This section is from the book "The Cook's Own Book, And Housekeeper's Register", by N. K. M Lee. See also: Larousse Gastronomique.
Pick some shrimps nicely from the shell, put them into melted butter, add a table-spoonful of lemon pickle and vinegar; heat it.
Shell a pint of shrimps; pick them clean, wash them, and put them into half a pint of good melted butter. A pint of unshelled shrimps is about enough for four persons.
Observations:
Some stew the heads and shells of the shrimps, (with or without a blade of bruised mace), for a quarter of an hour, and strain off the liquor to melt the butter with, and add a little lemon-juice, cayenne, and essence of anchovy, or soy, cavice, etc.; but the flavor of the shrimp is so delicate, that it will be overcome by any such additions.
If your shrimps are not quite fresh, they will eat tough and thready, as other stale fish do.
 
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