Sunday Dinner: Shrimp Scampi

Garlic + white wine + lemon + shrimp = magic.

Okay, I’m simplifying things a bit—but not by much!

My mom has always been a shrimp fan, so for her birthday, I wanted to make a dish that would be elegant, special, and above all, tasty. I don’t make shrimp every day—and I wanted to use fresh as opposed to frozen, prepare them in a scampi-style way, and atop thin spaghetti. The result was great.  I prepared part of the sauce ahead of time (it’s a time and stress saver!) and then cooked the shrimp at the last minute, while the pasta was cooking. Also, you can easily halve this recipe for 4 to 6 servings.  Also, be sure to keep some fresh crusty Italian bread on hand for dipping into the sauce!

Shrimp Scampi

Serves 9 to 12

1 tablespoon butter (I try to limit it, but yum, so good…)

3 tablespoons olive oil

5 shallots, finely chopped

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 bell peppers, finely chopped

1 cup white wine (I used Three Pears Sauvignon Blanc which is light, floral, with a bit of grapefruit flavors)

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

3 pounds medium-size shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails attached

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (actually I combined my parsley with fresh basil which I had on hand—and that was really nice, too)

Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the shallots, garlic and peppers until they start to soften. Add a half the white wine, some salt and pepper, half the lemon juice and lemon zest.  Cook for about 5 minutes to let the sauce reduce.  Set aside.  

About 10 minutes before serving, and when your pasta has already hit the boiling water, return the shallot mixture to a large pan (sauté or sauce pan) over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until they start to turn pink. Add the remaining white wine, lemon juice, and zest  and heat through (but be careful not to overcook the shrimp!). Taste the sauce and re-season if needed. Remove from heat. Reserve to serve over your spaghetti.

About serving: I plate individually (putting some spaghetti topped with a few shrimp and juice, and then sprinkled with parsley, but you can put your pasta on a platter, top with shrimp and sauce, and then garnish with parsley.

medium-size shrimp, in a luscious white wine, garlic, and lemon sauce

ENJOY!