We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
TV chef Julia Child was a great resource for classic recipes and simple cooking tips that helped everyone to feel at home in the kitchen. Among many notable cookbooks, one of the most lauded is her two-volume set, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” which was published in 1961. With chapters devoted to soups, sauces, and egg dishes and her most famous boeuf bourguignon recipe, the work still holds up for its valuable guidance. One unique recipe featured is for beurre de crustaces, or shellfish butter. In the same vein as saving prawn shells and fish bones for a more flavorful seafood risotto, the recipe calls for “shellfish debris,” which are parts that would ordinarily be discarded like legs, chests, and shells. This creates a mouthwatering compound butter with a variety of uses.
In a modern-day context, this shellfish butter is particularly useful for those who wish to avoid food waste, especially if buying seafood whole. Rather than throwing away these scraps, the innovative recipe invites readers to reimagine the tasty possibilities. Per Child, the butter can be used for a variety of applications including in canapes, for hard-boiled eggs, as a spread on sandwiches, or to liven up shellfish soups. She also notes that, while arduous, the process is worthwhile and yields “exquisite” results.
Making the most of your shellfish butter
If you have the time, patience, and shellfish, making this butter is a must. The recipe calls for either cooked shellfish debris, cooked unpeeled shrimp, or cooked shellfish meat and a small amount of tomato paste and hot melted butter. This mixture is to be blended multiple times and then strained through a fine-meshed drum sieve, beaten with a wooden spoon as it congeals, and seasoned with salt and pepper to taste. The recipe also notes that the butter can be frozen for later use. It’s truly the gift that keeps on giving, and your patience and preparation is rewarded with a versatile condiment.
Imagine the delight of spreading shellfish butter on an easy French bread recipe or a round of toast points topped with caviar. You can even use it to liven up a simple dish of buttered noodles. For a decadent grilled cheese sandwich, it makes an ideal spread for both the inside and outside of your bread. Most simply, use a pat or more as a topping for a seafood bisque or a freshly cooked steak. It’s also excellent for poaching fish, thickening up soups and stews, and anywhere else that could use a bold dash of rich, seafood flavor.
