Shrimp Scampi

A few of my favorite memories from childhood revolve around Shrimp Scampi. It was a meal my grandma cooked for me when I would visit her. And it was something she always included on her Christmas Eve menu, with lots of other wonderful fish dishes. Also, I remember eating lunch at Red Lobster with my dad and sister when I was in high school. We would order the shrimp scampi for lunch and dip those yummy little Cheddar Bay biscuits in the sauce. I love shrimp scampi, which can be a very nourishing and healthy meal if you make it at home.

Ingredients:
1 lb. large shrimp, de-veined and peeled, try this or this
4 tbsp. butter, try Kerrygold or Organic Valley Pasture Butter AND 1/2 cup butter (8 tbsp.)
3 to 4 large cloves garlic, minced (about 3 tbsp.)
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 medium to large organic lemon, squeezed
3 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped finely
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, plus a little extra to sprinkle on top

Marinade
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 tbsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. lemon zest (I use dried, because I always have it on hand, but either dried or fresh will work)

Garnish: 1/2 medium lemon, sliced

How To:
1. Marinate. A few hours before cooking (or the night before), combine your shrimp and the marinade ingredients in a bag or container. Make sure everything is all mixed together. Refrigerate.

I weighed a pound of these shrimp and there were 29 total

2. Cook Shrimp. In a medium to large skillet, melt 4 tbsp. butter over medium-high to high heat. After the butter has melted, add shrimp from marinade bag in a single layer onto your pan. Try to add them quickly so that they all get approximately the same amount of cooking time. Cook for about a minute without moving them, then add your garlic and cook another minute without moving them. Quickly flip all the shrimp and cook another two to three minutes more. Then remove from the pan and transfer to a serving dish.

Getting ready to transfer to a serving plate

3. Sauce: Add the wine and lemon juice and reduce heat to medium. Boil about a minute, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the 1/2 cup butter, parsley, and red pepper flakes (if using) and stir. Season with salt and pepper and cook a minute or two more, stirring, then pour over shrimp in serving dish. Add the parmesan cheese and gently stir to combine. Garnish with lemon slices and a little more parmesan cheese. Serve as-is or over rice or pasta.

Comments:
This is a wonderful dish and very quick to throw together. The shrimp takes only about 15 minutes to make (after marinating), so you will want to start any sides or rice or pasta earlier with that timing in mind. Try making these Cheddar Bay Biscuits from An Organic Wife as a throwback to those former days at Red Lobster. Of note, I use sprouted wheat or sprouted white wheat for the Cheddar Bay Biscuit recipe, which requires a bit more milk (about a cup and a half total) and makes nearly double the amount of biscuits. I hold all other ingredients amounts the same, except for the topping, which requires a little more to cover all the biscuits.

A note about shrimp size and cooking times... You can make this recipe with any sized shrimp, but you will need to adjust your cooking times. Undercooked shrimp would not be great, but overcooked shrimp is actually gross to the point of being inedible (been there, trust me). Your shrimp is done when it forms a "C" (not an "O), is firm, pink, and slightly opaque. You will get about 16-25 "jumbo" shrimp per pound, 26-35 "large" shrimp per pound, and 36-50 "medium" shrimp per pound. These labels are not official, but you will often see them. The recipe above is based on cooking times for the "large" sized shrimp.

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This recipe was shared at Busy Monday, Fat Tuesday, Full Plate Thursday, Carole's Chatter Food on Friday, Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm, and Real Food Wednesday. Please follow the links for more great recipes and ideas.