• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
✮ The Food Dictator ✮

Vincent Price’s Potted Shrimp (via Boris Karloff)

October 30, 2018 by The Generalissimo Leave a Comment

269
SHARES
FacebookTwitterPinterestRedditWhatsappYummly
Light Dark Dark Light
()
Vincent Price's Potted Shrimp (via Boris Karloff)
Potted Shrimp Image Used Under Creative Commons License From pinterest.com

My Citizen’s, allow your beloved Potentate – the only-occasionally frightening TFD! – to share one final recipe for All Hallows Eve! This is a recipe given to the legendary Vincent Price by the incomparable Sultan of Sinister, Boris Karloff!

Vincent Price
Vincent Price

 

Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff

William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor who was primarily known for his roles in horror films. He portrayed Frankenstein’s monster in Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Son of Frankenstein (1939). He also appeared as Imhotep in The Mummy (1932).

In non-horror roles, he is best-known for narrating and as the voice of Grinch in the animated television special of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966). For his contribution to film and television, Boris Karloff was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Beginning in 1940, Karloff dressed as Father Christmas every Christmas to hand out presents to physically disabled children in a Baltimore hospital. He never legally changed his name to “Boris Karloff.” He signed official documents “William H. Pratt, a.k.a. Boris Karloff.”

He was a charter member of the Screen Actors Guild, and he was especially outspoken due to the long hours he spent in makeup while playing Frankenstein’s Monster.

He married five times and had one child, daughter Sara Karloff, by his fourth wife. One marriage was in 1946 right after his divorce. At the time of his daughter’s birth, he was filming Son of Frankenstein and reportedly rushed from the film set to the hospital while still in full makeup.

Potted shrimps are a traditional British dish made with brown shrimp flavored with nutmeg. The dish consists of brown shrimp in nutmeg-flavored butter, which has set in a small pot, the butter acting as a preservative. Cayenne pepper may also be included. It is traditionally eaten with bread and originated in Lancashire.

As noted on thespruceeats.com:

Potted shrimps are a traditional British food and loved here for centuries. Traditionally they are being made with the tiny brown shrimp found around Morecambe Bay, known as Morecambe Bay Shrimp in North West England, though any small shrimp can be used.

The shrimp are first boiled, and traditionally this would be in sea water. The shrimps are then shelled and mixed in a spiced, – mace, or nutmeg, a pinch of pepper – maybe even a hint of cloves – clarified butter. The butter must be clarified as the clearing of it helps in the preservation of the shrimp underneath.

How Are Potted Shrimp Served?

The shrimp are traditionally served on slices of thin warm toast. Another great suggestion for serving, though not traditional, is to stir the shrimp and butter through freshly cooked pasta.

How Are the Shrimp Potted and What Pots Are Used?

Though traditionally the shrimp were preserved in China or earthenware pots, nowadays they are mainly found served in plastic tubs. This method of preserving the shrimp is believed to date back to Tudor times and the industry as a whole expanded in the 19th century, when thanks to the development of the railway networks, demand for the shrimp grew.

What Is Potted Food?

According to food historian Bee Wilson, potted food is a descendant of the pie in which the heavy, air-excluding crust (“medieval cling film” as she wonderfully dubs it) has been replaced by a more elegant spiced butter. Once upon a time, everything from the tongue (Elizabeth David’s particular favorite) to cheese was preserved in this way, with Meg Dods, author of the 1826 Housewife’s Manual, claiming that game “to be sent to distant places” would keep for a month if potted correctly.

What Are Morecambe Bay Shrimps and Why Are They the Best for Potted Shrimp?

Morecambe Bay Shrimps are sweet tasting, and tiny pinky-brown shrimps are caught in the shallow waters, the mud and sand of Morecambe Bay in North West England. The tradition of shrimping in these parts has been an occupation since the 18th century. Some producers traditionally used distinctive boats called ‘nobbies’, others rely on tractors (formerly horses and carts) to cross the dangerous estuary sands plus an essential degree of local expert knowledge of the shifting quicksands and tidal patterns.

The actual fishing involves a complicated system of long nets with floats attached to the tractors, which are driven along the water line

There are now only three shrimp producers left on the bay, including Furness Fish and Game.

Potted shrimp was also a favorite dish of Ian Fleming, who passed on his predilection for the delicacy to his fictional creation James Bond. Fleming reputedly used to eat the dish at Scotts Restaurant on Mount Street in London.

A recipe beloved by James Bond, Vincent Price and Boris Karloff? This must be preserved – #punintended – and shared with all of TFD Nation immediately and with all honors due! I have made one or two minor and totally optional tweaks to the original Karloff recipe. Enjoy this with any of Vincent’s other spectacular recipes, perhaps his onion soup au gratin!

