Scampi Happy

When I was 8 years old, my family up and moved from nowheresville, Indiana to Ft. Myers, Florida on a whim my father had to become a shrimper.  He bought a big ole' shrimp boat, hired a small crew, and started bringing home shrimp by the bagful.  I wanted nothing to do with it.  Especially after seeing my mom pull the poop-line out of a slew of them!  I preferred Hamburger Helper.  After a few years on the water, my father lost his desire to troll the sea for shrimp and we moved back to the midwest.  Of course, now that I have to pay $10 a pound for it, I've developed a much greater appreciation for the tiny crustacean, and every recipe I try it in tastes better than the last one.  Amazingly enough, my picky kid even likes the little wigglers, so shrimp is a regular on my monthly menu.  I also like that shrimp cooks in practically no time at all, so even the most complicated shrimp recipes still only take a few minutes.

This recipe makes a whole lot of a really great sauce, so I recommend either doubling up on the shrimp or making a batch of pasta to toss with the extra sauce.  Or you could just drink it.  Yeah.

Shrimp Scampi
link to original recipe 

Cook Time: 10 min.
serves 6

2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon pure olive oil
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups white wine
1/2 fresh lemon, juice only
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup softened butter
1 tablespoon parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 oz. cooked pasta, if desired 

Heat cast iron skillet and add olive oil. Add shrimp and cook until tender and no longer translucent, reduce heat. Remove shrimp and set aside.

Add garlic and cook 2-3 minutes. Do not allow garlic to brown - it will make it bitter.
 

Add white wine and lemon juice. Cook until wine is reduced by half. After it is reduced, add Italian seasoning.
 

Reduce heat to low and add butter. If pan is too hot, the butter will separate. Add shrimp back into sauce, add parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.  Toss extra sauce with pasta, if desired.

488 calories per serving (with pasta.)  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!