This is my version of a dish often found on Red Lobster Restaurant menus throughout the U.S. Our dinner at home last night was this delicious Shrimp Scampi, along with a new potato dish from Italy that I’ve been wanting to try — and both were really yummy! The recipes will no doubt be repeated here in our kitchen at some point — although I admit that I generally prefer making a new dish for us to try, rather than repeating dishes we have already had. Last night’s dinner combination was a real keeper though — it might be put into “repeat rotation” or “rotating regulars”.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound medium shrimp (peeled, deveined, tails removed)
2 tablespoons finely-chopped fresh garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups Chardonnay
Freshly-squeezed juice from 1/2 large lemon
Zest from 1/2 lemon, or to taste
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley
Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. When oil is hot, add shrimp and cook just until tender and no longer translucent, turning them only once. Remove pan from the heat; set shrimp aside and keep warm. Add garlic to the pan drippings and cook 2-3 minutes over medium heat; do not allow garlic to brown. Add wine, lemon juice and lemon zest and simmer gently until reduced by half, then add Italian seasoning. Reduce the heat to low and slowly blend in the butter, one piece at a time, stirring constantly. Return shrimp to the pan, add parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the shrimp hot, sprinkled with freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and Calabrian Potatoes on the side. — Serves 3-4
