Shrimp Scampi
Buttery, garlicky, succulent shrimp served over linguini with your classic white wine scampi sauce.
Equipment
- 2 quart Sauce Pan
- Pasta Pot
- Saute Pan
- Cutting Board
- Sharp Knife
Ingredients
- 1 LB Frozen Large or X-TRA Large Shrimp
Dry Brine
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
Shrimp Stock
- 1 Cup White Wine I like Pinot Grigio, but Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay works just fine.
- 1 Handful Whole Peppercorns
- 2 Whole Dry Bay Leaf
- Reserved Shrimp Shells and Tails
Veggie Prep
- 8 Cloves Garlic Thinly Sliced
- 1 Shallot Finely Minced
- 1 tsp Lemon Zest
Other Components
- 6 TBSP Unsalted Butter
- 6 oz Your Favorite Pasta Linguini works really well with this dish
- Juice of Two (2) Lemons
Instructions
- Start by thawing out your frozen shrimp. Frozen is better than “Fresh” because in most places that was just frozen shrimp the seafood counter previously thawed out. Peel and devein if necessary removing tails as well. Save shells and tails in a 2-quart sauce pan for the time being.
- Mix up your dry brine in a very small bowl or ramekin. Sprinkle all of the brine over the shrimp and toss to cover thoroughly. This dry brine will help with the searing process in the next few steps. Let sit for 30 minutes and wait for the magic to happen.
- In the meantime, fill your pasta pot with water and set temperature to low.
- Then add White wine, peppercorns and bay leaf to your 2 quart sauce pot with the shrimp shells. Get that to the stove and set to medium high heat. Shrimp shells can make a very quick stock do the volatile nature of their protein structure unlike chicken or beef stock that typically has to simmer all day. Reduce shrimp and wine stock by half and remove from heat.
- While stock is reducing, this a good time to prep your veggies and garnishes. Keep all separated while working. Start by peeling and thinly slicing 8 cloves of garlic. Finely mince a shallot. Then roughly chop a quarter cup or so of Parsley. You will want to chop an extra TBSP of parsley for garnish, so once you’ve set your 1/4 cup aside, then finely chop the rest of the parsley. Now you want to zest about a teaspoon of lemon into a small dish or container, this another great garnish.
- Start boiling Water for pasta. Once boiling continue to the next step.
- At this point you want a decent sized sauté pan or large skillet and get it ripping hot, like medium high. Add about 3TBSP of olive oil to the pan and let it heat up.
- Then add your shrimp one at a time in a spiral around that pan. Flip immediately after laying the last shrimp down in the order that they were placed into the pan. Once finished flipping repeat the same order to remove the shrimp from pan and set aside. The shrimp are not done yet but we will finish them in a just a bit.
- Add pasta to boiling water. We are going to want to remove the pasta just short of al dente and finish in the pan, so if you’re using dry pasta subtract about 3-4 minutes from its boiling time so you can start the next step.
- Reduce the heat to medium low in your saute pan and add your garlic and shallot to the oil. Add more if needed but remember a bunch of butter is about to join the party. Cook garlic and shallots for about 1 min until fragrant.
- Now add the juice of 2 lemons and the shrimp wine stock to the pan. Actively deglaze the pan to remove any fond leftover from the shrimp sauté.
- Next we will add 6 TBSP of cold butter and let it melt stirring frequently but not constantly.
- Add slightly under done pasta to pan with the shrimp wine stock, then immediately add the par cooked shrimp. Stir to combine. You’ll now want to add about a quarter to a half of a cup of your pasta water to help emulsify the sauce. Season with Tucker’s Jalapeño salt to taste. Stir the scampi. (It’s now Scampi)
- Test for seasoning and pasta texture, adjust as necessary and then add chopped parsley. Kill the heat and remove from burner.
- Plate up your dishes, garnish with parsley and lemon zest.