Country: Italy
Century: 16th

• 1 lb shrimp
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup fish/shrimp broth*
• 2 oz golden raisins
• 2 egg yolks, beaten

Clean (be sure to also remove the tail) and cook (thawed) shrimp in water. Strain the shrimp (saving the water for the next step) and put into a deep pan. (You can skip this step by purchasing cooked shrimp). Chop the shrimp very small (almost minced). Fry shrimp in butter.

Original Recipe Sources

When shrimp is nicely fried, add raisins and broth. Cook on low heat until raisins plump. Be sure not to let the broth completely evaporate, there should always be liquid in the pan. When the raisins have plumped, remove from heat and add egg yolks. Stir continuously until the yolks are completely incorporated, but do not let them cook on the pan. The heat from the shrimp will be enough to cook the yolks, and the pottage will thicken as it cools.

*Fish/shrimp broth is easily made. If cooking raw shrimp in water, simply strain and use the water as the fish/shrimp broth. If using precooked shrimp, you can preheat them in hot water on medium heat to make your broth, being sure to strain the broth before using it. Broth can also be made by boiling the shells of the shrimp, if you opted to shell them yourself.

Original Recipe Sources

Source [Opera dell’arte del cucinare, Bartolomeo Scappi]: Per far minestra di polpe delli sudetti gambari cap 172 Terzo libro, Scappi La locusta sara sempre migliore de gli alri due gambari. Et piglinosi d'essa le polpe dapoi che son cotte in vin, o in acqua, & battinosi minute con li coltelli, e dapoi che saranno battute faccianosi soffriggere con oglio, o con butiro, giungendovi un poco di brodo d'altro pesce, & nella prima vera pongavisi uva spina, l'Estade agresto intiero, & il Verno uva passa, & come saranno bollite per un quarto d'hora, s'incorporino con rossi d'uova, nel modo che si fa alle minestre di carne battuta, & in giorno di vigilia in loco dell'uovo ponganovisi amandole peste, o pan grattato. In questo medesimo modo si potranno incorporare tutti li sopradetti pottaggi.

[Opera dell’arte del cucinare, Louis Smithson (trans.)]: To make a dish of the flesh of the said shrimp, chapter 172, third book, Scappi. The Scampi are always better than the other two types of shrimp. And take from these the flesh after they are cooked in wine or water, and chop them finely with a knife, and after they are chopped fry them with oil or with butter, adding a little fish broth, and in Spring add gooseberries, in summer whole sour grapes, and in winter dried raisins. And when they are cooked for a quarter of an hour one thickens with egg yolks, in the same way one does for chopped meat dishes, and in a vigil day in place of eggs one can add ground almonds or bread crumbs. In this same way one can thicken all the above mentioned pottages.

---