Shrimp Scampi
a little souvenir from my beach vacation
We rented a beach house on Lake Michigan a few weeks ago, and while we were there, I got the urge to make shrimp scampi. My parents had joined us for a couple of days, and I wanted to make them something they would love— something light, with pasta and garlicky shrimp.
I hit up a little local grocery store there to grab what I needed, and luckily, they had a seafood counter. When we got back to the AirBNB, my mom and I got to work. Shelling the shrimp takes a little time, but it’s worth it for homemade shrimp stock. (Don’t be intimidated, you’re literally just boiling the shells.)
We did save a little time by buying peeled garlic— which I highly recommend for this recipe, as it uses a ton. But tons of garlic is what makes a scampi… a scampi. If you can’t find peeled garlic, try to recruit someone to help you. But either way, this recipe doesn’t take long. And the garlic, wine, butter, and shrimp stock meld in the loveliest way to make a light, delightful dish fit for a beach vacation.
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Shrimp Scampi
Cooking time: 30-40 minutes
Serves: 6
For Dietary Restrictions
Gluten free: use gluten-free pasta
Dairy free: this recipe is dairy-free
Kids Can Help
Wash veggies, peel garlic, peel shrimp
Ingredients
1½ lb shrimp with shells
1 lb pasta (I used mostaccioli, but any pasta is fine!)
1 head of garlic
3 bell peppers, any color
8 oz portobello mushrooms
¼ cup butter (4 Tbsp)
½ cup white table wine like pinot grigio or chardonnay (drink the rest with dinner!)
Shrimp stock (you’ll be making this from the shells, water, and salt)
Salt to taste
Tools
Cutting board
Chef knife
Small bowl (for collecting shrimp shells)
3 cooking pots— 2 large and 1 small
Colander
Heat-safe glass measuring cup (1-cup size)
Wooden spoon or spatula
Directions
Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil (for pasta) and a small pot of water to boil (about 1.5 cups, for the shrimp stock.)
Step 2
While the pots of water are heating up, shell the shrimp, gathering the shells in a small bowl.
Step 3
Once the small pot of water is boiling, add the shrimp shells and push them down to submerge them in the water. Add ½ tsp of salt. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down about halfway to an active simmer. While the stock is reducing, continue through the following steps.
Step 4
Peel and mince the garlic; wash and slice the mushrooms and bell peppers.
Step 5
Once the large pot of water is boiling, stir in 1 tsp of salt and the pasta. Cook until pasta is tender; drain and set aside. (While pasta is cooking, continue to steps 6 & 7).
Step 6
In another large pot, melt 2 Tbsp of butter over medium heat. Add ½ tsp of salt, the minced garlic, and the sliced mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are starting to soften and give up their juices. Add the wine and the sliced peppers and continue to cook until the peppers are starting to soften but are still brightly colored, then add the shrimp and cook, stirring often, until they turn bright pink and are firm to the touch.
Step 7
Drain the shrimp stock into a heat-safe glass measuring cup– you should have about half a cup. Taste and add more salt if needed until it tastes good and flavorful.
Step 8
Add the cooked pasta to the pot with the mushrooms, peppers, and shrimp. Toss everything together, adding as much of the shrimp stock as needed to coat the pasta (the sauce will be thin but should have good flavor– if not, add more salt as needed). Serve immediately.
