New England Baked Shrimp Scampi

For years I have been trying to find the perfect recipe for Baked Shrimp Scampi, but none that I found lived up to the New England version I was accustomed to. I don’t mean to sound like Paula Deen, but in New England, seafood is drenched in butter, or is accompanied by a side of melted butter for dipping. Shrimp scampi is all about the butter and all about the garlic, so much garlic that your breath would ward off vampires for days. So, I decided to get a little creative this past weekend and reinvent a recipe near and dear to my heart. I combined ingredients from a pasta with scampi sauce recipe I have been making for decades with a buttered breadcrumb topping, then I baked it. The result was an exact replica of the flavor blend I recall. You would have laughed watching me do a happy dance all around the kitchen after taste-tasting this wonderfully buttery, garlicky crustacean. Shrimp first marinated, then baked, in a perfect fusion of white wine, butter, lemon, herbs & spices, then blanketed with a layer of buttered bread crumbs. Can anything be more delectably beautiful than that? 

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Clean, peel & devein shrimp. Butterfly shrimp by cutting down the back with sharp knife, without cutting all the way through. Fortunately, this has become an easier task for us lately, as shrimp can be purchased as easy-to-peel, and already deveined. Utilizing the slit already in the shrimp from deveining, just cut slightly deeper to butterfly.

In large bowl, combine all ingredients for marinade/scampi sauce. Stir well to combine. Add shrimp to marinade mixture and stir well to thoroughly coat shrimp with mixture. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

In 14-inch oval gratin dish (4-quart size), reserving marinade, arrange the shrimp in a single layer, cut side down, with tails curling up. Pour, or spoon, reserved marinade over all. The cold shrimp may have solidified the butter a little, don’t worry, it will melt and incorporate when it is baked.

Prepare breadcrumb topping. In large measuring cup, melt 6 Tablespoons butter in microwave. Remove from microwave. Add 3/4 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs. Stir with fork to combine. Breadcrumb mixture should still be moist, not dry.

Evenly sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over tops of shrimp. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley.

Bake at 400° F. about 20 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and scampi sauce is bubbling. If necessary, brown breadcrumb topping under broiler for a minute or so. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Didn’t I say that this was a thing of beauty? I literally lingered after each bite to savor the full flavor. Amazing!

NEW ENGLAND BAKED SHRIMP SCAMPI
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

 
INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pounds shrimp, peeled & deveined, leaving tail on

Shrimp Marinade/Scampi Sauce:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 8 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup white wine (zinfandel recommended)
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2-1/2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel            
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 Tablespoons parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Bread Crumb Topping:

• 6 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 3/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• Paprika
• Parsley

         
DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 400° F.
2.  Clean, peel & devein shrimp. Butterfly shrimp by cutting down back with sharp knife, without cutting
     all the way through.
3.  In large bowl, combine all ingredients for Marinade/Scampi Sauce. Stir well to combine. Add shrimp
     to mixture. Stir to thoroughly coat shrimp. Marinade at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4.  In 14-inch oval gratin dish (4 quart size), reserving marinade, arrange the shrimp in a single layer, cut
     side down with tails curling up. Pour reserved marinade over all.
5. Prepare breadcrumb topping: In large measuring cup, melt 6 Tablespoons butter in the microwave.
    Remove from microwave. Add 3/4 cup of Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. Stir with fork to combine.
    Breadcrumb mixture should still be moist, not dry.
6. Evenly sprinkle buttered breadcrumbs over tops of shrimp. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley.
7. Bake at 400° F. about 20 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and scampi sauce is bubbling.
8. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.