Shrimp Scampi is Italian Soul Food

Last night was our monthly cooking demo at Novus Centers. On the menu was Shrimp Scampi so I did some research to further my own knowledge of the dish. Did you know this Italian-American favorite is the Italian version of soul food. It was brought over by immigrants and gets its name from the crustacean originally used in the homeland. The scampi is a small, lobster-like crustacean used in Italian for the orginal version of the dish. When the immigrants arrived here they adapted the recipe to what was most widely available, shrimp. They kept the name Scampi and thus the dish as we know it was born.

Because of its immigrant origins there are a few constant ingredients, but no real "rules" to the game. As long as you have a sautee pan, shrimp, garlic, and butter, the rest is improvisation. Just like a good soul food recipe, no two are the same. One house cooks it different from the next house. Some of the more popular addition to garlic, butter, and shrimp include white wine, red pepper flakes, lemon, or bread crumbs. Go crazy and add all four. That is the great thing about cooking....if it tastes great then you have succeeded! Rules are for bakers!

Shrimp Scampi for four

Ingredients
1 1/2 pound jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Tblsp Extra Virgin Olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Directions
Wash them and put the shrimp on a large plate and pat them completely dry with a paper towel. Arrange the shrimp so they lay flat and are evenly spaced.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the butter to the skillet. When the foaming subsides, raise the heat to high, and invert the plate of shrimp over the pan so the shrimp fall into the pan all at once. Cook the shrimp, without moving them, for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Turn the shrimp over and cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl. Return the skillet to the heat and pour in the wine and lemon juice. Boil the liquid until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add back in the shrimp, quickly stir the zest and parsley into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste and toss to combine. Serve by its self or over pasta.