MONDAY MORNING RECIPE - SHRIMP SCAMP MADE ON 12-11-24

This night we wanted seafood and as we had a large bag of frozen shrimp waiting to be opened, I searched for recipes. This is what I came up with, Shrimp Scampi. It came from Back Road Journal hosted by Karen, and the original recipe can be found at this link.

Shrimp Scampi With Linguine - serves 2

3 oz. dry linguine, per person (amount depends on personal preference)

1/2 lb. jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 4 – 5 per person, depending on size)

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp. butter

1/4 onion or 1 large shallot, minced

4 – 6 cloves garlic, depending on size, minced

a large pinch of red chili flakes

1/2 c. white wine

1 lemon, zested and juiced*

1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions until just under al dente.

Reserve a cup of pasta water for later. Adding pasta water to your sauce mixture later helps to create creamy sauce that will stick to your pasta.  

While the pasta is cooking, season shrimp well with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. 

Heat oil and butter in a large sauté pan over medium high heat, and add the onion, garlic and red pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent, about 1 minute. 

Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until just pink but not completely cooked through, about 2–3 minutes. 

Transfer shrimp to a plate and set aside.

Add the wine, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper, cook until reduced and is a sauce consistency, about 4 to 5 minutes. Taste and adjust for any additional seasoning. 

Return shrimp to sauté pan and add the lemon zest and parsley and stir.

Using tongs, transfer pasta directly to the sauté pan, reserving the cooking water as mentioned before, and toss. 

Add about a 1⁄4 cup of the pasta cooking water and cook, tossing until the pasta is al dente and the sauce has thickened and coats the pasta about 2 to 3 minutes. If needed, add more water a 1/4 cup at a time. Plate and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil, if desired. Serve immediately. 

What did we think? 

This was an excellent version that we enjoyed very much. Because it suited both our tastes with ingredients that we like, we gave it a 10 out of 10. 

As often happens we had not gone to the store for a few days and made our scampi on impulse.

We had a large bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer that came from CostCo and used those for this recipe.  First time using frozen  shrimp and we were very happy with the outcome.

Instead of the linguine we had preboiled udon noodles in the fridge and used those. They were great with this dish.

We didn't have any white wine so used Beringers White Zinfandel. It had been bought for guests but we ended up using our guest's gift of wine instead. Berringers is one of our favorites and we enjoy a glass with our meal. 

We didn't have any onion powder or fresh garlic, and we didn't miss it.

Our lemon was on the large side, but we love lemon, so it all went in, including the zest. 

Butter isn't something we use a lot of anymore, but for dishes that say "don't skimp on the butter", we take them at their word.

One of Karen's tips is not to overcook the shrimp in the beginning. They will continue to cook on the plate and when they are returned to the sauce. Overcooking the shrimp will make them tough.

Another of Karen's tips is to cook the pasta to slightly less than al dente as it will finish cooking in the sauce.

I have left the full address below, in case you would rather copy and paste instead of using the link. I will try to remember to do this at the end of every recipe.

https://backroadjournal.wordpress.com/2023/07/29/shrimp-scampi-with-linguine/

If you have any questions let me know in the comment section and I will do my best to answer.

Thanks for visiting everyone, enjoy your day and week.