Shrimp Scampi

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 8

Why I Love This Recipe

If someone called and said they were stopping by in thirty minutes, this would probably be the first meal I’d think of. A bag of frozen shrimp, a box of pasta, garlic, olive oil, and a lemon are all it takes to create something that feels elegant enough for company.

It’s also the recipe that taught me one of my favorite kitchen lessons: don’t panic when you’re missing an ingredient. Sometimes necessity creates something even better.

What You’ll Need

• 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

• 2 pounds linguine or spaghetti

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

• 4–5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• 1½ teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base

• About 1½ cups reserved pasta water

• Juice of 2 lemons

If you don’t have fresh lemons:

• ¼ cup good-quality lemon sorbet

To Finish

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (optional)

• Hand-torn fresh parsley (optional)

Method

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil and cook the pasta until al dente according to the package directions.

While the pasta cooks, pat the shrimp dry and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook gently until fragrant and just beginning to turn lightly golden. Don’t let it brown.

Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook for about 1½ to 2 minutes per side, just until they turn pink. Shrimp cook quickly, so resist the urge to overcook them.

Dissolve the Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base into about 1½ cups of the reserved hot pasta water.

Add the lemon juice to the pan followed by the seasoned pasta water. Allow everything to simmer for a minute or two.

If you don’t have fresh lemons, remove the pan from the heat and stir in about ¼ cup of lemon sorbet instead. It melts almost instantly and creates an incredibly bright, silky sauce with just a touch of sweetness.

Transfer the cooked pasta directly into the pan and toss until every strand is coated. Add additional pasta water if needed until the sauce lightly coats the pasta.

Finish with freshly ground black pepper. If you have fresh parsley, tear or roughly chop a little over the pasta just before serving. Parmigiano Reggiano is optional. Some Italians would never add cheese to seafood pasta—I won’t tell you how to eat your dinner.

Serve immediately.

Joe’s Tips

Don’t overcook the shrimp.

Shrimp continue cooking from their own residual heat after they leave the burner. The moment they turn pink and begin to curl, they’re done.

The sauce should lightly coat the pasta.

This isn’t a soup, and it isn’t swimming in broth. The pasta should glisten from a silky emulsion of olive oil, lemon, and pasta water.

My sister Cathy’s lemon sorbet trick.

One evening my sister Cathy was staying with us and wanted to surprise my wife and me with dinner. We were both working incredibly long hours, and a home-cooked meal was a rare luxury. Halfway through making shrimp scampi she realized we didn’t have a single lemon in the house.

Instead of giving up, she opened the freezer, grabbed a container of lemon sorbet, and stirred a scoop into the sauce.

I thought she’d completely lost her mind.

She hadn’t.

The sorbet melted into the sauce, adding bright citrus flavor with just enough sweetness to balance everything perfectly. It didn’t taste like dessert. It tasted like one of the best shrimp scampis I’d ever had. Ever since then, I’ve made sure there’s almost always a container of lemon sorbet tucked away in my freezer.

Make It Your Own

• Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.

• Finish with a drizzle of your favorite DOP finishing olive oil.

• Use angel hair instead of linguine for a lighter dish.

• Add torn parsley just before serving if you have it.

Serve It With

A crisp green salad, warm Italian bread, and a chilled Pinot Grigio or Vermentino are all this meal really needs.

Pantry Staples Used

• Frozen shrimp

• Dried pasta

• Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Garlic

• Lemon sorbet (emergency substitute)

This recipe is exactly why I keep a thoughtfully stocked freezer. Sometimes the difference between ordering takeout and serving a memorable dinner is simply knowing what’s already waiting for you.