What is shrimp butter, and how is it made?

Shrimp butter is butter blended with finely crushed shrimp shells (and ideally a little of the shrimp), which gives color and flavor. Here 60 g shrimp butter is used, stirred into the sauce after it has been taken off the heat — it must not boil, or it will lose its color and aroma.

Why should the sauce be reduced to ½ liter?

The base sauce is ½ liter of white sauce, and with 1 dl cream and 1½ dl fish bouillon it becomes too thin. By reducing it back to ½ liter you get the right consistency and a more concentrated fish flavor.

How do I keep the sauce warm without it separating?

The recipe recommends a water bath. After the shrimp butter, shrimp, sherry, paprika, and salt have been stirred in, the pan is set in hot water — that keeps the sauce warm without boiling and separating.

What does this sauce go with?

It is a classic fish and shellfish sauce from Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), and goes well with boiled or poached fish, fish pudding, and fish-forcemeat dishes.

Shrimp Sauce (sauce crevettes)

Name: Shrimp Sauce (sauce crevettes)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 5 dl white sauce (ready-made white base sauce); 1 dl cream; 1.5 dl fish stock (fish bouillon); 60 g shrimp butter; 2.5 dl shrimp (peeled); sherry (to taste); salt (to taste); paprika (to taste)

Erken's shrimp sauce from 1914: white base sauce reduced with cream and fish stock to 5 dl, seasoned with shrimp butter, shrimp, sherry, paprika, and salt, kept warm in a water bath. Served with fish.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 340 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

The recipe appears in the sauce chapter among the fine, French-inspired shellfish sauces that Erken recommends for fish and fish fillets. It is built on a ready-made white base sauce, as was common in kitchen practice in the early 1900s.

How to make it

1
Reduce the sauce
Stir the cream and fish stock into the white sauce and reduce the mixture to about 5 dl.
2
Season
Take the pot off the heat and stir in shrimp butter, shrimp, sherry, paprika, and salt to taste.
3
Keep warm
Keep the sauce warm in a water bath until serving.

Changes from the original

Deciliters and liters are listed as modern measures (1 part = 1 dl), fish bouillon is called fish stock, and "wine" in the method has been specified as the sherry in the ingredient list. Quantities without a numeric value in the OCR have been interpreted from the method (the sauce is reduced to ½ l).

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Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From1914 1949 Modernised

To1914 1949 Modernised

1914 (proofread, p. 340) → 1949 (proofread, p. 375)~93% of the text changedremovedadded

~~½ l. hvit saus 1~~ Rekesaus I. (Sauce crevettes.) 100 gr. smeltet smør 15 gr. hvetemel 3 del. kokende fløte 1½ eller fløtemelk 1/2 del. ~~fiskebuljong 60 gr. rækesmør ¼ l. ræker sherry salt paprika. Den hvite saus tilsættes fløten og fiskebuljongen, koker ind til ½ l., tages av ilden~~ hvitvin eller lys buljong 3/4 kg. reker. Melet røres i det smeltede smør, tilsettes fløten, røres jevnt og ~~irøres rækesmør, ræker, vin, paprika~~ småtrekker i 10 min.; tilsettes vinen, og ~~salt efter smak. Holdes~~ idet sausen skal serveres, hes de rensede reker i. Sausen må nu ikke koke, men holdes varm i ~~vandbad.~~ vannbad.

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Frequently asked questions

What is shrimp butter, and how is it made?: Shrimp butter is butter blended with finely crushed shrimp shells (and ideally a little of the shrimp), which gives color and flavor. Here 60 g shrimp butter is used, stirred into the sauce after it has been taken off the heat — it must not boil, or it will lose its color and aroma.
Why should the sauce be reduced to ½ liter?: The base sauce is ½ liter of white sauce, and with 1 dl cream and 1½ dl fish bouillon it becomes too thin. By reducing it back to ½ liter you get the right consistency and a more concentrated fish flavor.
How do I keep the sauce warm without it separating?: The recipe recommends a water bath. After the shrimp butter, shrimp, sherry, paprika, and salt have been stirred in, the pan is set in hot water — that keeps the sauce warm without boiling and separating.
What does this sauce go with?: It is a classic fish and shellfish sauce from Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), and goes well with boiled or poached fish, fish pudding, and fish-forcemeat dishes.

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