Shrimp scampi is one of my all-time favorite dishes. Unfortunately, I could never seem to get it quite right at home. My main qualm seemed to be that it was always too dry. My natural inclination was to add more butter. But, I needed more flavor than butter alone could lend. So, I tried adding more lemon juice. Too sour. While I love lemony pastas – they should never make you pucker. Many recipes I’d seen used white wine in the sauce, which was a welcome idea. Additionally, one of my favorite local restaurants adds tomatoes and fresh basil to their rendition of shrimp scampi, which I thought was wonderful. I knew that I wanted to incorporate that as well. I figured with the addition of white wine, and tomato…hopefully, that would amp up the sauce factor.
This recipe is definitely a keeper! Plenty of kick from the garlic. Bright flavor from the lemon. A kiss of warmth from the red pepper flakes. And, the white wine just wraps it’s arms around everything and brings it all together. This is another meal that goes from stove to plate in a matter of minutes. I usually start sautéing the shrimp immediately after I begin cooking the pasta to get everything on the table at the same time.
Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients:
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine or Vermouth
1 lemon, juiced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
handful fresh basil leaves
Heat a sauté pan on high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter melts, foams up and subsides, add the garlic, shallot, and red pepper flakes. Sauté for a minute, until garlic is fragrant.
As soon as the garlic begins to brown, add the shrimp. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are beginning to curl and pink up. Add the white wine and stir to combine. Increase heat to the highest setting and reduce for 3 minutes or so. Add tomatoes, lemon juice, and fresh basil. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over your favorite pasta or with rice.
Source: Adapted from Simply Recipes
