Buttery Shrimp Rolls

Ingredients

Shrimp + base

2 lbs	large head-on, shell-on shrimp, deveined
6–8 tbsp	unsalted butter
½–1	lemon, peel only
3–4 cloves	garlic, lightly smashed
to taste	salt

Finish

~2–3 tbsp	shrimp head juices (squeezed after cooking)
splash	lemon juice (optional, to brighten)

Assembly

4	top-split hot dog buns
2–3	scallions, thinly sliced
optional	flaky salt

Instructions

1. 1

   Prep the shrimp

   Use kitchen shears to cut along the back of each shrimp through the shell. Remove the vein, but keep the shells and heads intact.

2. 2

   Start the butter base

   Heat a large skillet over medium. Add 6 tbsp butter, the lemon peel, and smashed garlic. Let it melt and foam — a light sizzle, not browned.

3. 3

   Cook shrimp in two batches

   Add shrimp in a single layer. Cook ~2 minutes first side without moving, flip, and cook 1.5–2 minutes more. In the last minute, tilt the pan and baste the shrimp, pressing the heads into the butter. Remove to a plate. Repeat with the second batch, adding 1–2 tbsp more butter only if the pan looks dry.

4. 4

   Extract the head butter

   Let shrimp cool 3–5 minutes. Twist off the heads and squeeze the juices into a bowl or directly into the pan. You'll get about 2–3 tbsp of intensely flavored liquid.

5. 5

   Finish the sauce

   Lower heat to low. Add the shrimp head juices to the pan and stir, scraping up any fond. Cook 30–60 seconds until glossy. Add a tiny splash of lemon juice if needed. If the sauce looks broken, swirl in a teaspoon of water or butter.

6. 6

   Peel and coat

   Peel the shrimp bodies. Leave whole or chop into chunks. Return briefly to the pan to coat in the sauce and warm through.

7. 7

   Assemble

   Lightly butter and toast the top-split buns. Fill generously with shrimp, spoon extra sauce over the top, and finish with fresh sliced scallions. Flaky salt if you want.