If you’ve spent any time dining your way through San Antonio, chances are you’ve heard whispers of one of the city’s most iconic dishes...Shrimp Paesano. Born at the legendary Paesanos Restaurant in the 1960s, this signature dish quickly became a local obsession.
It’s not quite Italian, not quite Texan, but a rich, buttery lovechild of both, featuring large Gulf shrimp bathed in a velvety lemon-garlic cream sauce that clings to pasta like it was always meant to be there.
I was given this recipe by San Antonio foodies who reported it had been leaked to a local newspaper as part of a lover's spat. Whether that is true or not, I don't know, but I can report that its EXACTLY the taste I remember enjoying when I lived there in 2011.
It's truly the perfect meal, and if you follow our copycat recipe, it will rival your favorite restaurants attempt at this awesome dish (or at least let you enjoy it in your own home!)
Though its origins are tied to one famous restaurant, Shrimp Paesano has taken on a life of its own in Texas kitchens! Often it's passed down like a secret handshake from one home cook to the next. It’s the kind of recipe you pull out when you want to impress guests or celebrate something big, with its bold, silky flavors that hit all the right notes.
This dish serves best over a bed of angel hair pasta to soak up that luscious sauce, but it’s also fantastic with warm crusty bread or a side of sautéed spinach. Pair it with a crisp white wine (like a chilled sauvignon blanc or a buttery chardonnay) and you’ve got a meal that tastes like a five-star Texas night out, right from your own kitchen.
At a Glance
- Prep the Shrimp:
- Peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails on if desired. Soak in half and half.
- Lightly season with salt and pepper, then dredge them in flour (some recipes call for dipping in egg wash, then roll shrimp in flour or panko breadcrumbs, for a light coating). We remember the iconic dish with panko bread crumbs, but some report it's now dusted only in flour. You'll have to experiment to get the results you remember.
- Refrigerate while preparing the sauce and to let coating adhere.
- Pan-Fry the Shrimp:
- In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat
- Saute shrimp in a sauté pan until lightly golden brown and just cooked through (about 1-2 minutes per side)
- Remove and set aside to drain, SALT IMMEDIATLY.
- Make the Signature Creamy Paesano Sauce:
- Set up a bain-marie, which is a medium sauce pot of simmer water with a metal bowl that fits snug into the saucepot, but does not touch the simmering water.
- Add the egg yolk and fresh lemon juice and whisk well. Add the minced garlic.
- Place atop the bain marie and whisk while adding the cold cubed butter until. it is emulsified into a silky sauce.
- Remove from heat. Cover with a lid to keep warm while plating. Do not continue to heat or the sauce will break.
- Bring It All Together:
- On a plate, ladle a bit of the sauce out in a circle
- Place shrimp around the sauce and sprinkle with herbs
- Serve with pasta of choice if desired for an entree portion. (We always ordered this dish as an appetizer, which does not included pasta. Do whatever works for you!)
- Garnish and Serve:
- Top with fresh chives, fresh parsley, lemon zest, or grated parmesan (optional)
- Serve immediately while warm and saucy
Tips & Tricks for an Awesome Dish
- Use Cold Butter for the Sauce
- To get that classic creamy, silky texture, whisk cold butter into the sauce at the end, off the heat or on very low
- This creates an emulsion - no curdling or greasy separation!
- To get that classic creamy, silky texture, whisk cold butter into the sauce at the end, off the heat or on very low
- Double The Sauce Recipe if serving with pasta
- Don't Overcook the Shrimp
- Shrimp cook fast! As soon as they turn pink and start to curl, pull them from the pan
- Overcooked shrimp can turn rubbery and lose that tender bite you crave
- Shrimp cook fast! As soon as they turn pink and start to curl, pull them from the pan
- Fresh Lemon Juice is Key
- Bottled lemon juice won't cut it here! Make sure you get your hands on a fresh, large lemon
- Fresh lemon juice gives the sauce its bright, tangy backbone that balances out the richness of the better
- A Pinch of Cayenne for Spice
- Just a dash adds subtle heat and color...especially good if you're serving it with a creamy wine or buttery pasta
Easy Substitutes
- Butter Substitutes
- A high-quality vegan butter can be used if you're dairy-free, though it may not emulsify quite as well
- Seafood Substitutes
- Scallops can be used instead of shrimp. We love this lemon sauce on salmon, chilean sea bass, or smothering lobster ravioli.
Let's Get Cookin'!
And there you have it, y'all! Shrimp Paesano, straight from the heart of Texas to your dinner table. Whether you're trying to recreate the magic of San Antonio's River Walk, or just craving something buttery, garlicky, and downright irresistible, this dish delivers every time.
Serve it up for a date night, family dinner, or when you're looking to impress without breaking a sweat. Just don't forget the bread! You're gonna want every last drop of that delicious sauce.
If you try this recipe, let me know how it turned out in the comments or tag me on Instagram (@urbancowgirl) so I can see your shrimp masterpieces!
Shrimp Paesano Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Bain marie see notes below
Ingredients
Shrimp
- 1 pound shrimp peeled, deveined, tails on
- 1 pint of half-and-half
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 egg + water egg wash
- olive oil for saute
- 1 box cooked pasta of your choice
Lemon Butter Sauce (May I suggest doubling this sauce for sauce lovers)
- 1 egg yolk
- Juice of one large lemon
- One stick butter salted
- One to two cloves of fresh garlic minced
- Chopped fresh chives can sub green onions
Instructions
Shrimp
- Soak cleaned and deveined shrimp in half-and-half for 15 minutes. Set up a standard breading procedure containing 3 stations. One plate of flour, one bowl of egg wash (2 eggs plus a little water, whisked), and one plate of panko bread crumbs. Some people choose to bread in only flour-egg wash-flour, but we remember panko bread crumbs. Its really up to your tastes.
- Toss a few shrimp in the flour, followed by the egg wash, followed by panko bread crumbs. After breading, place each shrimp on a baking sheet and refrigerate until you are ready to cook.
- Cook pasta according to box instructions if serving with pasta. The entree version is served with pasta, the appetizer version is not. Do what is right for you.
Butter Sauce
- Set up a bain marie. This is a medium saucepan of water, with a metal bowl that fits snug into the saucepan to gently steam the sauce. This is commonly used to make egg sauces like this lemon sauce as well as hollandaise. Make sure the gently simmering water does not touch the bottom of the metal bowl.
- Add the egg yolk and the juice of one lemon in a metal bowl and whisk well. Add in the minced garlic. Cut the stick of butter into cubes and separate into two portions.
- Over a bain marie (simmering hot water in a sauce pan), whisk the lemon juice and egg yolk with half of the stick of butter until it melts into a sauce. Then add the remaining half a stick of butter (in cubes). Doing it in two parts makes things more manageable. Remove from the heat and cover until you are ready to plate up.
To Cook and Plate Up
- Sauté shrimp five shrimp at a time in hot olive oil until golden brown. Drain well and salt immediately.
- Serve a ladle of hot lemon sauce on a plate topped with five sautéed shrimp and sprinkled with chives. You may also serve this with hot pasta of your choice and a nice green salad.
Lisa says
I’ll be making this for New Years! When I was a kid in the 70’s dinner at Paisanos (in the old building before they moved to Lincoln Heights and the riverwalk) was a special night out. This was my favorite thing they made. I’d bet the flour only version is what I had. I don’t think Panko was very common in the 70’s.
Thank you!!!!
Sarah Penrod says
I think you are right. Happy Holidays and enjoy Lisa! 🙂 - Chef Sarah
Donna Defelice says
Love this recipe, I’ve made it many times!!