Shrimp Scampi Fast and Fresh

Probably the dish I have received the most requests for over the years…. at the mention of  ”would you like shrimp scampi for dinner tonight?”, a resounding “Yes!” is always what I hear, accompanied by widened eyes and a rush of love coming my way.

 And every time I’ve heard “This is the best shrimp scampi I’ve every had!”  (and that’s what I always hear their first time tasting it) I make my confession that it’s really the easiest thing going – there’s just one little extra step I take, and  that only requires about two minutes of my time . In fact, this is the quick dinner I make when I’m rushed, or I need to suddenly cook something great for unexpected company.  I can also count on it for a special occasion dinner, like when I want someone to know how much I love them.

Phew, what a lot for a simple recipe to live up to – but it hasn’t failed me yet! 

 

The extra step I take is simply to butterfly the shrimp and then very slowly poach them in the garlic butter sauce. It’s amazing how much more of the sauce the shrimp soak up this way, and the very, very slow cooking (not that they take that long to cook anyway!) makes them melt-in-your-mouth tender. All sizes of shrimp will benefit from this method, but they must be raw shrimp – don’t attempt to make this with pre-cooked shrimp. Frozen, easy peel shrimp are ideal, and you can simply remove the shell (you can leave the tail shell on for appearance sake if you like), and make sure the dark vein along the back side is removed. Then, holding the shrimp flat on a cutting board, carefully make a deep slice along the back, following the vein line. Leave the head and tail end intact – just go for the middle. If your knife goes through the center of the shrimp, that’s fine, it will hold together. 

I figure 5 or 6 large shrimp per person, thaw and prep them while the salted water for the pasta is coming to a boil, then begin the butter sauce to poach them. 

Shrimp Scampi Sauce recipe: (serves four)

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup dry white wine, such as a Pinot Grigio
• Juice of 1 large lemon ( 3-4 tablespoons)
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and Pepper

Melt the butter with the garlic in a shallow skillet. Do not bring the butter to a simmer, just enough heat to melt the butter. Leave on very low for a few minutes for the garlic to soften and release it’s flavor into the butter. Add a few grates of fresh black pepper, the wine and lemon juice. Still on very low heat, allow this to cook for a few minutes, just below the simmer point, then taste for salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, add about 3/4 pound pasta of your choice*  to the salted boiling water and start cooking to al dente.

 

Add the shrimp to the butter sauce, stir and spoon the sauce over and over the shrimp. During this very gentle poaching process, the shrimp will blossom out (because of the butterflying) and absorb the flavors of the sauce. Turn the shrimp as needed to evenly cook them, and just as they are beginning to lose their translucency (which signals they are almost done), add the chopped parsley, olive oil and stir. Taste again for seasoning, adjust according to taste and keep just on warm while finishing up with the pasta. 

Serving suggestion: Divide the cooked and lightly oiled spaghetti onto individual plates, portion out the shrimp and then spoon the garlic butter sauce over the servings. Garnish with a wedge of fresh lemon and parsley.  

Serve wth some warm crusty bread and some of the wine used in cookng the scampi. Enjoy!

*My number one choice of pasta for this dish is organic whole wheat pasta. It has wonderful flavor, texture and ‘tooth’, which means it will allow the sauce to cling to it – in fact so much so that I always toss the cooked pasta with enough olive oil to evenly coat it before adding the shrimp and scampi sauce on top of it.