Try this Shrimp Scampi recipe, or contribute your own.
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 whole medium onion finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic cloves minced or pressed
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 whole lemons
- 4 dashes hot sauce (i used tabasco more to taste)
- 8 ounces, weight angel hair pasta
- chopped fresh basil to taste
- chopped fresh parsley to taste
- Carbohydrate 5.94419009482568 g
- Cholesterol 138.912150413393 mg
- Fat 11.4212621721246 g
- Fiber 1.76199992815653 g
- Protein 17.6844275599126 g
- Saturated Fat 5.99974216533537 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (135g)
- Sodium 257.827284704757 mg
- Sugar 4.18219016666915 g
- Trans Fat 1.06675139633686 g
- Calories 192 calories
Step-by-step
- Boil water for pasta; have it ready.
- Heat olive oil and melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for two or three minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add shrimp, then stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Squeeze in lemon juice. Add wine, butter, salt and pepper, and hot sauce. Stir and reduce heat to low.
- Throw angel hair pasta into the boiling water. Cook until just done/al dente. Drain, reserving a cup or two of the pasta water. Remove skillet from heat. Add pasta and toss, adding a splash of pasta water if it needs to be thinned. Taste for seasonings, adding salt and pepper if needed.
- Top with grated Parmesan and minced parsley and serve immediately.
Traditional Italian scampi features thumb-sized langoustines sautéed in garlic and butter, but American adaptations commonly substitute tender shrimp while retaining the rich aromatic base. Cooking shrimp requires strict attention to timing because proteins tighten rapidly under high heat, turning rubbery if left in the pan past two minutes. Acid from fresh citrus juice and dry white wine denatures the surface proteins of the shellfish slightly while cutting through the heavy dairy fats.
- Melt the butter and olive oil together over medium heat; the oil prevents the milk solids in the butter from burning too quickly.
- Mince the garlic finely and sweat it alongside the diced onions for two to three minutes until translucent, ensuring the aromatics release their essential oils without turning bitter.
- Reserve a full cup of starchy pasta water before draining the angel hair so the starch molecules can bond with the melted butter and cheese to create a cohesive emulsified sauce.
- Add the hot sauce in small dashes to introduce capsaicin, which interacts with the acidity of the lemon to balance the richness of the parmesan cheese.
A wide 12-inch skillet provides sufficient surface area to spread the shellfish in a single layer so every piece cooks evenly. Finished dishes should be consumed immediately since delicate angel hair absorbs moisture rapidly and continues softening off the heat.
