Week 27: Shrimp Scampi

I've got a thing for shrimp scampi. Really, what's there not to love? Shrimp. Yum. Butter. Yum. Garlic. Yum. Wine. Yum.

I'm on a quest to find a recipe I really love. I tried two different Ina Garten recipes (this one and this one), and the quest continues with this endeavor.

The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper (p. 230 - 231)
Serves 3 to 4 (or 2 hungry adults)
Prep: 10 minutes
Marinating time: 24 hours
Cook time: 4 minutes



Marinade:
1/3 C extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
6 or 7 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 lb raw extra-large or jumbo shrimp, shelled

Cooking the shrimp:
3 Tbsp butter
Salt and pepper
1/4 C dry white wine
Juice of 1/2 large lemon
2 tsp dried parsley leaves

The night before:
Gently combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and shrimp. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

At supper time:
About 15 minutes before serving, set a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. In the skillet melt 2 Tbsp of the butter with a little salt and pepper. Add the shrimp with its marinade, stir once or twice, and turn the heat down to medium-low. Cover the skillet, and cook the shrimp for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they are barely firm. With tongs, transfer them to a heated serving platter. Taste a shrimp for seasoning.

Turn the heat under the skillet up to medium high. Stir the wine into the pan juice and boil it for 1 minute, or until it has evaporated and the pan juices are rich-tasting. Off the heat, stir in the remaining 1 Tbsp butter. Scrape the contents of the skillet over the shrimp. Drizzle the lemon juice over them, and scatter with the chopped parsley. Serve hot.

My notes:
I like my scampi to have a thick, buttery, garlicky sauce. This sauce was definitely buttery and garlicky (not in an over-powering way, either), but it wasn't the consistency I hoped for. The amount of lemon and parsley were just right, though.

I should have adjusted the cooking times. I didn't use jumbo shrimp (not in the budget) or fresh shrimp (maybe the extra moisture from the frozen shrimp impacted the consistency of the sauce?). I should have cooked the shrimp for far less than 3 to 4 minutes.

I served it with some fresh chili fettuccine and broccoli. It would have also been good with some gnocchi.

It doesn't even begin to compare to the baked scampi, though.