I've long had a love-hate relationship with shrimp scampi. I love the flavors, but when I've ordered it in restaurants, it's so rich that I can never eat a whole portion (especially with American portion sizes as super-sized as they are) -- and scampi sauce just tends to not reheat that well. I've made it at home a handful of times but, to be honest, I really don't like knowing just how much butter is in that sauce!
As an aside, I had a blood panel done a couple of months ago and my LDL (the icky stuff) was in the optimal range (just over 100). My HDL (the good stuff) was quite impressive to my doctor at a whopping 85. Apparently, the higher the HDL is, the more protected you are against heart disease. So, with that said, I think I must be doing something right!
I cook almost exclusively with EVOO, but I do occasionally use real butter. My thought is, if I'm going to splurge, then I'm going to use the most natural product available to me -- and I'd much prefer to use the real thing rather than a tub of something with ingredients I can't pronounce.
So, with that in mind, I made my own recipe for a scampi-type dish that I think is fabulous. I call it "scampi-type" because my sauce, while rich in flavor, doesn't have that scampi-effect of coating my tongue and the inside of my mouth with fat. (Not a fan of that feeling!) It's still a splurge because I use a good amount of butter, although probably significantly less than what restaurants use.
Another little trick I use in it is anchovy paste. Now, don't freak! You can't even tell it's anchovy in the final product, but I find it adds a little sump'in-sump'in to the richness of the sauce. This is where the -anesca in the name of the dish comes from -- anchovies are a must ingredient in puttanesca sauce.
Before I get to the actual recipe -- and I'll get there, I promise -- I want to note a couple of things.
First, I estimated my measurement of garlic in the recipe based on what I'd think normal garlic-eating consumers of the world would use. In my house, though, we are absolute garlic freaks. I made this last night and used 12 garlic cloves -- and I'd have been happy to have used even more. Keep in mind that all of my recipes should be customized to your own taste buds -- I don't have to eat what you cook, but you do! So feel free to make any of these recipes your own by increasing or decreasing any of the amounts.
Second, my preference in this dish is to have all of the noodles well-coated with sauce, but not absolutely dripping with it, like usually happens in restaurants. Again, do this to your liking. There's a note at the end of the recipe with more recommendations.
Third, I use anchovy paste in this recipe simply because I generally keep a tube of it in the pantry. But if you'd prefer to use anchovy fillets, the general rule is 1/2 teaspoon of the paste is the equivalent of 2 fillets. The fillets tend to have a stronger taste, though, so if you're worried about it, use a little less -- you can always add more, but you can't take it out once it's in there. If you haven't cooked with the fillets, they will melt into the sauce completely -- so don't be worried that you'll have bits of anchovy fillet floating around to scare the spouse and kids.
The How:
Shrimp Scampi-anesca and Pasta
1 lb large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 8 to 12 oz of pasta – linguine, spaghetti, angel hair
4 to 6 T. EVOO
6 to 8 T. unsalted butter (3/4 to 1 stick), more if you want it more buttery tasting
½ C. white wine (I used pinot grigio, but you could use sauvignon blanc or chardonnay)
Juice of one lemon (about 2 T.)
2 t. anchovy paste
6 cloves of garlic (or more!), thinly sliced on a mandolin or chopped medium fine
2 shallots, diced
½ to 1 t. red pepper flakes (optional)
¼ C. fresh parsley
Salt
Pepper
Chives
Fresh grated parmesan
Prepare the pasta according to package directions.
In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the shallots and garlic until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add to the pan and cook just until they turn pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan with a slotted spoon; set aside and keep warm.
Add the wine, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes (if using) to the skillet and bring to a boil. Add the anchovy paste and stir until the paste melts and incorporates into the sauce. Add 4 more tablespoons of the butter and 2 more tablespoons of olive oil. Cook for another minute or two and taste. At this point you can add more butter and/or olive oil to get the sauce to your preferred taste and consistency.
Return the shrimp to the pan and add the parsley. Add the cooked pasta and stir until the noodles are coated with sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with chopped chives and fresh grated parmesan, if desired.
*Note: I used on the high end of the measurements for the sauce because I used linguini (about 8 ounces). If you use a very fine pasta, such as angel hair, you’ll probably need to add more of the pasta so that the sauce doesn’t overwhelm the noodles. I’d recommend starting with 8 ounces of pasta mixed into the sauce, then add a little more at a time until the noodles are coated without swimming in sauce. Unless, of course, you prefer it to swim!
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