subject: Recipe for Easy Entertaining: Shrimp Scampi [print this page] This dish falls into the category of easy and impressive; it's perfect for both a weeknight meal and for entertaining guestsand it couldn't be easier. All you need are a few staple pantry items and some raw, peeled and deveined shrimp. Though fresh shrimp is the best option, I like to keep peeled and deveined frozen shrimp on hand, making this even better for a last-minute dinner.
Just defrost and cook; to defrost quickly, just put the frozen shrimp in a colander and run cold water over them for about 5 minutes, moving around so they thaw evenly. Then, just let them sit in the colander for a few more minutes to drain the water.
I used medium-sized, 41-50 count shrimp (that means there are 41-50 shrimp per pound), but use whatever size you prefer.
This dish is all about timing. To make sure you don't overcook the shrimp, start heating up the saut pan when there is about 7 minutes left of the pasta cooking time, which, with many pastas, would be right as you add it into the pan.
If you would like, add in a little bit of white wine and butter towards the end of the shrimps cooking time to make a richer sauce, but I find that just the addition of herbs and lemon is perfect for me. This is one of those dishes that benefits from experimentation. If 4 cloves of garlic or the amount of lemon flavor seems like too much or too little, adjust it for your taste. Same goes for the parsley; some don't like its grassy flavor, but I like the freshness it adds to the finished dish.
Shrimp Scampi -
Ingredients - Serves Two:
lb spaghetti or linguine
pound peeled and deveined shrimp, thawed if frozen
2 tbsp olive oil + extra, for drizzling
4 cloves of garlic, minced
Pinch of red pepper flakes, or to taste
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
About 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
lb spaghetti or linguine
Freshly grated parmesan, for serving
Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions in salted, boiling water.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large saut pan. Add in garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook about 1 minute.
3. Add in shrimp and cook about 1-2 minutes per side, until just opaque. Turn off heat, add in the lemon zest, juice, and parsley.
4. When the pasta is done, drain and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Toss with shrimp mixture to coat. Serve with grated parmesan.
