Lemony Scampi Recipe

Found a new shrimp scampi recipe online tonight that resulted in one of the most intense and balanced lemon sauces I’ve come across yet–and I’ve been experimenting with scampi for years. The lemon is laser focused and nicely underpinned by sauteed garlic, pinprick hot pepper flakes, rich butter tones and sublimely sweet shrimp with just a sprinkle of freshly chopped Italian parsley to give it a fresh herbal touch. Mixed with linguini and matched with a crisp, unoaked chardonnay–this recipe is superb! Made it aboard Gaviidae with rain drumming on the deck while grooving in the galley to syncopated tribal rhythms courtesy Wisconsin Public Radio’s Higher Ground world music radio show. Rock the boat, baby!

I followed the recipe fairly closely–used larger shrimp and slivered the garlic rather than grating or pressing. Also dubious about caramelizing the shrimp. Accompanied by a fresh kale/spinach/chard salad, the only thing missing was a warm piece of crusty bread to soak up some of that phenomenal sauce.

Do yourself a favor and try this recipe from Mellissa d’Arabian at Foodnetwork.com.

Julie took the photo.

Lemony Shrimp Scampi Pasta

Recipe courtesy of Melissa d’Arabian

Total Time: 20 min

Prep: 10 min

Cook: 10 min

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

6 garlic cloves, pressed or grated

2 lemons, zested and juiced

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 pound medium shrimp (21 to 25), peeled, deveined and butterflied (reserve shells)

1/4 onion

3/4 pound thin linguini

2 tablespoons butter

1 small bunch flat leaf parsley, leaves chopped

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the garlic, zest and juice of 1 lemon, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, to taste, and the shrimp. Set aside to marinate.

Meanwhile make a quick shrimp stock: In a small pot, over medium heat, add the shrimp shells and onion. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain into a bowl and discard the shells and the onion.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and add a generous amount of salt. Add the linguini and cook until just tender, 2 minutes less than instructed on the package. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water.

Heat a skillet over high heat. Remove the shrimp from the marinade, reserve the marinade, and add the shrimp to the skillet. Cook until they turn pink and start to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan to a plate and add the reserved marinade. Let cook a few minutes then add about 1 cup of shrimp stock and about 1/2 cup pasta water. Continue to cook until sauce reduces by half. Add the zest and juice of the remaining lemon, the butter and the parsley and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste. Add in the shrimp and pasta and toss to combine with the sauce. Turn out into a serving bowl and serve immediately.