Shrimp Scampi

Growing up in Miami, I had my fair share of seafood. From crab legs to lobster tails, I ate it all. But shrimp scampi was and still is my go to dish. After all it contains all my basic food groups: Butter, Garlic, Lemon, Seafood, Pasta & Cheese! What more could a gal ask for? Maybe seconds!

It wasn't until I was much older when I realized how quick & easy I can get this recipe from my pantry to the table. Now 3 out of 4 of us in the family love this dish. One of us can (not mentioning any names but she's only six and is still developing her palate) is not much of a shrimp fan or even seafood for that matter. But she does devour the pasta quicker than I can say "Ok try the shrimp again. Maybe you'll like it this time". I keep reminding myself, that at 6 she has explored and tried many different cuisines so I ease up and know one day she'll likely become a seafood lover like the rest of us. And even if she doesn't then oh well, she'll carve out her own palate. But you can't fault a mom for trying.

Now would you believe me if I told you that you could make this light & delish meal in under 20 minutes? Well just take my word for it--this recipe is so easy that you can have a healthy meal on the table and they'll keep asking for more. The hardest & most time consuming part is shelling the shrimp but you can purchase shrimp with the shells and tails off. I do, however, leave tails on and always use fresh or frozen uncooked shrimp. Uncooked really is the key to achieving the most juicy and tender shrimp. The precooked ones may not absorb the sauce and by the time they do, the shrimp will be a rubbery mess. So I strongly encourage you to always use uncooked shrimp.

The best part about this recipe is the sauce. It's the marriage of butter, garlic, lemon & parsley. It's light, airy & pairs perfectly with shrimp & pasta. Add a piece of hearty bread and dip your way to a clean plate.

Most traditional scampi sauces use a dry, white wine as the base liquid for the sauce. However, I'm not too crazy about serving 100% alcohol based sauces to my kids so I cut it with vegetable or chicken broth. Like most things in the culinary world you have options here. You can use 100% wine for your sauce or you can use my 50/50 ratio of wine to stock. Or you could just use stock all together if you do not have a dry white wine. The results of course will vary slightly.

Tee Tip: Do not use a sweet white wine. It will change the flavor of the sauce causing it to be too sweet.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of Large Shrimp, shelled with tails on or off

• 10-12 oz of Linguini or your pasta of choice (Depends on how much pasta you want)

• 3 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

• 3 Tablespoons of Butter

• 1 Tablespoon of minced garlic (about 3-4 cloves)

• 1 Tablespoon of minced Shallots

• 1/2 Cup of Liquid base (Either 1/2 cup of Dry White Wine OR 1/2 Cup of Veg or Chicken Stock OR 1/4 Cup of Wine AND 1/4 Cup of Veg or Chicken Stock.

• 2 Tablespoons of Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

• 1/8 Teaspoon of Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

• 2 Tablespoons of fresh, chopped Parsley

• Salt and Pepper to taste. I do not add any but this is a matter of preference.

Method:

1. Make pasta according to package.

2. In a sauté pan over a medium flame, add EVOO and butter. Allow one to two minutes for the oil and butter to heat.

3. Add shallots & garlic to pan and cook additional 2-3 minutes. Keeping in mind not to overcook or burn them as they will leave behind a bitter taste.

4. Add your liquid base and lemon juice and deglaze the pan. Reduce sauce to just about 50 % or to your desired consistency. This can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes. Keep in mind that you may need to adjust your heat so that you do not end up with no sauce at all.

5. Add your shrimp in a single layer and rotate each one until both sides are pick. Note: Shrimp cook very quickly so 2-4 minutes is all it takes.

6. Toss in 1/2 of your parsley and linguini.

7. Serve immediately and garnish with leftover parsley.
   

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And remember: There's always room for one more on Teena's Table!