Baked Shrimp Scampi – The Barefoot Contessa

February 25th, 2010

This was such an easy dish to prepare and it is perfect for company because you can do all the prep work ahead of time and then just put it in the oven when you are ready. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love a good shrimp scampi and I want to thank Jill of Insanely Good Food for picking this as the Barefoot Bloggers recipe for this Thursday.

The Shrimp scampi was rich and garlicy and paired beautifully with pasta. For some reason my crumbs did not brown as much as Ina’s as pictured in her Back to Basics cookbook, but the flavor was outstanding. Give this a try the next time you have company.

BAKED SHRIMP SCAMPI

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
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 crumbs
Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. To butterfly shrimp, cut around the outer curve and open like a book. Cut each shrimp deeply enough to open but not to cut in half. 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 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 toward 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.


As of this moment we are heading down to Key West. I will be posting pictures and a travelogue sometime on Sunday.

12 responses to “Baked Shrimp Scampi – The Barefoot Contessa”

  1. Bring on the shrimp recipes! Saving them all.

    Have a wonderful time in the keys. It’s a great place, and will love to hear about your adventures.

  2. This may be Ina Garten’s healthiest recipe! The shrimp looks fabulously succulent, and tasty. I adore and trust all of Ina Garten’s recipes.

  3. Kate says:

    This was absolutely delicious. You are right, it is perfect for company. Being able to make it ahead is a big plus!!

    Enjoy your trip!

  4. Back to Basics is my favorite of Ina’s cookbooks. So many good things in it, including this shrimp scampi. I haven’t tried it yet, but I plan to. I’m stuck in a rut I guess and always make Julia Child’s shrimp scampi from Kitchen Wisdom.

    I know I would love the Panko crumbs in this for a crunch. I’ve found Panko doesn’t always brown as much as I think it should too. Wonder why?

    As for the picture in the book, I think they “doctor” the pictures with a kitchen torch sometimes to show color. The broiler as you suggested should work too.
    Sam

  5. I have seen this recipe highly recommmended on other blogs so with all the accolades and positive reports we have to try it!!!!

  6. Oh Penny, your scampi looks so delicious! And your kitchen must have been the place to be while it was cooking. It is such a beautiful dish, too. Many thanks…

  7. Robin Sue says:

    Penny this post is so timely for me. I have been wanting to have shrimp scampi on my dinner rotation for a while now but did not have a good recipe for it- now I do! Thanks!

  8. I love scampi and this sounds wonderful. Perfect with angel hair pasta.

  9. Wonderful! That is my kind of dish.
    I want to be Ina when I grow up. 🙂

  10. bella says:

    Hi! I just found your blog from other bloggers that I follow and who follow me: Ballini Vallini, Kitchen Puppies, Carolina Kitchen; So it looks like we have a lot of friends in common who are great cooks and so I KNOW that you’re blog is going to be great to follow too. Your kitchen is beautiful and I’m sure you love preparing all of these great dishes in it! Have a great day and hope you stop by sometime too! Roz (aka Bella)

  11. Katy ~ says:

    I think this may be the ULTIMATE shrimp scampi recipe. I don’t care for shrimp as a rule but I ADORE really good scampi. Penny, this recipe is a keeper. Thanks for posting!

  12. Me! says:

    mine didn’t brown up all that well either but it was still good. flavor was excellent and it was so easy to prepare. i may leave out the bread crumbs in the future because I’m not sure they did much but it was good anyway.

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