Enjoy your Halloween, Citizens! 😀

Battle on – The Generalissimo

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Vincent Price's Potted Shrimp (via Boris Karloff)

Vincent Price’s Potted Shrimp (via Boris Karloff)


★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

  • Total Time: 0 hours
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 cup tiny salad shrimp, cooked, or larger cooked prawns chopped up
  • 2 Tbsp grated onion
  • 1/4 cup melted butter (TFD prefers to use clarified butter (aka ghee) )
  • 1/4 tsp mace
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • Chopped chervil (TFD optional addition)

Instructions

  1. Melt butter and add spices. Mix with shrimp, making sure shrimp is covered by butter mixture, adding more melted butter if needed. Place in a small bowl or crock and chill at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.
  2. Take out of fridge 20 minutes before serving to allow it to soften a little. Will keep several days or longer – potting is a centuries-old method of food preservation. Spread on water crackers, use in omelets, etc.
  3. Notes
  4. A recipe Price received from Boris Karloff! 🙂
  • Prep Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 0 hours
  • Category: Recipes

Nutrition

  • Calories: 147.28 kcal
  • Sugar: 0.22 g
  • Sodium: 279.23 mg
  • Fat: 13.25 g
  • Saturated Fat: 8.02 g
  • Carbohydrates: 0.59 g
  • Fiber: 0.14 g
  • Protein: 6.65 g
  • Cholesterol: 113.44 mg

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @thefooddictator on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook and hashtag it #TFD

How useful was this post, Citizen?

Click to rate My Recipe, Citizen - 5 hearts are ALWAYS appreciated!

Average rating / 5. Vote count:

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

As you found this post useful...

Follow us on social media, Citizen!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

Related posts:

James Bond's Scrambled Eggs (a la TFD!)
The Hirshon Sichuan Bang Bang Chicken Salad - 棒棒鸡丝
The Hirshon Bengali Royal Chicken Rezala - চিকেন রেজালা
The Hirshon Spiedini Alla Romano
The Hirshon Japanese Gyoza - 餃子
The Hirshon 1950’s ‘Crown O’ Gold’ Meatloaf
The Hirshon Iraqi Meat-Stuffed Rice Croquettes - كوبه حلب
The Hirshon Taiwanese Pineapple Cake - 鳳梨酥

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Appetizers, Shrimp

About The Generalissimo

The myth of the Generalissimo is far more interesting than the reality.

Previous Post: « Vincent Price’s French Onion Soup – Soupe à L’Oignon
Next Post: The Hirshon Cantonese Shrimp Dumplings – Har Gow – 蝦餃 »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

➤ Citizens – Please Support TFD Nation!

Donate to Help TFD!

⇔ Search, And Ye Shall Assuredly Find!

✮ Citizens ✮

TFD currently has a total of 1,363 posts and 1,159,119 words written since December of 2014! Add your voice to My 50,000+ dedicated readers, comment on My recipes and thus become an active member of TFD Nation! Looking for a particular recipe? Search for it in the box above or via the category tags below - there are THOUSANDS of the finest in world and historic recipes here!

❧ TREMBLE Before Our Categoric Zeal!

Appetizers (145)Beef (143)Beverages (24)Bread (111)Cheese (64)Chicken (132)Chinese (121)Chocolate (16)Condiments (262)Dessert (166)Drinks (23)Duck (20)Egg (47)Fish (56)French (56)Game (30)Georgian (34)Indian (60)Italian (58)Jewish (84)Lamb (73)Manifestos (1)Pasta (90)Pork (147)Salad (40)Sandwich (42)Seafood (84)Shrimp (53)Soup (109)Spices (12)Tofu (7)Turkey (15)Veal (18)Vegetables (108)

✺ Click to Follow Us Across Social Media!

Facebook   

    instagram

☥ TFD SPEAKS!!!

https://www.thefooddictator.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/TFD-Avatar-Cold-Open-FINAL.mp4

 Enjoy TFD’s Mellifluous Podcasts, Citizen!

Listen on Apple Podcasts

© 2023 · The Food Dictator is abjectly served by WORDPRESS

✮ The Food Dictator ✮
Manage Cookie Consent
Citizens!

Be advised that as an enlightened Dictatorship here at TFD, we are indeed on the side of right when it comes to protecting the privacy of TFD Nation!

We do use technologies such as cookies to store and/or access device information, solely to improve your browsing experience and to show personalized ads.

Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions - trust us, we really ARE on your side!

YOUR LOYALTY IS NOTED! 🎖️
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
269
SHARES
FacebookTwitterPinterestRedditMailYummly