Baked Shrimp Scampi is one of Jeffrey's favorite dinners. Who the heck is Jeffrey? Well, Ina Garten's husband, of course. You know, "here comes Jeffrey," he's just in time for supper. Barefoot Contessa is my favorite show on the Food Network. When I'm watching Ina's show, I often wonder how Jeffrey feels about being a minor on-screen character in her multi-million dollar enterprise. Granted, he's no slouch, but she's a sugar tycoon, a major sweetie. I guess he seems pretty happy about it; especially when he's spooning large bites of chocolate cake into his mouth.
This recipe comes from her most recent book, Back to Basics, which is, in my opinion, the best cook book of the year. Buy it.
I put the dish together ahead of time, stuck it in the oven when I arrived at a friend's baby shower, and in less than 15 minutes it was ready. It was gone in less than five minutes. Perfect party food!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (12 to 15 per pound) shrimp in the shell
- 3 tablespoons good olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
- 1/4 cup minced shallots
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 extra-large egg yolk
- 2/3 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture. In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined. Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval gratin dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute. Serve with lemon wedges. {arugula notes: and a hunk of crusty white bread}. {arugula notes: my aunty franny and uncle sonny would love this dish}.
Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: 6 for dinner; 12 for appetizers
