Egg-White Frittata with Shrimp, Tomato, and Spinach Recipe
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This simple, elegant egg dish can be served either hot or at room temperature. We like to eat it when it’s still nice and warm.
What to buy:
Look for the smallest shrimp you can find, so that you can fit more of them into the frittata. If you can’t find good-looking small ones, try quartering larger ones.
If you’re not into separating the 16 eggs needed for this recipe (or have no use for the remaining yolks), we’ve found that Eggology’s packaged liquid egg whites are just as good as fresh ones.
Special equipment: Egg dishes really benefit from the use of a nonstick pan. Teflon-coated pans work really well, but if you’re leery of the coating, use a well-seasoned cast iron pan instead.
Game plan: Unlike whole butter, clarified butter can be cooked at a high temperature without burning. Make the clarified butter needed for this recipe the day before, or earlier; it keeps indefinitely in the fridge. To clarify, melt 4 sticks (1 pound) of unsalted butter in a small, deep saucepan over medium-low heat until a layer of white foam forms on the top. Remove the pan from heat and spoon off the foam. Strain the clear liquid into a jar, discarding any solids or foam. Cover the liquid and refrigerate or freeze.
You’ll also need to roast the tomatoes ahead of time.
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- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick, preferably clarified)
- 7 ounces cleaned, deveined shrimp, halved lengthwise
- 4 Oven-Roasted Tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
- 4 tablespoons chives, snipped
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups egg whites, beaten (about 16 eggs)
- Heat the oven to 350°F.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Increase the heat to high, add the shrimp, and sauté until they’re about three-quarters of the way done—crisp-tender and still translucent in the center.
- Add the tomatoes and spinach and sauté for 1 minute or until the spinach is completely wilted. Remove from heat and add the chives. Season generously with several pinches of salt and pepper.
- Place a 6-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet or well-seasoned cast iron pan over medium heat. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and swirl it in the pan to coat evenly. Add the egg whites and spoon the shrimp mixture into the center. Bake in the oven until the eggs are puffed and completely set in the center, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Beverage pairing: Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet, France. This light, fluffy, and subtly flavored dish should be paired with a white wine with good acid but not a surfeit of overwhelming flavor or oak. Muscadet is a great choice, as it’s to some extent “neutral” in flavor (meaning that it won’t overwhelm), but it also has a lovely melon and citrus profile and a minerally skeleton that brings great texture to the pairing.
This recipe was a great starting point for me. Thanks so much for posting it. I made a few changes to it that I thought I would post in case anyone else out there doesn't like tomato :)
I used the egg whites that you buy in the store from Lucerne (that's the brand) its 4 cups even because I like to double the recipe.
I took out shrimp and tomato and added mushroom. I cooked the recipe the exact same way otherwise. I used a stone from pampered chef, although I think you can get stones pretty much anywhere now.
With the clarified butter, I basted the stone with a brush for the butter.
I baked it for twice the time because I doubled the recipe.
I am going to cut it into squares like brownies because I used a rectangle baking pan. Then I can freeze some for later.
Clarified Butter:
For those who want ready-made clarified butter, look for "Ghee" in any Asian/Indian grocery stores. It may not smell as fresh as home-made, but will serve you well.
So here's how it went for me:
I prepped everything the night before. Then compiled it and baked it 75% that morning. I put it back in the oven to finish as guest arrived so it hot and bubbly for serving.
Roasting the tomatoes made them a wonderful sweet addition without adding liquid. I would also add mushrooms ...but that's me.
2 questions:
Could the baking be done in a spring form pan for easier transfer to a serving dish?
Spinach floated and the shrimp sank. Any solutions?
How far ahead can you make this....the night before? Or is it only the clarified butter that is considered "make ahead" as in the header description.
How far ahead can you make this....the night before? Or is it only the clarified butter that is considered "make ahead" as in the header description?
I'm going to try this with olive oil instead of butter. Do you think that will be ok? (What's the point of using egg whites if you use so much butter?!)
steph:
clarified butter has all the milk solids & water removed, so it has a higher smoke/burning point and a cleaner taste - it's pure butterfat. [it also keeps longer than whole butter & is less apt to turn rancid when you store it.] you can use regular butter in the recipe, there's just a greater chance that it may burn - either on the stove or in the oven. it's pretty easy to do it yourself, but if you're afraid [or lazy], you can buy jars of it at stores like whole foods. some keep it in the refrigerated section, others have it on the regular shelves.
what is the benefit of using clarified vs regular butter, will using regular affect the rise or the taste?
Sounds fabulous, recipe reads very understandably. I love the combo of flavors,I bet artichoke hearts might even be good. You could mix and match some other items in this and have a nice Fritatta party/brunch.
Would cheese be OK in this recipe or would it make the fritata fall or be too dense?
when u add the shrimp mixture to the eggs..are u stirring it in? or are u just letting it sit in the center.obviuosly i know what the answer will be but the point im making is that this recipe is not clear enough... for regular folk it should have been written more in-depth!
Clarified butter keeps well, since all the liquid has been removed, so we suggest that if you're going to take the time to make some, really make some! You can, of course, just clarify one stick if you like.
Why do we have to make 1 pound (4 sticks) of clarified butter when the recipe only calls for half a stick?
Just mixing them, emma. Definitely don't go for stiff peaks--or any kind of peaks, for that matter. Just enough stirring to blend them together.
When you beat the egg whites, are you just mixing them together (as if you were just mixing regular eggs for a scramble or something) or are you actually trying to get stiff peaks (as in for meringue)?
Diana-
I believe the "shrimp mixture" conatins the spinach and tomato and as such they get added with the "shrimp mixture" hence it being a mixture and not just "shrimp".
I assume you add the spinach and tomatoes at some point in time.