Try this Vegan Shrimp Lemon Scampi recipe, or contribute your own.
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 2 cans whole hearts of palm sliced into 1/2 inch rounds and browned.
- 1 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1/3 cup shallot thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup vodkadry vermouth or white wine
- 1/2 cup vegan crã¨me fraã®che
- 1/2 fresh lemon squeezed
- 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley chopped finely
- 1/3 cup basil roughly chopped
- Carbohydrate 35.7455956973363 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.277333725975882 g
- Fiber 2.48981479333436 g
- Protein 1.64578899721269 g
- Saturated Fat 0.0375003393623193 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (57g)
- Sodium 83.0622924507297 mg
- Sugar 33.2557809040019 g
- Trans Fat 0.163863630334729 g
- Calories 135 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large skillet, heat the vegan butter over medium-high, brown heart of palms on both sides.
- Remove from skillet, set aside.
- In the same large skillet add shallot and garlic, and cook until shallots soften, 4-5 minutes, do not brown.
- Add the vodka, vermouth or white wine; stir until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat now add the crème fraiche and lemon juice.
- Stir until the sauce is smooth.
- Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the parsley and basil.
- Add heart of palm back into the skillet warm, remove and place on a serving dish.
- Pour desired amount of sauce over hearts of palm.
- Top with fresh lemon and zest, salt and pepper to taste and serve.
- Side with crusty bread or over brown rice.
Hearts of palm provide the structural foundation for this dish, yielding a tender bite that mimics shellfish when sliced into half-inch rounds and properly browned. Achieving that texture requires high heat in a large skillet and thorough surface drying before the rounds hit the melted vegan butter. Slicing the rounds too thin results in mush, while failing to brown them leaves a fibrous, vegetal taste that overpowers the delicate citrus sauce. Shallots and garlic must sweat rather than brown over four to five minutes; letting allium pieces scorch introduces a bitter edge that ruins the brightness of the finished sauce. Using a dry white wine, vermouth, or vodka deglazes the pan effectively, and the liquid must reduce by half over five minutes to cook off harsh alcohol notes before the dairy alternative enters the pan.
Emulsifying Without Dairy
Vegan crème fraîche reacts differently to heat than traditional dairy cream, requiring precise temperature control during assembly. Removing the skillet from the heat source before whisking in the vegan crème fraîche and fresh lemon juice prevents the sauce from splitting or curdling. Fresh herbs like flat-leaf parsley and basil should be folded in just before serving to preserve their volatile aromatic oils, which degrade rapidly under prolonged heat.
- If the sauce separates, whisk in one tablespoon of warm water vigorously to re-establish the emulsion.
- Substitute dry white vermouth at a one-to-one ratio if white wine is unavailable.
- Store leftover hearts of palm and sauce separately in airtight containers for up to two days.
