I’ve been taping all of the Barefoot Contessa cooking shows and watching a few episodes each night before I go to bed. I thought it would be a good alternative to all of the junk that is on television these days, especially reality TV. Most of the episodes are reruns but at this point in my Ina obsession I don’t mind.
A few weeks ago I ran across an episode that I’d never seen about Italian entertaining. Ina prepped a dinner party in advance for her friends (I pretend that I am one of them) and one of the dishes was baked shrimp scampi. She always says things can be made ahead, most of the time I believe her but with this dish I wasn’t sure. I love shrimp but it is one of those ingredients that I can never get to taste very good when I cook it at home. It always has a rubbery texture and a blah taste.
Her recipe was really simple so I thought I’d give it a whirl, if it tasted as good as it looked I thought it could be perfect for my next dinner party. I picked up some shrimp at the market and got to work. All I had to do was mix up the topping, layer the shrimp in a baking dish, cover them with the topping, and then bake it in the oven. The end result was great, the shrimp had so much flavor and the topping had a nice crunch.
Chris and I shared the whole dish for dinner and joked that we at Red Lobster’s endless shrimp event. I think it would be perfect paired with steak for a surf and turf dinner or just on its own with a salad. Here is the recipe, give it a try and let me know if you love Ina as much as I do!
- 2 pounds (12 to 15 per pound) peeled and deveined shrimp
- 3 tablespoons good olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/4 cup minced shallots (optional, I skipped them)
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 extra-large egg yolk
- 2/3 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
- Lemon wedges, for serving
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture.
- In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined.
- Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval baking or casserole dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of the dish.
- Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute. Serve with lemon wedges.
Jake's a Girl says
Yes. I love Ina. That lady has gorgeous hair
This looks so yummy! I’m going to give it a try.
I just ask hubby one day last week if he know when RL shrimp-fest was cause I’m ready. ha.