I haven’t had scampi in years. It was just a dish that fell out of my favor. Anywhere I had it, there was always something off. The shrimp were overcooked. There was too much garlic. There was too much butter. There was too much oil. I gave up for a while and then moved on to the Spanish version: gambas al ajillo. But the same problems remained. As a result, I hadn’t had some form of scampi in at least 7 years. It’s a simple dish, made of few ingredients. Why was it so hard to get a good scampi? Balance.
Balance is key. Perhaps some cooks thought the dish was too simple and had to be messed with or enhanced. I mean, I did the same thing with the photo for this entry. I kept thinking it needed something “extra”. But, no filter or adjustment was really working and that’s when it hit me. Sometimes, some things just need to be themselves. They don’t need flash, they don’t need fussing. They just need to be appreciated as what they are.
This recipe may not be for everyone. Some people need to be assaulted with flavor. Some people might want a buttery pond at the bottom of their plate. I just wanted to be able to taste and enjoy each ingredient in an even-handed manner. Two things stood out to me on this dish. First, it tasted of the ocean: spectacular! Second, the pasta was almost dry. I didn’t mind it, but I think a lot of people might. So, I’ve increased the butter and olive oil by 1 tablespoon each, in the recipe below, just to give it a little more sheen.
Shrimp Scampi
For a meal like this, you want to have everything prepared beforehand as the dish comes together faster than the prep time and there’s no time for breaks or distraction once the ingredients hit the pan.
1 lb shrimp
2 shallots
4 cloves garlic
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
Parsley bunch
1/2 lb angel hair pasta
Juice from half a lemon
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Meanwhile, peel and devein the shrimp. Dice the shallot and mince the garlic (do not use a garlic press for this recipe) and reserve all, separately.
When the water is boiling, heavily season the water with salt. Cover and let it continue to boil.
Heat 1 tbsp each of butter and evoo in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. When the butter has melted, sauté the minced shallot, with a pinch of salt, until softened. Add in the garlic and pepper flakes and stir until fragrant. Then, add the wine.
While the wine cooks down, finely chop the leaves from the bunch of parsley. Reserve.
After you’ve chopped the parsley, add another tbsp each of butter and olive oil to the wine sauce and drop the pasta in the boiling water; stirring for the first minute.
After stirring the pasta, add the shrimp to the skillet and briefly toss with the sauce. Make sure all the shrimp are laying flat in the pan and let them cook for 2 minutes, undisturbed.
Then, flip the shrimp and cook for another 2 minutes.
After the shrimp have cooked for a total of 4 minutes, add in another tablespoon of butter and olive oil and increase the heat to medium-high. Drain the pasta and transfer to the skillet and stir to combine all the ingredients. Add in half of the parsley along with the lemon juice and the last tablespoon each of butter and olive oil. Toss and season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat.
Give the pasta a heavy drizzle of olive oil in the pan and toss one last time. Plate and give each serving a small drizzle of olive oil and garnish with more parsley if desired.
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Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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