Shrimp Scampi

So it's been quite some time since I posted a new entry on here...

.:lowers head in shame:.

And I'm sorry! But I'm back with a recipe I hope you'll love as much as I do. 

Shrimp Scampi!! Or, well, at least what my family calls scampi. I'm not sure if this really is a true shrimp scampi, but it's delish. I'll tell you that. 

What I love about shrimp is how fast they cook and how quickly you can throw this meal together. You can cook this entire meal in the time it takes you to cook the pasta. For serious.

Also, this sauce is a great for any fish dish. Sometimes I like to season some tilapia with salt and pepper, lightly dredge it in flour and then pan fry it and top it with this sauce. Yum. 

Shrimp Scampi: (serves two)

Ingredients:

2 tbs. of olive oil

10-12 large shrimp

the juice of one lemon

the zest of half a lemon

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

a splash of white wine, we used Trader Joe's chardonnay

dried parsley to taste

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 lb. of pasta (we used linguine)

Directions:

First you want to heat up the water for your pasta and a couple heavy pinches of salt to the water. 

Turn a saute pan to medium heat and add two tbs. of olive oil. Once shimmering add your shrimp and cook for a couple of minutes, flipping over once. Remove the shrimp when they are no longer translucent. 

Add your garlic cloves and crushed red pepper and saute for a couple of minutes. Once the garlic begins to brown slightly add the lemon juice and half of your lemon zest. At this point, if you have not started to cook your pasta you may want to...

Then you want to find a dashing young man to open your chardonnay for you. Luckily, I keep a husband around just for this reason ;) Add a splash of the chardonnay to your garlic/lemon/deliciousness sauce and reduce. 

I also like to reserve a 1/4 to 1/2 of the pasta water at this point. This starchy/salty water helps to bring the sauce together at the end. It varies how much you'll need, you only need enough of it to help moisten all the pasta after you've added your delicious scampi sauce. 

Once the wine has reduced down a bit, add the shrimp back to the pan to warm through. Remember, they don't take long to cook. Overcooked shrimp are the worst too, so be careful not to cook these little babies to death!

Add your perfectly al dente pasta to the pan and stir. If the pasta seems a little dry, add some pasta water. And if your sauce seems a little dull add a pad of butter! Trust me. I mean, when is butter ever bad? Oh, that's right, never. NEVER. 

Divide up your pasta and shrimpies, and sprinkle it with the remaining half of your lemon zest. In my family we do not put cheese on our fish dishes, so this zest is like my cheese garnish. That, and it's just yummy. You can also sprinkle some fresh or dried parsley on the top, too. We didn't have fresh so I used dried. Delish. You don't have to add much salt to the sauce if you added any of the salted pasta water to it. If you didn't, taste and double check. 

And then shove it in your face...what are you waiting for?