What about this?

Flavorful Scampi alla Griglia was one of my “go to” recipes to serve company in the early years of my marriage. Not only did it have an exotic name, but it was a gourmet triple treat – garlic, butter, and shrimp! I recently rediscovered this recipe when trying to figure out the “surf” part of a surf and turf birthday celebration for a friend. It was as good as I remembered!

Scampi alla Griglia
Adapted from a recipe in The Cooking of Italy cookbook by Time-Life

Ingredients:
2 lbs. large fresh shrimp in their shells or defrosted frozen shrimp
8 T. butter
1/2 cup olive oil
1 T. lemon juice
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots or scallions
1 T. finely chopped garlic
1 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 T. finely chopped fresh parsley, preferably the flat-leaf Italian type
Lemon quarters

Directions:
1. Shell the shrimp, being careful not to remove the last segment of shell or the tail.  Devein the shrimp by slitting down the back of each shrimp with a small sharp knife and lifting out the black or white intestinal vein. Wash the shrimp quickly under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Preheat broiler to its highest temperature.

3. In a shallow flameproof baking dish or pan just large enough to hold the shrimp in one layer, melt the butter over low heat on the stove top, being careful not to let it brown. Remove from burner.

4. Stir in olive oil, lemon juice, shallots, garlic, salt, and a few twists of freshly ground pepper. Add the shrimp and turn in the butter and oil mixture until they glisten on all sides.

5. Broil them 3-4 inches from the heat for 5 minutes, then turn the shrimp over and broil them for 5 to 10 minutes longer, or until they are lightly browned and firm to the touch done.*

6. Transfer the shrimp to a serving platter, pour the sauce from the pan over them, and sprinkle them with parsley.

7. Garnish with lemons and serve.

Serves 6.

Linnell’s notes:
1. I buy the U20’s (under 20 shrimp per pound) size shrimp at Costco. They still have shells on, but the shells are slit and the shrimp are deveined.

2. *Cooking times will vary depending on the size of the shrimp you are using and the amount of heat generated by your broiler. Keep an eye on the shrimp while they are broiling, because they can quickly become overcooked! I did not need to broil mine for the total time suggested in the recipe.

3. This recipe would make a fabulous hot or “cold” appetizer. If serving it cold, my only word of advice would be to not serve it right out of the refrigerator because the butter will be congealed.

4. In the photo above the Scampi is served with an herbed quinoa “pilaf” on the side. I’ll post the quinoa recipe at a later date, but if you can’t wait, email me and I’ll send you the recipe.

Enjoy!!