At Brennan’s Shrimp Victoria is described like this—“Gulf shrimp sautéed in butter with fresh basil and fresh mushrooms served in a light cream sauce with parsley rice.” I say “is” because you can still order it there, even if it’s not on the menu. A solid Creole restaurant would make it for you.
Most recipes have a few key ingredients. Shrimp Victoria depends on quality shrimp. Its simplicity requires that. Sour cream. Then a fresh green herb. Basil is traditional. That’s it.
That’s how we made it at Jimmy’s. We used basil or thyme but not both. In our version, we added white wine in the cooking process. Some recipes don’t do that. We used sour cream in the sauce as well. Of course a touch of salt and pepper plus Tony’s seasoning went in.
Sliced mushrooms are a traditional ingredient and that’s the way you’ll find it at Brennan’s. We didn’t do that at Jimmy’s, because we had another dish using mushrooms next on the menu.
When I make Shrimp Victoria at home, I go for simple. It’s such a luscious dish. I try not to get in the way. There are usually no mushrooms in ours. I do have green onions and often a little garlic. I add a spoon of stock to the sauce. Basil is a perfect herb, but in moderation.
How do I proceed? Make rice and set is aside to stay warm. Jasmine is my choice for Victoria. I use peel and deveined shrimp with the tails off. David Fuller brings them straight from the coast.
