Frost Living: Shrimp “Scampi”

It’s Monday night and our fridge is still full from Friday’s dinner party.  In addition to baked rigatoni, a bit of salad, cheese and some bread, we also have quite a few leftover shrimp (thanks, M!).  Which means tonight, we’re feasting on the frost of the land.

Leftover shrimp means shrimp scampi.  This meal has a special place in my heart, as it was the very first thing I learned how to cook without a recipe.  It was also a serious test of (now) my brother-in-law’s love for my sister: I made this for him and Kathryn one night in a small dorm room kitchen and used probably 6 or 7 times the amount of lemon a normal person could reasonably tolerate.  He ate the whole thing, a smile on his face.  (My sister was less sanguine.)  And now they’re married.

Frost Living Shrimp Scampi

• pasta – linguine, fettuccine, spaghetti
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined (ideally, they’re the uncooked kind; I had only pre-cooked)
• 2-3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 1 shallot, sliced and diced
• 3-4 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (or vermouth – use less of this)
• Half of a 15 oz can diced tomatoes, juice partially drained
• greens – we have leftover baby bok choy, but normally I like to toss in arugula or spinach
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• grated lemon zest
• salt and pepper, crushed red pepper
• optional: Parmesan, fresh parsley

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil; cook pasta according to directions.  Reserve about a cup of starchy water.
2. Pat your shrimp totally dry; set aside
3. Heat butter or olive oil in a large saute pan.  Add shallot and cook down until they start to soften.  Add garlic, and a dash of salt, pepper and crushed reds.
4. If shrimp is uncooked, add them now and cook until just pink on both sides – 2-3 minutes.  Remove from pan.  If already cooked, skip this step.
5. Add white wine, diced tomatoes, a squeeze of lemon and either a bit more olive oil or butter.  Add some lemon zest.  Bring to a boil.  Add your greens.
6. Add shrimp to the pan and heat all the way through.  Season with salt and pepper.  Depending on the amount of sauce, add the leftover starchy water.
7. Serve shrimp and sauce over pasta.  Top with fresh parsley and/or Parmesan.

The Verdict:

Well…not sure it was a good sign that the Husband picked out all the shrimp.  I think (I hope) that was more a referendum on the seafood (he’s not a number one fan) than the dish.  On the bright side, I got to eat twice the amount of shrimp!