ALLCAPS COOKBOOK PRESENTS: Garlic Shrimp and Mushroom Scampi with Fried Scampi-Bomb Breadcrumbs (Patreon)

I am visiting my BFF in Chicago (and working my absolute soul off) which means…you guessed it…

WHAT’S UP CANDYRAVERS IT’S TIME FOR DJ GARLICFEAST FEATURING YA BOI ONIONCHONK WITH A STRAIGHT UP ALIUM PARTY IN THE HOUSE

*to the tune of Shots by LMFAO*

CHIVES CHIVES CHIVES CHIVES CHIVES CHIVES CHIVES CHIVES

Ahem.

My partner is allergic to, not only all onions and garlic BUT ALSO most shellfish and just doesn’t care for shrimp so…I knew coming here shrimp scampi was high on my list of things to cook.

But I can’t just MAKE a thing the way the RECIPE SAYS TO that wouldn’t be very CASH MONEY/CRIPPLING ADHD OF ME so obviously I jushed it up a bit and that means you guys get to enjoy it too!

Is it approved by your heart doctor? No. Is it approved by your butter doctor? Of course, oh and also definitely doesn’t have almost a whole stick of butter in it, don’t even worry about that.

I used some fresh cherry tomatoes from the garden to give it a little brightness, but that’s optional. Either way, it was extremely fantastic, and the breadcrumbs were my stroke of genius. They give texture to something that, especially served over pasta, can be kind of all in the “slippery” column and a warm nuttiness that amplifies the other flavors.

You can serve this over pasta, as I said, or crusty bread. Potatoes would be a little weird but I suppose you could.

We had it for breakfast the next morning with toast and soft-boiled eggs!

Ingredients

1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

5 tablespoons butter, separated into 1 and 4

1 1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup seafood stock

6-7 cloves garlic

Zest of one lemon

Juice from same lemon

3 shallots or half of a white onion, finely diced

1 box of your favorite mushrooms

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/3 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup parsley

Several sprigs of thyme

Capers to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Gimme Dem Shrampies

-Eleanor Shellstrop

Rinse and pat shrimp dry, add to a large bowl. Sprinkle baking soda over the shrimp and refrigerate from 15 minutes to one hour. (This will make the shrimp softer and a little more forgiving of overcooking. But still don’t overcook).

Everything that’s any effort in this dish is in the prep—it goes very fast once you’ve started. So use the time the shrimp is baking in its soda to slice and dice everything. Mushrooms should be in nice small chunks, everything else as fine as possible.

Fry mushrooms in a little olive oil and leftover butter along with a sprig of thyme, salt and pepper. When they’ve release their liquid and are starting to brown, throw a splash of white wine in there to help caramelize and mellow them. Set aside. (If you’re using cherry tomatoes, you can add them with the wine to blister the skins nicely.)

In a large skillet on medium high, melt one tablespoon of butter and a glug of olive oil. Place all shrimp in an even layer and cook JUST until the underside turns pink. This will be SO much less time than you think, not even a minute. Flip shrimp and repeat on the other side until they curl slightly and are pink throughout. Again, this will not take long so be careful.

Remove shrimp to a plate and cover. If the pan looks dry, add a little more butter and olive oil.

Cook onions until translucent and fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Then add garlic, red pepper flakes, two more thyme sprigs, and lemon zest. Cook 1-2 minutes to release the garlic flavor.

Add wine and broth, bring to a boil, then simmer to reduce for 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Add the rest of the butter, lemon juice, and capers and allow all to melt into the sauce for a minute or two. Add parsley, turn off heat, and return shrimp to the pan, ladling sauce over them to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

Now, in a fresh pan, combine breadcrumbs and a couple of large spoonfuls of the scampi sauce, enough to moisten all the crumbs. Fry on medium high until breadcrumbs are toasty and brown.

Give the scampi a quick re-heat in the pan so it’s piping hot, then serve over pasta or crusty bread! Or just in the pan with bread for dipping! It’s amazing any way you serve it.