Baked Shrimp Scampi

Seafood was not something that we ate when I was little. In fact, I didn't start to eat seafood until I met the Kitchen Gnome. He took me out to the Tam O'Shanter for dinner when we first met. The TamO'Shanter was a very popular place in the day...everybody went there. There was always a live band playing great music to accompany great food! On this particular date he said he was having seafood. I looked at the seafood section of the menu and it meant nothing to me. I had never heard of or eaten most of what was listed in this section of the menu! He suggested that I try the Shrimp Scampi. I did. With one bite, I was in heaven.

So what type of seafood did I order after that? Good guess, the shrimp scampi! You know, then, how excited I was to see that Jill of Insanely Good Food selected Baked Shrimp Scampi for the Barefoot Blogger's this month. Go Jill!! I think it is safe to say that this will go on the rotation. We enjoyed every bite!

Don't forget to take the butter out ahead of time...it really must be at room temperature.

Baked Shrimp Scampi

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.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

I served the scampi with Wine Lover's Rice. It was a perfect match! I will be sharing that recipe later in the week.

We enjoyed Ina Garten's Baked Shrimp Scampi. The recipe can be found in her cookbook, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics and on Food Network.

Every cook needs to have one or two of Ina's cookbooks. The recipes are really consistent and always incredibly delicious!

This was a fun recipe for me to prepare. It was easy and the shrimp were cooked perfectly. I did have to extend the cooking time for the shrimp in the middle of the dish but it was not a problem for the shrimp around the outer edges. Every bite was perfection!

What is even more fun? I have a date for the Tam O'Shanter! It has changed ownership quite a few times over the years...we shall see if their menu stands the test of time!