baked shrimp scampi.

I don't often remember to make shrimp dishes. This recipe caught my eye because it looked beautiful in the cookbook - and, surprisingly, it looked just as beautiful when I made it. (An especially rare thing for shrimp!) My favorite thing about this recipe is that you can really taste each ingredient. It's fresh and bright and couldn't be easier to make, as long as you don't mind a little chopping.

I've made this twice now, with just a few adjustments. Ina unabashedly loves butter. Usually I do too, but this recipe seemed like it could work with a bit less, and it does. I also cut the recipe in half because I was only feeding 2 people; although the original says that it feeds 6, 2 of us managed - both times - to polish off each and every shrimp without a problem. It worked so well that I'll give the halved recipe here, with some adjustments to keep the wonderful flavors of the fresh herbs.

Baked Shrimp Scampi
from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

1 lb. shrimp in the shell (*frozen shrimp work perfectly - just thaw them in a colander under cold running water; if you can find them already deveined and butterflied, that's even better)
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp. butter, room temp.
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 med. shallot, chopped finely
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1 tbsp. minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (*more for more heat)
Zest of half a lemon
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 c. panko


Preheat the oven to 425F.

1. Peel the shrimp but leave their tails on. If they aren't already deveined and butterflied, do so. If you're using frozen shrimp, make sure they're thawed before moving on to the next step, otherwise they'll get too watery.

2. In a med. bowl, toss shrimp with olive oil, wine, 1 tbsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Allow to sit at room temp. while you make the butter mixture.

3. In a small bowl, mash together the butter, garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, panko, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper until combined. (*I was polite and used a fork at first, but using your hands works really well!)


4. Starting from the edge of a small casserole dish (*I used an 8" square), arrange the shrimp in a single layer with their tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over them.


5. Dot the butter mixture evenly over the top of the shrimp. (*Again, using your hands works nicely.)

6. Bake 10-12 minutes until hot and panko is browned slightly. Serve with lemon wedges.


Serves 2 hungry people.