I’m not much of a gardener, but this year I’ve managed to keep some basil and rosemary plants alive long enough to eat from them. Basil is so fresh and summery that I love to add it to lots of different dishes. This week I made Basil Shrimp Scampi and it was delicious!
I like to peel my shrimp before cooking them. You could use whatever shape pasta you like for this recipe, but I found plain old spaghetti works great. This recipe served four, with some leftovers, so tell the family dinner’s ready!
Basil Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients:
- 1 pound spaghetti, undercooked just a bit – don’t go past al dente
- 1 stick butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (or use 2 tablespoons minced garlic from a jar)
- 1/2 cup white wine or champagne
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 pound shelled shrimp (31-40 size is best)
- salt and pepper
- 2 fistfuls of fresh basil, chiffonaded
Directions:
- Cook the spaghetti according to the directions on the package. Do NOT overcook!
- While the spaghetti is cooking, make the sauce: melt the butter over medium-low heat and add the garlic. Stir to combine, then add the wine and lemon juice. Simmer until bubbly.
- Increase heat to medium and add the shrimp. Cook for about 3 minutes, then flip each shrimp and cook for another two minutes. Season with lots of salt and pepper.
- Pour the shrimp and sauce over the pasta and toss to combine. Add in the basil and toss again. Save a few tiny basil leaves to garnish the pasta.
Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana
To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet
