Shrimp Francese

Chicken Francese is a popular and delicious dish appearing on many menus in the New York Metropolitan area. Francese means "in the French manner" and refers to food dipped in egg, sauteed and then enhanced with a lemon-butter sauce. This recipe was adapted from the few recipes for chicken Francese I am aware of. Chicken Francese does not appear in any cookbooks currently in print and to my knowledge there is no recipe for shrimp Francese anywhere.


1 pound large shrimp, cleaned and deveined
2-3 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour for dredging
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 T. extra virgin olive oil
4 T. unsalted butter
4 T. dry vermouth
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley

Place the flour in a shallow platter and season it with salt and pepper. In a deeper bowl, beat the eggs and 3 T. water. Heat a large skillet over a medium-high flame.

Dredge the shrimp in the seasoned flour and then dip them in the egg wash. Add butter and olive oil to the pan. When the froth subsides, add the shrimp and cook them for about 2 minutes until they turn pink. Remove the shrimp and set aside on a warm platter while making the sauce.

Add the vermouth, chicken broth and lemon juice to the hot pan. Bring to a boil and let the mixture reduce by about one half until it is slightly thickened.

Pour the sauce over the shrimp and garnish with lemon wedges. Serve hot.

Serves 4