The Best of Fine Cooking — Real Italian 2017

(Tina Meador) #1

shrimp scampi


Bright and full of flavor, shrimp scampi is quick enough for a weeknight meal, but it’s also sophisticated enough for a dinner


party. Serve it with pasta, rice, or crusty bread to sop up the garlicky butter sauce. Serves 4


11/2 lb. extra-jumbo shrimp (16 to 20 per lb.),
peeled and deveined (shells reserved),
tails left on, if you like


1 medium carrot, chopped


1 medium rib celery, chopped


1 small yellow onion, halved


1 bay leaf


Kosher salt and freshly ground
black pepper


2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter


1/4 cup finely chopped fresh
flat-leaf parsley


3 large cloves garlic, minced (2 Tbs.)


1 Tbs. finely grated lemon zest


1/4 cup dry white wine


1 tsp. fresh lemon juice


Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Lemon wedges for serving

In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the reserved
shrimp shells, carrot, celery, onion, and bay
leaf. Add 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil over
medium-high heat, reduce the heat to a
simmer, and cook for 30 minutes. Strain the
stock through a fine-mesh sieve and reserve
1/4 cup for the scampi. (freeze the rest for
other uses.)
Pat the shrimp dry and season with 1/2 tsp.
salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. In a 12-inch heavy-duty
skillet, melt 3 Tbs. of the butter over medium
heat. Add the parsley, garlic, and lemon zest
and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic

is lightly golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Raise the
heat to high, add the shrimp, and cook until
they start to turn pink, about 1 minute. Add
the wine and cook until reduced by half, 1 to
2 minutes. Add the reserved shrimp stock
and simmer until the shrimp are just cooked
through, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice
and crushed red pepper flakes, if using, and
stir to coat.
With a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp
to a serving plate. Whisk the remaining 1 Tbs.
butter into the sauce. If the sauce seems
thin, simmer it gently for a minute or two to
thicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper,
pour over the shrimp, and serve with the
lemon wedges on the side.

fInECooKInG.CoM 57

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