Shrimp Scampi

Name: Shrimp Scampi
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 600 g (1⅓ lb) large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, 16/20 per lb size, tails on or off; 5 g (¾ tsp) fine sea salt, plus more for the pasta water; 350 g (12 oz) linguine, optional; 3 tbsp olive oil; 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced; ½ tsp chili flakes; 150 ml (⅔ cup) dry white wine; 60 g (4 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, in cubes; 1 lemon, zest and 2 tbsp juice; 3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley; freshly ground black pepper

Garlicky lemon-butter shrimp with white wine, over linguine or with bread

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 20 min
Total: 25 min
Level: Easy

The Italian-American restaurant dish: plump shrimp quickly seared, then tossed in a glossy sauce of garlic, white wine, lemon and butter. Cook the shrimp in two short stages so they never go rubbery, and build the sauce in the same pan. Unlike the oil-poached Spanish Gambas al Ajillo, it is a butter-and-wine sauce to toss with linguine or mop up with crusty bread.

Ingredients

600 glarge raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (1⅓ lb)16/20 per lb size, tails on or off
5 gfine sea salt (¾ tsp)plus more for the pasta water
350 glinguine (12 oz)optional
3 tbspolive oil
6 clovesgarlicthinly sliced
½ tspchili flakes
150 mldry white wine (⅔ cup)
60 gcold unsalted butter (4 tbsp)in cubes
1lemonzest and 2 tbsp juice
3 tbspchopped flat-leaf parsley
freshly ground black pepper

Diet: Pescatarian
Allergens: crustaceans, milk, sulphites, gluten
Origin: United States (Italian-American)

Method

If serving with pasta, bring 4 L water with 40 g (2 tbsp + 1 tsp) salt to a boil and cook the linguine until just al dente, about 1 minute less than the packet says. Save a mug of pasta water before draining.
Meanwhile, pat the shrimp dry and toss with the 5 g salt and some pepper.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over high heat until shimmering. Add the shrimp in one layer and cook without moving until pink and lightly golden underneath, about 1 minute. Turn and cook 30 seconds more — they should still be slightly translucent in the middle. Tip onto a plate. 2 min
Lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining oil, garlic and chili and cook, stirring, until the garlic is pale gold and fragrant, about 1 minute. Don't let it brown.
Add the wine and boil until reduced by half, 2–3 minutes. Turn the heat to low and swirl in the butter a few cubes at a time until creamy and glossy. 3 min
Return the shrimp and their juices. Add the lemon zest and juice and toss for 1 minute, until the shrimp are just opaque throughout and curled into a loose C (not a tight O), 63°C (145°F) in the thickest one. 1 min
Toss in the drained linguine with a splash of pasta water to loosen the sauce, if using. Add the parsley, taste for salt and serve at once.

Why it works

Shrimp go from tender to rubbery within a minute, so they are seared hot just to color, then finished gently in the sauce. Whisking cold butter into the reduced wine over low heat creates an emulsion, like a quick Beurre Blanc, so the sauce clings rather than separating into grease. Starchy pasta water helps that emulsion coat the noodles.

Common mistakes

Burnt garlic turns bitter. Keep the heat medium and pull back the moment it turns pale gold.
Wet shrimp steam instead of sear. Dry them well.
A boiling sauce after the butter goes in will split it. Keep it below a simmer.

Variations

Without wine: Use 150 ml fish or chicken stock plus 1 extra tbsp lemon juice.
Scallop scampi: Use sea scallops, seared 1½ minutes a side, in place of the shrimp. Swap crustaceans for mollusc in the allergens.