What is your favorite scampi recipe?

[jazzcat]

I'm having BF parents over for dinner and I wanted to know your favorite scampi recipe.

I'm planning on making a chicken scampi with salad, french bread and probably strawberry shortcake for dessert. TIA

[sneezles]

First of all, when I read scampi I thought of shrimp and then I thought of Gail...should you change your mind about the chicken this would definitely be the way to go!

Originally posted by Gail...And IMHO-right up there with Psycho Chicken for GREAT RECIPES!(Sorry, the italics are my opinion, not to confuse anyone! Sneezles):

Gee, I wish I'd noticed the date on your original message before typing this up. I'm too late, I see, but darn it since I've typed the thing, I might as well post it! Hope your dinner is a success tonight (you've probably eaten by now...)
This is a terrific, totally sinful recipe; reminiscent of the kind of appetizer served by the late, great Sitmar Cruise Line. The name, I think, is misleading because I've never had a scampi sauce remotely like this one. They should've given it a more exotic-sounding name. Definitely not the kind of thing we should be eating as a habit, so I save it only for special occasions. Although it doesn't specifically say so, this sauce really lends itself to being served over linguini, as it's a little too thick and rich for rice.

SCAMPI IN BUTTER SAUCE

Butter Sauce
1/2 to 1 cup butter
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh garlic
8 ounces clam juice
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1/3 cup white wine
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon dry basil
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Sat and pepper to taste
1/2 cup half-and-half

Scampi
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
Juice of 1 lemon (retain rind)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley or 1 teaspoon dry
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dry
1/4 cup white wine
Dash of dry vermouth
Salt and pepper to taste
3 pounds deveined and cleaned scampi (prawns)

Melt butter with garlic in small saucepan over medium heat; do not let butter brown. In a separate bowl, mix clam juice, flour and parsley, blending until mixture is smooth. Pour flour mixture into garlic butter and stir until smooth and well blended. Stir in wine, lemon juice, herbs and spices, stirring constantly. Gradually add half-and-half and stir until thickened. Simmer for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes.

Melt butter in large saucepan on high heat and add oil. Combine remaining ingredients keeping scampi aside until last minute. Add scampi and sautÈ until firm and slightly pink. Do not overcook. Pour 1 cup of scampi butter over scampi. Refrigerate the rest for later use.

(From The Garlic Lovers' Cookbook)

Notes: First of all, obviously you're going to want to cut this in half. Secondly, there is absolutely no reason you can't make this with one of the larger sized shrimps. The only thing tricky about it is in adding the half-and-half to the hot sauce-- gotta watch out for curdling. (Keep an ice cube handy just in case!) I do NOT recommend ever trying to make the sauce in advance as reheating is tricky and the consistency is never the same. (Maybe reheating over a double boiler might be the answer. Dunno-- I'd just suggest serve it and eat it. Period. And over fettucini, please. A VERY good dish...) I'm getting hungry.



[This message has been edited by sneezles (edited 06-04-2001).]

[Gail]

(Blushing wildly with hands stuffed in pockets, foot swinging idly back and forth)
Gee thanks, Sneezles!

[jazzcat]

Thanks Sneezles and Gail. This looks great!!

I'll have to try it sometime soon.

[emilycat]

Okay, now, this does look delicious, but I must shamefully admit that I absolutely could not bring myself to make or eat the butter sauce. My taste buds aren't even really that keen on butter or cream sauces, so I'm not just being snooty health girl here. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif
Anyway, I guess what I'm wondering is, how well would the scampi stand on its own? It looks wonderfully flavorful in itself, but is there enough of a sauce there that I could just serve it over pasta without using an additional sauce, as well?
I know, I like to make things difficult http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[sneezles]

Emily,
The sauce isn't what you imagined or described and as you can see from the recipe the amount can be adjusted to taste. I haven't made it without the sauce but it's not a dish you would serve that often. But here's a CL recipe, that Grace posted awhile back, for you to compare it with:

CookWare(tm) from Cooking Light(r)

Shrimp Scampi

SOURCE: Cooking Light YEAR: March 1996 PAGE: 101

INGREDIENTS FOR 6 SERVINGS:
2 pounds large unpeeled shrimp (48 shrimp)
3 tablespoons margarine
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
8 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Paprika
6 cups hot cooked angel hair (about 3/4 pound uncooked pasta)

INSTRUCTIONS:
Peel shrimp, leaving tails intact. Starting at tail end, butterfly underside
of each shrimp, cutting to, but not through, back of shrimp. Arrange 8 shrimp,
cut sides up, in each of 6 gratin dishes; set aside.

Melt margarine in a small skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper and
garlic; saute 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in wine, parsley, lemon juice,
salt, and pepper. Spoon wine mixture evenly over each serving; sprinkle
paprika over shrimp, and broil 6 minutes or until shrimp is done. Serve with
angel hair pasta. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 8 shrimp and 1 cup pasta).

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
CALORIES 383 (20% from fat); PROTEIN 29.9g; FAT 8.7g (sat 1.6g, mono 2.9g,
poly 3g); CARB 41.8g; FIBER 2.7g; CHOL 172mg; IRON 5.2mg; SODIUM 435mg; CALC
87mg

[Gail]

Having no input to offer on the above recipe without the sauce, I am instead offering another "different" tasting scampi recipe to play with. Made this recently and amazingly my kid went gaga over it! (Go figure.)

