Whenever I experiment with recipes, I label the finished product as either (a) a triumph (to be repeated over and over again), (b) something that is tasty, but needs tweaking, or (c) something I wouldn’t even feed to my enemies. I’m happy to report that this recipe is a winner! Not shocking, though. What’s not to love about a simple shrimp scampi?
Warning: If you’re not a fan of garlic, you probably won’t like this dish. Also, why are we friends?!
Directions
You can buy shrimp already peeled and deveined, but if you’ve got the time to do it yourself, it’ll save you $1 or $2 per pound. So that’s what I’ll do. These shrimp were beautiful; so happy we found our new seafood market!
Once your shrimp are cleaned, heat olive oil and butter in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat.
Sauté garlic for only about a minute – don’t want it to burn! Next, toss in your red pepper flakes. The garlic and pepper will flavor the oil/butter, which will then flavor the entire dish.
Add your minced shallots, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
In a separate pot, bring water to a boil, season with 1 or 2 tablespoons of Kosher salt, and add pasta. Cook according to directions on box, then set aside.
Okay, back to the garlic, shallot, and butter mixture. Reduce the heat to medium and add the shrimp. These will only take a minute or two per side. Once they turn bright pink, they’re done!
*As a side note, I have to tell you how giddy with excitement I was to receive this Le Creuset pot! We’ve been receiving a mountain of wedding gifts (which we are very, very appreciative of), and this pot has completely changed my life. If it weren’t inappropriate, I’d take this with me down the aisle as my “something blue!”
Drain your cooked pasta and add it to the shrimp.
Toss to combine and (most importantly) evenly coat all your pasta in butter. Squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on top before serving, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Serve in a large bowl garnished with grated Parmesan cheese and some chopped parsley.
Make this for someone you love (though probably not on a first date…) and perhaps they’ll reward you with a garlicky kiss!
Shrimp Scampi
Yields: 6-8 servings
Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 shallots, minced
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3/4 lb whole wheat linguine or fettuccine
- Parsley, for garnish
- Parmesan cheese, grated
- Juice of ½ lemon
Instructions
- Peel and clean your shrimp.
- Heat olive oil and butter in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the garlic for about one minute – don’t want it to burn! Next, toss in your red pepper flakes. The garlic and pepper will flavor the oil/butter, which will then flavor the entire dish.
- Add your minced shallots, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a separate pot, bring water to a boil, season with 1 or 2 tablespoons of Kosher salt, then add pasta. Cook according to directions on box, then set aside.
- Reduce the heat on your garlic and shallot mixture to medium and add the shrimp. These will only take one or two minutes per side. Once they turn bright pink, they’re done!
- Drain your cooked pasta and add it to the shrimp. Toss to combine and (most importantly) evenly coat all your pasta in butter. Squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on top before serving. Serve in a large bowl garnished with grated Parmesan cheese and some chopped parsley.
[...] when I crave shrimp and garlic and butter, I tend to make this scampi. (If it weren’t for the intense garlicky breath that results, I’d eat it every [...]