablespoons of the butter. Wrap in foil and bake on a rimmed baking sheet until completely tender, about 1 hour. Unwrap, cool slightly, and scoop out the flesh into a blender.
- Add the reserved ginger syrup and 2 teaspoons salt to the blender and purée until smooth. Set aside.
- Grind the star anise and chile flakes in a spice grinder until the mixture becomes a fine powder. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Season the shrimp with the spice mixture and add to the skillet. Cook on one side until nicely browned and crisp, about 2 minutes, then flip the shrimp over and cook until cooked through and nicely browned, about 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Divide the squash purée among four shallow serving dishes. Decoratively arrange the shrimp next to it.
- Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter becomes foamy, add the pumpkin seeds and cook, tossing, until warm and fragrant, about 1 minute. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds over the shrimp and drizzle the pumpkin seed butter on top. Garnish with the basil and serve.