Pasta with Butterfly Shrimp, Scampi Style
This is one of our classic “Christmas Eve” pasta dishes….but delicious anytime of year, especially if you happen to live on the Atlantic coast and enjoy fresh local fish as we do. We use large shrimp, (21-24 size) … as small tiny shrimp just won’t do for this glorious dish!
Fresh local fish is always best.. but if unavailable, use frozen raw shrimp. I have found ones that are peeled and deveined…so all you have to do is butterfly them after they thaw.
As a rule of thumb…raw shrimp takes only minutes to cook, so remember that will be the last ingredient added to your sauce.
Here is a short video clip from Coastalliving.com that demonstrates how to peel, devein and butterfly shrimp.
I prefer to use thin spaghetti for this recipe … 
This shrimp sauce is a beautiful combination of flavors: buttery, garlicky, lemony , zesty and then the toasted breadcrumbs add a perfect crunchy texture.. The flavors will dance in your mouth….
Just a reminder….Valentine’s day♥ is just around the corner…wouldn’t this dish be perfect along with some candles and a bottle of crisp cold Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay? …let’s get the passion brewing in your kitchen…♥.
Here is the recipe….hope we inspired you…
- 16 oz thin spaghetti or linguini
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 scallions, chopped fine
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
- 4 oz cherry tomatoes, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
- salt and ground pepper to taste
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- juice of ½ lemon
- 1-1/2 cups chicken broth or water
- 1½ lbs of fresh large shrimp, (21-24 size) peeled and deveined and butterflied
- Toasted Bread crumbs:
- ½ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- combine all ingredients in saute pan and toast bread crumbs till lightly browned…turn off heat and set aside
- Bring large pot of salted water to a boil,
- When water comes to a vigorous boil, cook pasta till al dente, about 8 min.
- Drain pasta and reserve 1 cup of pasta water
- Shrimp Sauce
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add garlic, scallion, red pepper flakes and cherry tomatoes and saute gently for 4 minutes
- Add fresh parsley, white wine, lemon juice and chicken broth;
- Season broth with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 4 -5 minutes.
- Add raw shrimp to broth and simmer quickly or until the shrimp turn pink. , stirring occasionally,
- Turn off heat, and add cooked pasta to shrimp mixture. Toss to combine….add some reserved pasta water if mixture becomes too dry.
- Transfer pasta and shrimp to a large serving platter, sprinkle with prepared buttered breadcrumbs.
- Optional, I like to sprinkle pasta with some extra lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil before serving to freshen up flavors…. Pasta should be juicy!!
- Kathleen Barbato….3 Italian Sisters…
