Grandpa Joe's
Shrimp Scampi

Simple, yet delicious.  Also, one of my granddaughter's favorites.

About this recipe

Shrimp Scampi is not necessarily Italian, but that doesn't make it any less delicious, especially when prepared with the largest shrimp available.  The combination of butter, extra virgin olive oil, wine, shallots, garlic, and lemon create the ultimate in delicate taste sensations – but, please, no cheese!

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds frozen, unpeeled shrimp
  • unsalted butter
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup shallots, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • ½ cup Italian parsley leaves, roughly chopped
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound linguini

Directions

  1. Thaw the shrimp, but do not let the shrimp come to room temperature.  As they thaw, remove the shell and vein.  Refrigerate in a plastic bag until ready to proceed to the next step.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the linguine.
  3. Place 4 tablespoons of butter and 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large sauté  pan over medium heat.  When the butter is melted, add the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes.  Sauté  until the shallots are translucent, or about 3 minutes.
  4. Add the shrimp and season with salt and pepper.  Cook the shrimp for exactly 3 minutes on each side, turning only once.  After a total of 6 minutes, remove the shrimp to a bowl and set aside.
  5. Ideally, steps 6 and 7 should be performed simultaneously so that both are completed at the same time.
  6. Drop the linguine in the boiling water, stir well, and cook until almost done.  There should be a white dot that is barely perceptible when you bite into a noodle.  That means they are ready to be drained.
  7. To the sauté  pan, add the wine, lemon juice, all but a small portion of the parsley, and 4 more tablespoons of butter and olive oil.  Bring to a boil and simmer over medium-low heat until the pasta is ready.
  8. Add a half-cup of the pasta water to the sauté  pan.  Drain the pasta and add it to the sauté pan.  Return the shrimp to the pan and stir well for about 1 minute.
  9. Remove to a platter or bowl, sprinkle with the reserved parsley, drizzle with your best extra virgin olive oil, and serve immediately.
Shrimp Scampi.

Notes

  • I generally ask for #16-20 size shrimp, meaning there are 16 to 20 shrimp per pound.
Posted: June 2014.