It’s hard to write about something when it didn’t turn out quite perfectly. It’s hard not to get caught up in the what should have beens and the what could have beens and what ifs. But first and foremost, I started this blog as a diary for my personal cooking adventures. So when I came back to a dish 3 months later, I could remember what I thought about it the last time and what my notes were, aiding my journey to the ultimate culinary perfection. Things about this recipe turned out really, really well; and overall, I’m thrilled with my personal interpretation of scampi style. There’s nothing like taking an idea from the top of your head and having it result in flavor the exact product of your imagination.
The sauce was fantastic. It was light, it was zesty, it was flavor-packed. The shrimp was mediocre. Was it because of the shrimp I purchased or the cooking style? I don’t know, but I do know I’m going to do two things differently next time. Firstly my shrimp, I bought wild catch Gulf of Mexico Shrimp from Whole Foods – 16-20 count. I’m thinking due to their size, that they were brown shrimp. I’m pretty sure I prefer the Gulf White Shrimp flavor. Whole Foods had the White shrimp, but the case looked scrawny and picked over so I went for the larger browns. Second, was my cooking method. I absolutely loved the shrimp I wrote about here [1], so why mess with a good thing? I’d make the sauce the identical way the next time, but roast the shrimp then toss everything together with the pasta. Also, my husband and I decided that due to the light flavor and consistency of the sauce, next time I’ll use regular old cappellini, not the whole wheat variety.
All those things aside, the kitchen smelled fabulous, the meal was very well recieved, (I’m just being picky), and this sauce could easily translate to a chicken or turkey cutlet recipe. Oh and hey! It’s quick to prepare, minus the time spent peeling and deveining, so get your fishmonger to do that for you if you can! I love the word fishmonger. Just rolls right off the tounge.
Gulf Shrimp Scampi Style
1.5 lbs gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tbsps butter
1 large shallot, very finely diced
5 cloves garlic, finely diced
1/2 c. pinot grigio
1/4 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 turns fresh ground pepper
2-3 tbsps fresh parsley, finely chopped
In a large, heavy bottomed skillet, melt butter then add shallot and garlic, heat two and a half minutes on medium heat, then add wine, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir, cook another 30 seconds then add shrimp, cover, cook 1.5 minutes then turn shrimp cook another 1.5 minutes and add parsley, stir, then serve tossed with cappellini pasta.
Cheers!
**Note if you follow my corrections and use the roasted shrimp with this sauce, I would cook the sauce the same way, using the total amounts of cooking time, even without the shrimp added, then dump in the shrimp just before the parsley, then add the pasta and toss together.