Obviously, it isn't light, but it is both interesting and good. Although the author claims it's good over either pasta or rice, my vote goes to rice with this one.

ROGER'S SCAMPI

1 pound large prawns (12 to 16 per pound)
4 tablespoons sweet butter or margarine
1/4 cup olive oil
5 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon each, sweet basil and oregano
Juice from 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup Triple Sec or Cointreau (I used Triple Sec. Any Cointreau people let me know how it goes.)

Shell and devein prawns; rinse and drain. Melt butter in medium skillet; add olive oil, garlic, basil and oregano and lemon juice. Sauté for one minute. Add prawns and cook until pink. Add salt and pepper and Triple Sec and cook on high until liquid is reduced by 3/4 (is it me or does this guy really like the word "and"?) Serve over pasta or rice. Makes 2 to 3 servings.

(From: The Garlic Lover's Cookbook, Volume II)

[Natasha]

About that recipe Sneezles posted ...

I call it Sensuous Scampi and have raved about it on this board more times than some of you would care to remember...but feel compelled to do so again. Gwan, live on the wild side (barring no heart problems or allergies, of course)...and prepare for a culinary treat. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Of course, I may be biased here ... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

Natasha

[This message has been edited by Natasha (edited 06-05-2001).]

[jazzcat]

Sarah, If you don't mind looking for that recipe and posting it I would appreciate it so much. TIA

[sneezles]

Great name for it, Natasha! Will have to edit my MasterCook!

[Sarah]

Jazzcat,
There was a reader recipe for chicken scampi in maybe November. It's kind of hidden amongst adverts, but I've made it 2 or 3 times, and people have loved it. I can look for it if you want.

Sarah

[Sarah]

Jazzcat,
I'll bring the recipe to work tomorrow morning and post it. I didn't have time to look last night. Maybe tonight will go better. I need a new organizing system http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Sarah

[Wendy w]

I may be a bit late but my favorite version of shrimp scampi was taught to me by an Italian friend from PA who got it from an uncle who ran a restaurant there. There are no exact proportions and you sort of have to work with your individual taste.

He would go crazy if he knew if I posted his "secret" recipe, which by the way he said that I make better than he does. This is a favorite among my family and friends. When I visit my sister in MI, they won't let me go home unless we have our traditional "scampi night". Enjoy!

Scampi

1-2 lbs. jumbo shrimp

Garlic, butter, lemon, white vermouth, sherry-to taste (I tend to go heavier with the garlic, lemon, vermouth)

Red vermouth (just a splash)

A little chopped tomato and Italian parsley (for color)

Saute garlic in butter in large saucepan and add lemon, vermouths, sherry to taste. Add ingredients until it tastes the way you want, add the tomatoes and cook down until it is slightly reduced.

Stir in shrimp and cook until slightly pink. Add parsley. Transfer to oven proof dish and put under broiler until the shrimp is slightly browned around the edges.

I like to serve this with a salad, garlic bread and over angel hair pasta (to absorb the wonderful sauce)with extra lemon wedges. Good Romano cheese (if you use the green box, I don't want to know) goes great over it!

[emilycat]

Gail and sneezles, how rude am I? I forgot to thank you for those scampi recipes -- they look excellent. Wendy, yours does, as well. I'm sure it'll be a while before I get around to sampling them all (with my arsenal of recipes and everything http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif ), but I'm looking forward to it. Thanks again!

[Sarah]

Okay, I lied...
I thought it was September, and it was August 2000.

Chicken Scampi

1 lb. skinned boned chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch-wide strips
1/4 C egg subsitute
1/3 C Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
Cooking Spray
2 Tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 C fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2/3 C dry white wine
1-1/2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or 1-1/2 tsp dried)
1-1/2 tsp salt-free seasoning (Mrs. Dash)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp salt
3 C hot cooked linguine (ab.6 oz of pasta)
1/4 C grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Dip chicken in egg substitute, and dredge in breadcrumbs. Place a large non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken, and saute until browned. Remove from the pan. Melt butter in pan, add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add broth and next 5 ingredients (broth through salt) and bring to a boil. Add the chicken, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Place 3/4 C pasta on each of four plates; top each serving with 3/4 C chicken mixture, and sprinkle with 1 tbsp of cheese.

I like this recipe a lot, and it usually gets raves.

Sarah http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[jazzcat]

Thanks so much for posting Sarah.

[suziking]

Sarah -

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! I just made the chicken scampi recipe you posted (I must have missed it in August). My dh and I both loved it! Flavorful! The chicken was so moist and the garlic gave it lots of flavor.

Thank you for sharing!!

[Melina]

THANK YOU SNEEZLES! You've just backed me up on a pet peeve. The word scampi is the Italian translation for prawns, and not for a sauce or a cooking method. It makes me nuts to see a recipe, or an entree on a menu, called "Chicken Scampi". "Shrimp Scampi" can pretty well put me over the edge too. I know that in the grand scheme of things, this is probably one of the more insignificant, but I had to tell somebody........

And now, it's going to be more than a little difficult for me to tell you that I copied out Sarah's recipe for Chicken S----i along with your's for the Shrimp #*$@*!
Thanks ladies,
Melina

[Sarah]

Well, I'm glad you like the recipe. it was buried in the Aug. magazine, and I missed it the first time. Melina, I hope you make the "chicken and pasta with a great sauce" http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif I copied Gail's Psycho Chicken out ages ago, and I still haven't made it!!