Technically, the species that refer to as scampi belong to the lobster family. The word scampi is an Italian term for the shelled tail of any species of shrimp (prawn), however in the UK, this can be just one species, the langoustine or the Norway lobster, the Dublin Bay prawn, or the Shlobster.

Leaving the technical aside, for the lay person, shrimp scampi is made with a simple sauce of garlic, butter, and white wine.

This recipe is very easy and won’t take you more than 20 mins to put together. The delicious scampi sauce serves well over pasta or rice.

Ingredients

• 500g large shrimp peeled and deveined. (you may leave the tails on for extra colour)
• ½ bulb of garlic cloves minced
• Salt
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ – 1 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 3-4 tbsp unsalted butter
• ¼ cup white wine
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped

Method

Pat dry the shrimps and put into a mixing bowl. Toss with ¼ tsp salt, ½ the garlic, and 1 tbsp olive oil. Set aside for at least 15 minutes (or refrigerate for up to an hour). Add the remaining oil into a heated skillet and add the marinated shrimp. Cook for 1 ½ mins on each side until the pink colour develops. Do not worry if they are not completely pink. Add the remaining garlic and red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook till fragrant. Careful not to burn the garlic. Add the wine, zest, and lemon juice and cook till the liquid has reduced by half. Add the butter and cook until melted. Return the shrimp to the pan, toss to coat and fully cook through. Turn off heat, add parsley, add more red pepper flakes and salt if needed.