Shrimp Francese (or francaise) is a classic Italian-American dish that combines succulent, egg-battered shrimp that’s simmered in a buttery lemon and white wine sauce and topped with fresh parsley. This simple seafood dish goes perfectly with rice, linguine, or crusty bread and is so simple it’s sure to become part of your rotation!
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Shrimp Francese is one of those dishes I grew up eating.
Anytime we’d go to an Italian restaurant, it was on the menu alongside some other favorites, like baked clams, shrimp parm, and shrimp fra diavolo.
As great as it is at a restaurant, it’s even better at home, and is incredibly easy to make!
I love to serve shrimp Francese with rice pilaf, or linguine, but it’s also great with crusty bread.
A simple sauteed green like broccoli rabe or spinach rounds out the meal.
And when you’re in the mood for chicken, check out our recipe for chicken Francese!
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How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Mince 1/4 cup of flat-leaf Italian parsley and 3 cloves of garlic. Cut 1 large lemon into slices, and juice enough of another lemon to yield 1 tablespoon of juice. Clean and devein 1 1/2 pounds of colossal shrimp (roughly U15 size). If you’d like to butterfly the shrimp, do that now by cutting the shrimp almost all the way through, lengthwise. Then flatten it as shown. Prepare a frying station with the shrimp, a bowl with 1 cup of flour, and a bowl of 5 large beaten eggs mixed with half of the minced flat-leaf Italian parsley.
- Dry the shrimp off with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Heat a large nonstick pan to a little less than medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. Dredge the shrimp in flour and shake off the excess. Note: you’ll need 3 tablespoons of flour for the sauce later on. Reserve 3 tablespoons from the dredging flour and the rest can be discarded.
- Dip the shrimp into the eggwash, then add them to the pan. If needed, work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Fry the shrimp for 1-2 minutes per side, then place on a wire rack or paper towels to drain. Note: If you chose to butterfly the shrimp, you can try to get the shrimp to fry with the flat side down. An easier way to get them to fry flat is to remove the tails before frying. The choice is yours.
- Repeat the process for the remaining shrimp adding extra oil and butter as needed.
- Wipe down the pan to remove most of the accumulated oil and butter and add 3 tablespoons of butter and the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Take 3 tablespoons of flour from the dredging flour and add to the pan, whisking over medium heat for 30 seconds or until smooth.
- Add 3/4 cup of dry white wine and turn the heat up to high and allow to boil for 30-60 seconds while whisking. Add 1 1/2 cups of low-sodium chicken stock and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and bring to a boil for 1 minute while whisking.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and taste test the sauce. Adjust any salt and pepper as needed.
- Return the shrimp to the pan along with the lemon slices and gently coat the shrimp with the sauce. Heat through and cook for 3-4 minutes while spooning the sauce over the shrimp.
- Stir in the remaining parsley before serving. Serve the shrimp with rice, linguine, or with crusty bread and enjoy!
Top tips
- Shrimp. I used U15 shrimp for this recipe, meaning there are 15 shrimp per pound. I find that the larger shrimp are much better for this dish. Also, I recommend butterflying the shrimp as it will create more surface area for batter and sauce and makes for an overall better experience and appearance. The same principle works well for shrimp parmigiana.
- Wine. I used Sauvignon Blanc for this recipe but any dry white wine will work. If you prefer to not use wine, you can omit it entirely.
- Pan. Using a nonstick pan is a great idea for this particular recipe since it will help to prevent the delicate batter from sticking and coming off the shrimp.
More awesome shrimp recipes
It’s no secret that we’re huge shrimp fans here at Sip and Feast. Here are just a few of our favorites, but feel free to browse our entire seafood category for more!
- Shrimp oreganata – shrimp with garlicky breadcrumbs, lemon, and butter.
- Lemon garlic shrimp pasta – al dente pasta tossed with shrimp, parsley, lemon juice, and garlic.
- Shrimp alla vodka – pasta tossed with shrimp in a creamy pink sauce.
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Shrimp Francese
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds colossal shrimp cleaned, deveined, and butterflied – around U15 count
- 5 large eggs beaten
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 8 tablespoons butter divided
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup flour
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 large lemon sliced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley minced, divided
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Instructions
- Prepare a frying station with the butterflied shrimp, a bowl of flour, and a bowl with the beaten eggs and half of the parsley mixed in.
- Heat a large nonstick pan to a touch lower than medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan.
- Dry the shrimp off with paper towels then season the shrimp with salt and pepper on both sides. Dredge shrimp into the flour, shake off the excess, and dip into the eggwash then add to the pan. Do not crowd the pan! Work in batches. Use more oil/butter as required for subsequent batches. Fry the shrimp for 1-2 minutes per side, then place on paper towels or a wire rack to drain. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the dredging flour for use later on.
- Wipe the pan down and add 3 tablespoons of butter and the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 60 seconds). Next, add 3 tablespoons of flour to the pan and whisk over medium heat until smooth (about 30 seconds).
