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Southern Shrimp Scampi
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Scampi can mean different things in different cultures. The British deep fry langoustines in batter. In Italy, the langoustines are often sautéed in garlic and olive oil. Italian immigrants in America swapped in shrimp, and from there a thousand variations were born. This is a dish that cooks quickly and rises or falls on good-tasting shrimp. It is worth buying shrimp with the shells on and peeling them yourself.
TOTAL TIME 20 minutes Ingredients Preparation 1.In a bowl, toss garlic, salt and pepper with the shrimp, which may be refrigerated, well covered, for several hours at this point.2.When ready to cook, heat oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until it shimmers, then add shrimp and move shrimp around in the pan for about 2 minutes, or until the color just begins to turn from translucent.3.Remove shrimp, reduce heat to medium-high and add wine, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes to reduce, then add butter and swirl the pan to melt it.4.Put shrimp back into pan, stir about a minute to finishing cooking and add lemon juice.5.Remove to serving dish, sprinkle with parsley and red pepper flakes, adding more pepper if desired. Serve over rice or pasta or as is. YIELD 4 servings |
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Shrimp Cooked in Salt
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The chef Adam Evans of The Optimist in Atlanta likes to roast big, fresh Southern shrimp with the heads in a deep dish of rock salt studded with spices, an easy method that produces tender, delicately flavored and perfectly seasoned shrimp. Here, headless shrimp take on fragrance from cinnamon and star anise and get heat from jalapeños. The presentation is spectacular for a dinner party. Let the salt cool completely before you toss it out.
TOTAL TIME 30 minutes Ingredients Preparation 1.Heat oven to 475 degrees. In a bowl, add salt, cardamom, peppercorns, cinnamon, bay leaves, anise, two lemon wedges, the thyme, the jalapeños and the garlic and mix well.2.In a large shallow baking dish, add half the salt mixture. Place in oven for 10 to 12 minutes.3.Carefully remove pan from oven and set shrimp in a single layer on salt and then cover with remaining, cool salt mixture.4.Return to oven. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes more, or until shrimp are just cooked through.5.Serve shrimp in the salt, or remove to a platter. Garnish with remaining lemon. Serve with cocktail or tartar sauce or melted butter. YIELD 4 servings |
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Pan-Roasted Shrimp With Mezcal, Tomatoes and Arbol Chiles
TOTAL TIME 30 minutes For the Roasted Tomato Broth:
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Shrimp are like cotton balls, absorbing the flavor of whatever they bath in. Whitney Otawka developed this dish for Cinco y Diez in Athens, Ga. The shrimp takes on the smoky notes of the tequila and roasted tomatoes and the deep heat of dried arbol chilies. Cooking the shrimp with the heads adds flavor to the sauce. The adventurous can break off the heads and suck in the juices. Make sure you have all the ingredients assembled next to the stove before hand. The cooking goes quickly
.Make the broth: 1.On a hot grill or on a grill pan,
roast tomatoes until the skins are charred and soft. On the same grill,
toast chiles for a few seconds to soften. Transfer tomatoes and chiles
into a blender and purée with clam juice. Strain.
Make the shrimp: 2.Prepare and assemble all
ingredients for the shrimp and have them near the stove.3.Heat a large
sauté pan over medium-high and add clarified butter. When it’s hot, add
the arbol chiles. Fry lightly until they just begin to darken, which
could take less than a minute.4.Add garlic, onion and poblano chile and
sauté for about 1 minute.5.Add shrimp and cook for about 20 seconds. Add
mezcal (if using a gas range, remove pan from the heat as you add the
alcohol).6.Cook for about 30 seconds and add tomato broth.7.Simmer for
another minute and add lime juice, cilantro and butter. Reduce for 30
more seconds, remove from heat and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Check for
seasoning. Add more salt if needed. Serve shrimp and sauce with lime
wedges.
YIELD 2 servings as main dish, 4
as an appetizer
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Shrimp & Wine
Wine
A light, dry white
Taut, zippy white wine contrasts tender shrimp while cutting its richness with crisp acidity. Pinot grigio from Italy is great with scampi, which has both richness from butter and pungency from garlic and lemon juice. A resolutely dry pinot grigio will match the dish on both fronts. Scarpetta Pinto Grigio, Italy, 2012 ($14)
A rich, minerally white
Medium- to full-bodied white wine stands up to the sauce and shrimp. Try vermentino, one of Italy’s most compelling whites, with rich texture and flavor. It’s also crisp, citrusy, and minerally, which refreshes the palate after each bite. Argiolas Vermentino di Sardegna, Sardinia, Italy, 2012 ($11)
Avoid oaky white, like most chardonnays, as the vanilla sweetness will conflict with garlic. Almost any red will clash, too. -- Wine selections by Jordan Mackay
Wine
A light, dry white
Taut, zippy white wine contrasts tender shrimp while cutting its richness with crisp acidity. Pinot grigio from Italy is great with scampi, which has both richness from butter and pungency from garlic and lemon juice. A resolutely dry pinot grigio will match the dish on both fronts. Scarpetta Pinto Grigio, Italy, 2012 ($14)
A rich, minerally white
Medium- to full-bodied white wine stands up to the sauce and shrimp. Try vermentino, one of Italy’s most compelling whites, with rich texture and flavor. It’s also crisp, citrusy, and minerally, which refreshes the palate after each bite. Argiolas Vermentino di Sardegna, Sardinia, Italy, 2012 ($11)
Avoid oaky white, like most chardonnays, as the vanilla sweetness will conflict with garlic. Almost any red will clash, too. -- Wine selections by Jordan Mackay