Shrimp Florentine
So much flavor is packed into one simple shrimp dinner. You can easily make it on a week night and the dinner will feel like you are eating out at a fancy restaurant!
Have you ever wondered what is “Florentine?”
Florentine, or a la Florentine, is referred to as a style of cooking that came from Florence, Italy. These dishes prominently feature spinach and cream sauce. Most often, Florentine is a preparation style for eggs, fish, and chicken.
The main ingredient that shines in every Florentine recipe is spinach. Sometimes, you will find mushrooms, artichokes, or white beans as well.
Along with spinach, there is usually a cream sauce present. Florentine dishes feature a basic béchamel white sauce but may have some simple variation such as addition of cheese. For my Florentine dishes, I like to add white wine to the sauce and give it a little French twist.
How To Make Florentine Lactose Free or Dairy Free
- Those of you who need to stay away from dairy/lactose will be happy to know that you can enjoy this Shrimp Florentine (and Salmon Florentine) and substitute heavy whipping cream. I’ve made both dishes without heavy whipping cream and both times, I barely even noticed the difference.
- To substitute heavy whipping cream, I recommend using lactose-free half and half and a little bit of cornstarch for thickening. Only a little bit of cornstarch is needed, just 1-2 teaspoons. Make sure to mix cornstarch with a splash of cold half and half or chicken stock before adding it to the pan.
- For dairy-free option, you can use unsweetened cashew creamer and almond milk. You can also try unsweetened oat creamer. (There are also plant based heavy whipping cream option you can get at stores but that is meant for whipping for desserts and I personally don’t like it in sauces.)
Can I Omit Wine?
Technically, yes this dish can be made without wine. There is no substitution that will make it taste the same so wine can be simply omitted. This will still be a delicious Shrimp Florentine, the sauce will just taste a bit different.
What To Serve With This Dish?
- Shrimp Florentine can be served over fettuccine or another pasta. (This is a great dish for anyone who loves shrimp alfredo.)
- Another wonderful and comforting addition to this dish is some fresh Italian bread or some garlic bread. It will complement the dish well and bread will help soak some of this delicious sauce.
- If you want to keep is healthier, serve it with some green vegetables like haricots verts, broccoli, or roasted brussels sprouts. Crunchy vegetables are great served in this creamy sauce.
- As a grain option, you can serve this over quinoa or farro.
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Shrimp Florentine Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb raw shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 9 oz frozen spinach liquid squeezed out
- 2 shallots
- 5 oz shiitake mushrooms
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes diced
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Peel and devein the shrimp if needed. Squeeze liquid out of spinach, slice mushrooms and shallots, dice sun-dried tomatoes, smash and mince garlic cloves.
- Preheat a large cooking pan over medium heat. Add oil.
- Add sliced onions and saute until softens.
- Add spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes, until mushrooms start to soften.
- Add garlic, mix, and cook until fragrant.
- Pour in white wine and let it simmer for about 5 minutes to let the alcohol cook out.
- Stir in heavy whipping cream and chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper and bring the mixture to simmer.
- Nestle shrimp in the pan among the veggies and sauce. Cook until shrimp turns pink and opaque on one side and flip. Cook until shrimp turns pink and opaque on the other side as well. Take off heat and serve.
Notes
- Need to omit wine? Technically, this dish can be made without wine. There is no substitution that will make it taste the same so wine can be simply omitted. This will still be a delicious Shrimp Florentine, the sauce will just taste a bit different.
- Storing: store leftovers in an air-tight food storage container, in the refrigerator, for up to 2 days.
- Reheating: Use a sauce pot to reheat your leftovers. Reheat it over medium-low heat until hot.
Nutrition
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
I’m a caterer & home chef for 40 years. I’ve created many recipes. This Shrimp Florentine is perfect. I didn’t change a thing.
Wow, coming from someone with your experience, that’s such a huge compliment—thank you! I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the Shrimp Florentine just as it is. It means a lot to know it met your high standards. Thank you for trying it and for your kind words! 🙂
I substituted 1 can of quartered artichoke hearts in place of sun dried tomatoes and additional garlic to our taste. We used fresh spinach from the garden. Very easy to make
That sounds good! I am glad you liked it!
Can you use fresh spinach?
Hi Norma,
Yes, you can use fresh spinach you will need to increase the amount since it wilts down so much.
What’s the best type of white wine to use for this?
Excellent thank you, very tatsty. Used creme fraiche, only becuase we had some in the fridge and it suited the recipe well. Looking forward to our next time with this recipe..
Thank you, Bob! I am so glad you liked it!
I just made this and it is delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe! 🙂
Hi Monica,
I am so happy you enjoyed it!