- Add in the white wine, turn the heat to high, and bring to a boil for 1 minute while whisking. Next, add the chicken stock and lemon juice and again bring to a boil for 1 minute while whisking. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Taste test the sauce and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Return the shrimp to the pan along with the lemon slices and gently coat the shrimp with the sauce. Heat through for 3-4 minutes while spooning the sauce over the shrimp.
- Stir in the remaining parsley before serving. Serve over rice, linguine, or with crusty bread. Enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe can easily be made with flounder, cod, or scallops.
- Use a nonstick pan to avoid sticking.
- Leftovers can be stored for up to 3 days in fridge. Reheat in the oven at 325f covered until warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Delicious Shrimp Tara. I made it with linguine & it was awesome! Thanks for the recipe Tara! 😁
So happy you enjoyed, Lana!
I added shallots with the garlic sooooo good
Chicken stock ??. No I suggest shrimp or lobster base for sure. And do you recommend salted or unsalted butter ?
You can certainly use shrimp stock if you have it. Unsalted butter is recommended for this recipe.
Looks amazing! Have to try this one!!
Can you taste the eggs? I really don’t like eggs. Can I make ithe dish without them? Thank you, Nancy
Hi Nancy, no, you can’t taste the eggs here. They are a necessary component of the batter so we wouldn’t recommend omitting them.
I must try this soon. Looking at the ingredients sounds delicious 😋. My kind of cooking !!
We hope you love this one, Lorraine!
There are no words to describe how mouth wateringly delicious this Shrimp Francaise is! The shrimp are tender and the sauce is a garlicky lemon butter symphony! It’s restaurant quality. We loved it! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Cheryl, thanks for the comment and so happy you loved this recipe!
Jim, this Shrimp Francese recipe was everything I hoped for! On my first try! I don’t think I would get it this good at a restaurant. Flavors came together exactly like I wanted and was not intimidating to make as I feared shrimp francese to be. Your recipe made it effortless and delicious!!! Loved it! Thanks so much for excellent recipes.
Your Shrimp Francese recipe is a definite keeper. I used 13/15 shrimp and the sauce was a total compliment. We are not big lemon people. I used the juice from 1/2 a lemon and it was perfect. My husband raved about this dish…..I kept telling him it was his Birthday dinner even though it was not his birthday….Great Recipe…..
Hi Laura, we’re so happy you and your husband enjoyed it and really appreciate your comment!
Can these be made in advance? Like doing the shrimp, set aside, make the sauce, set aside, and then combine when ready to serve?
Hi Vicki, thanks for the comment, and yes, you can definitely make ahead, but reheating shrimp can be tricky so it’s always better when made fresh.
O.M.G. another outstanding recipe! I cannot tell you how many of your recipes have become favorites here. Thank goodness for Pinterest where I can keep them organized. I really enjoy your channel and love your family interaction.
Hi Cheryl, thanks for the comment and kind words. We’re so happy you enjoyed the shrimp francese!
No offense but I much prefer Jim and his videos! Plus you need to get a better picture of Tara it is not flattering at all
Hi Roger, Jim is the creator of all the recipes and videos. If you look through the process photos for the recipe you’ll see his hands. I am the writer of the posts. Glad you liked the picture!
Was wondering why you didn’t use the shrimp shells for stock.
Hi William, this recipe, like most of our recipes, was created for the every day person who may not have the time to make their own shrimp stock. That being said, if you have the time and resources to make a shrimp stock, you can certainly do so and it would add great flavor to the dish.
dinner tonight …. cant wait ….thank you for the recipe……. Ive made chicken franchese but never the shrimp … will make with cappellini …. thanks.. I share your recipes with all my friends and family.. we cook so much alike and Ive learned a lot from you as well…I trust all you do… and know it will turn out well…
Hi Sue, thanks for the comment and so happy you enjoyed!
Another nice recipe. I need a larger pan though.
Hi Larry, thanks for the comment and so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Really enjoyed this recipe. Only change was to scale it for 2. Served it over seasoned cauliflower rice with roasted asparagus. Looking forward to other recipes. Thank you!
Hi Kenny, so happy you enjoyed the francese and really appreciate the comment!
Looks so delicious, can’t wait to make it
Hi Phyllis, thanks for the comment and hope you enjoy!
I love this dish. I use Himalayan salt instead of regular. And lots of garlic. As we love it so much! But this dish is quick and easy and delicious!!💓🙏
Hi Michelle, thanks for the comment and so happy you enjoyed it!
Can you cook scallops instead of shrimp for francese
Hi Diane, yes, you can do this with scallops.
I think you’re amazing the way you share your skills with others. Thank you💜
Hi Dimita, I appreciate the comment and so happy you’re enjoying the recipes!
Looks so good! I’ve never tried it but will now!😋
Thanks for the comment, Pamela, and hope you enjoy!