Shrimp Scampi
Posted in /Cooking/Entrees/Seafood on Friday, July 12, 2019
This is my brother's favorite meal and it's one of the fastest meals to make. It looks really impressive so don't give your secret away...you can whip this up in under 20 minutes.
The trick is to use raw shrimp not the precooked, the raw ones take on the garlic butter flavour and the cooked just taste oily and rubbery.
Yield: 3
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup butter (divided)
4-5 large garlic cloves, minced
300 - 500g medium raw shrimp, shelled with tails off
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup dry white wine or broth
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or to taste (optional)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon chopped parsley
Spaghetti (I make approx. 2 oz per person)
Directions
1. Thaw shrimp in a colander with cool water running over them.
2. Boil water for spaghetti. Make sure you have thoroughly cleaned the colander before draining your noodles or you will cross-contaminate.
3. Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter (1/8 of a cup) in a large pan or skillet. Add garlic and saute until fragrant (about 30 seconds - 1 minute).
4. Then add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper to taste and saute for 1-2 minutes on one side (until just beginning to turn pink), then flip.
5. Pour in wine (or broth), add red pepper flakes (if using).
6. Bring to a simmer for 1-2 minutes or until wine reduces by about half and the shrimp is cooked through (don't over cook your shrimp).
7. Stir in the remaining butter, lemon juice and parsley and take off heat immediately.
8. Serve over pasta with garlic bread or steamed vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini noodles).
h2. Notes
- Have all of your ingredients ready on your kitchen bench and close to your cooking area if possible. This recipe cooks FAST. You don't want to be head deep into your refrigerator searching for your wine, for example, while the shrimp is cooking away on the stove. Over-cooked shrimp is rubbery, tough and not pleasant to eat at all.
- The shrimp is cooked in a butter/oil combination prevent the butter from burning. You can use all butter if you wish, just note it will begin to brown while the shrimp are cooking. (Nothing wrong with a little browned butter.) Though, I do prefer the flavour of a butter/oil mixture in this.
- I love extra large or jumbo shrimp (or prawns) in this recipe! They're fat and juicy and perfect for a shrimp scampi!
Writeback