Italian Shrimp Scampi 

 

In Italy they don’t have shrimp as we know them. They have small lobster like crustaceans called scampi. When Italians immigrated to the USA they couldn’t get Scampi. So, they used shrimp and kept both names thus Shrimp Scampi was born. And, it became a pretty regular Italian Shrimp Scampi  Dinner.

The basic shrimp scampi dish is shrimp in a skillet with olive oil and garlic. From there just let your imagination take over. Like white wine and red pepper flakes and parsley or basil and diced tomatoes and tarragon and butter and on and on. 

Usually I stick to just olive oil and garlic with a little bit of lemon juice squeezed on them near the end of the cooking. But, tonight I added some fresh arugula at the end and let it wilt a little. 

But, you add the things that YOU want.

Ingredients

These amounts are for 2 servings. If you want different servings amounts scroll down to the recipe card that is below this posting. There you can change the number of servings and it will change all of the amounts of all the ingredients. Also you can switch all of the applicable amounts to metric.

• Olive oil
• 10-12 large shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1 1/2 tbsp. chopped garlic
• 1/4 fresh lemon 
• 1 large handful fresh arugula or spinach

 

And here is how to make your Italian Shrimp Scampi 

Prep Time 10 minutes – Cook Time 10 minutes – Total Time 20 Minutes

Have your shrimp thawed out, peeled and deveined. Get your starch and veggie going first because the shrimp cooks really quick.

 

 

Lay the shrimp out flat and cook them for just about a minute to a minute and a half. Then turn them over and add the garlic.

 

 

If you are going to add arugula – or spinach – wait until the shrimp is just shy of being done and add it to the skillet.

 

 

Then stir it together and let the arugula (or spinach) wilt a little as the shrimp finishes cooking.

 

 

Then serve up your Italian Shrimp Scampi.

 

 

I like chianti with it but Gammy is more conventional and likes a chablis or a pinot grigio. So, I got her some, of course. And, we also had some of Poppop’s easy homemade bread .

And here are our ten best shrimp recipes