Simple Shrimp Scampi…

   Time to bump it up a notch. We’re going to cook something on the stove, and I think your gonna like it.

📌What your gonna need: Medium shrimp (30-40ct.) Larger shrimp can be used if you prefer, cooking times stay the same. We use about a lb. or 1 1/2 lbs. depending on how many we are cooking for.
The shrimp shown below are available at Walmart. They are peeled and deveined and raw. If you don’t know how to peel and devein a shrimp, this is your best and simplest solution.

Margarine or butter, (your choice), some olive oil, fresh garlic cloves or you can use chopped garlic that comes in a jar which you can find in the produce section of your store, you may have to ask someone, but that’s OK. Break out that skinny jar of capers we used for making our own tartar sauce.  Also grab some cherry tomatoes while your in that department. Some canned or fresh sliced mushroom, a cup of white wine, try something dry rather than sweet. Some Old Bay seasoning. You can find it in the spice section, or near the seafood counter in your store. Salt and pepper, Couple of bay leaves (these aren’t edible but they add a great flavor). *optional: red pepper flakes)* And finally, a box of Angel Hair Pasta. So here we go…

    This is what we came here for…

  Grab a big frying pan. A non-stick one works for me, but any 10-12” skillet will work. Also bring out a big pot for boiling our pasta. We’ll cook this meal on a low heat. Let the skillet heat a bit. We always add oils and butter or margarine to a warm skillet rather than one we just put on the burner. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and a couple of tablespoons of  margarine or butter. Once they are melted and stirred together, drop in the the chopped garlic and bay leaves, a heaping tablespoon of whole capers, add a little salt and pepper. And have some lemon juice ready🍋
*🧄 If you already know how to peel a clove of garlic, you can skip the next instruction. But I thought I’d throw it in…

   *🔪 If using fresh garlic, you may want to know how to peel a clove. Separate the individual cloves from the pod. We’ll use 4 or 5 for this recipe, but it ya love garlic, feel free to add more. Once separated from the pod place them on a cutting board. Take a wide bladed knife (known as a chef’s knife) lay the knife (sideways) over a single clove of garlic and use the heal of your hand and smack that wide blade down on the clove. When you raise the knife you’ll find a clove of garlic more than willing to shed it’s dry flaky skin. Once you have removed the skin from all the cloves, use that same chef’s knife to chop those babies up. Use a rocking motion keeping the knife in contact with the cutting board for a safe way to chop them up.

   🔥Now we cook. Yay! Grab another pot 4 to 6 quart and fill it with water. I use hot water from the tap because it takes less time to boil. Duh… Add salt to the water and bring to a boil. Turn that burner up man, we’re in a hurry to eat! Follow the instructions on the box of Angel Hair Pasta you already purchased, it usually cooks in about 4 to 6 minutes stirring occasionally.
🍝An old trick for checking to see if your pasta is done, is to take a strand out and throw it on the wall. If it sticks….it’s done. Ha! Since Faye frowns on that method, I usually set a timer and once that time has elapsed, I pick out a strand with a fork and take a bite. If it’s still tough, I cook it some more, if it’s tender…I remove it from the heat an dump it in a colander, (the bowl with the holes).
🔥Once your oil and butter with the added spices are hot, we let the garlic cook a bit to get that flavor going. Pretty soon, your kitchen is going to start smelling good. Once the garlic has started to change color and is no longer that funky white, we are ready to add the shrimp.
🍤We add the shrimp, toss them in the oil and spices with a big spoon or spatula. Squeeze the juice of one lemon in. Once they are coated, leave them alone for a couple of minutes until the side down turns pink, then flip them over. You might need to use some tongs
🍄 Here’s where we add (if using bottled or canned) mushrooms in. If you have decided on using fresh mushrooms (be sure and wash them well) you may want to add them when you add the garlic cloves, a bit earlier. Sprinkle the Old Bay seasoning on the shrimp, some people may also add some red pepper flakes, depends on what you like. You can also add the cherry tomatoes, around 10 or 12 at this time. 🍅🍅.  Cherry tomatoes aren’t a part of the traditional scampi, but we add them because they add a burst of flavor that goes with the sauce we are creating when your bite down on one. You can also add the wine at this time as well. It helps to have all your ingredients next to your cooking area. Have the wine measured, lemon squeezed, capers, mushrooms, and tomatoes ready.   As all those ingredients get nice and hot, and you feel like the shrimp have just turned pink on both sides. Grab the cooked pasta, and put as much as you want into the skillet with the shrimp. I use tongs to grab the shrimp and put them on top of the pasta so they don’t keep cooking quite as much.

