Bite-the-Crunch Lemon Shrimp Scampi
When life throws you lemons, you can [1] throw them back at your adversaries, [2] make some lemonade, or [3] cook my Lemon Shrimp Scampi.
The easiest and the most rational choice, of course, is to follow this recipe. 🙂
Scampi, in the strictest sense, is a kind of shrimp extensively available in the Mediterranean, but with the fusion of Mediterranean food with other cuisines, the use of the word has expanded to include the way the seafood is cooked. The word scampi has become synonymous to cooking shrimp in garlic, butter and white wine.
Although the addition of red pepper flakes, parsley and parmesan cheese has also become very popular, my Lemon Shrimp Scampi skips all three (plus the use of butter) in favor of healthier ingredients, less complex flavors and added texture. Instead of using parsley, I add a cup of French beans to give it a crunch and the bright green color that the parsley provides. I settle with plain salt instead of adding parmesan cheese, and skip the heat from the red pepper flakes altogether to highlight the freshness of the lemon juice. For the pasta, I find that linguini works best, although spaghetti and even capellini should work fine.
- 1 pound linguine
- 1 pound medium-sized shrimp
- 2 plus 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup French beans (around 200 grams)
- 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup white wine
- Zest and juice of one lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- Shell the shrimp. Remove the heads and leave the tails.
- Heat two tablespoons of oil in a pan. Sear the shrimp for one minute on each side. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Add another 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in the pan. Sauté the French beans for two minutes under medium high heat. Do not overcook the French beans to maintain their crispiness.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic and cook for two to three minutes until soft. Stir occasionally to make sure the garlic does not burn. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour in the white wine. Increase the heat to medium high, and boil the mixture for three to five minutes until the alcohol smell burns off.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Add the lemon zest and half of the lemon juice.
- Toss in the cooked pasta and the remaining half of the lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning as needed. Serve warm.
As with many other food bloggers out there, I am no chef. I come with no culinary training whatsoever, and so it’s not at all surprising that my kitchen adventures are punctuated by frequent mishaps and blunders. Yet, there are recipes that I seem to make much better than others. And so, after years of prodding from family and friends, here I am, sharing the little that I know.
Why “gourmand,” you ask? Simply because I like making and eating good food. I can eat a lot, too—so there you go!