Shrimp and White Beans With Fennel and Pancetta

Shrimp and White Beans With Fennel and Pancetta
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
40 minutes
Rating
4(1,241)
Comments
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This quick, one-pan meal relies heavily on pantry staples. Browning pancetta or bacon adds richness to the tomato sauce, but skip it if you like. Anise-flavored fennel and seeds are incorporated into the soffrito, which plays nicely with the sweetness of the shrimp and the creaminess of the beans. But if you don’t like them, leave them out. Serve the dish in deep bowls with thick slices of garlic-rubbed toast, finish the dish with a flurry of fresh herbs, and pair it with a glass of something red, light and bright.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling (optional)
  • 4ounces pancetta or bacon, diced
  • 1small yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 1small or medium fennel bulb (about 6 ounces), tough outer leaves and stems discarded and thinly sliced crosswise, plus 1 tablespoon roughly chopped fronds
  • 2garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 2teaspoons fennel seeds
  • ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes (optional)
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1(28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with their juices, tomatoes crushed by hand
  • 1pound jumbo shrimp, preferably wild, peeled and deveined
  • 1(15-ounce) can white beans, such as butter beans or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • ½cup roughly chopped fresh herbs, such as Italian parsley, basil, mint or a combination (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

455 calories; 20 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 37 grams protein; 1230 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a deep 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate.

  2. Step 2

    Add the onion and sliced fennel to the skillet and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes, if using, and cook until the garlic begins to soften and the fennel seeds become aromatic, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and their juices. Fill the tomato can halfway with water, swish it around and add that, too.

  3. Step 3

    Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook on medium-low, allowing the flavors to come together, about 15 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Turn heat back to medium, stir in the shrimp and cook until just pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beans and the cooked pancetta and cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

  5. Step 5

    Divide among bowls, top with the herbs and drizzle with a bit more olive oil, if desired.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,241 user ratings
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Comments

The spices were amazingly delicious, but I wish I hadn't followed the step to add half a can of water, as it turned out way soupier than I thought it would. As written, it's more like a sauce. I served it over freekeh and it was a hit.

Wonderful! Per other notes, I skipped the half can of water and instead deglazed the pan with a 1/4 c of white wine after cooking down the garlic, fennel seeds, and crushed red peppers. I served it with pasta, so added 1/2 c of pasta water to the tomatoes after they’d cooked down a bit. Wonderful flavors. Add extra salt, garlic, crushed red pepper.

Feta, yes! I have a recipe very similar to this (without the fennel) and it calls for feta to be added at the end, letting it melt just a little. Serve over rice. Wonderful!

Quite tasty, will make again. I would use a small can of tomatoes, not a large one, though. I made a few tablespoons of stock from the shrimp shells and used that rather than the half can of water (which would have been too much).

Great recipe. I used Espelette pepper rather than red pepper flakes, and deglazed the pan with a glass of dry white wine- and it worked well. Next time I might try a variation, and use Italian sausage rather than shrimp, and see how that turns out. I imagine a handful or two of spinach added near the end wouldn't go amiss either.

Following comments I added 2 ribs of celery and omitted water. Delicious.

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