   🧈🥂At this point, if you would like a little more sauce, you can add a little more wine and another scoop of butter (or margarine). Stir it all together and get ready to heap it into a wide bowl. Trust me, it’s gonna taste great.
🔎This recipe may look complicated and long at first glance. But prep time is around 10 min. actual cooking time is about 6 min. and the pasta cooks in about the same time. Also, feel free to use whatever pasta you like. I use Angel hair because it takes the sauce well and is a fast cooker. You can leave out the mushrooms and tomatoes, because let’s be real, the shrimp and garlic are the stars of this show.
Also:🥖 when your at the store, go ahead and grab a loaf of French bread, or Italian bread, or a baguette (fancy name for a skinny loaf). Before cooking your meal take that loaf of bread. Slice it down the middle, spread it with margarine or butter, and sprinkle each half with garlic powder and if you have it in your spice rack, some Italian seasoning (they sell it in the spice section and you can put a few shakes as well into the scampi) put the 2 halves back together and wrap with tin foil and put it in the oven at 250 to 300 degrees during the time your cooking the rest of the meal. If you prefer a crisper bread, leave off the tin foil and place the two halves butter side up on a cookie sheet and let them toast.
🚫 Yikes! We ain’t dieting on this one. Oh well.  Like we say, moderation is the key here.
🍤 Just remember the worst thing to do is over cook shrimp. They can get tough if cooked to long. When both sides are pink, they are done. In fact. If you are afraid of overcooking, remove them to a plate as soon as they turn pink and add them back in, once you have added the pasta back in the skillet. There’s lots of ways to skin a cat, this has been one of them. You got this, and your gonna be happy and so is anybody that gets to share this meal with you.
*BTW, 🥂since your only using a cup of wine, what to do with the rest…hmmm?

  *👨🏻‍🍳Pro tip #1…if you have access to fresh basil, another thing you can usually find in the produce department. Stack the pulled leaves (6 or 8) on top of each other, and slice them with that chef’s knife into strips. Add them to the sauce when you add the pasta back in.
*🧑🏻‍Pro tip #2…🍋 if you happen to have a lemon zester, before squeezing the lemon, zest it. Use the utensil which is like a very small cheese grater, and zest as much as you can from the lemon. Use the tiny shredder to remove the layer of yellow lemon peel. Add these in with the shrimp for an extra layer of flavor.

*👨🏻‍🍳 Pro tip #3…grab some real Parmesan cheese. NOT the kind in the green paper tube you used on your spaghetti growing up. And top your freshly served bowl of Simple Scampi Shrimp with it. Here’s a pretty good choice you can find at Walmart. Unlike the stuff in the green tube, that doesn’t melt and contains cellulose. This stuff is good!

   That’s a wrap as they say. I know this one appears to be a little more difficult. But trust me, it’s not. It’s just a few ingredients and shrimp with pasta. You can use as little or as much of the extras that you want. Just do what you feel comfortable doing. 👏✨

   📌If this is your first visit to this blog, and it was helpful to you…please feel free to check out the other recipes I’ve posted on my blog. A good idea would be to start from the beginning “Dads Can Cook” because some tricks we use on other recipes, may make it easier to follow later on. 🍽 Thanks for checking it out, G. North🍷🖖

 

 

 

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