LIVE LOVE & EAT In SAYULITA- A Recipe for Shrimp Scampi

In my last column I told you that I was going to make Martha Stewart’s Butter Ring Cookies. Well, I did make them, but surprisingly they were NOT my favorite. However, I did make a savory dish this week that I totally loved: shrimp scampi. The shrimp were so succulent that I had to share this recipe with you. This is the perfect dish to prepare in your Sayulita kitchen because the prep and cooking can all be done on a stove top! Honestly, if I had been served this dish in a high-end restaurant I would have been raving about it.

The Mercado del Mar in La Cruz sells perfect Camarones del Mar. That means they are shrimp from the sea. Most of the shrimp we see at our local seafood shops & in our local restaurants are farmed. We wouldn’t know that that they are farmed because they still taste really good, but the problem is we don’t always know how they were farmed. Thus, when I have a choice, I always buy the Camarones del Mar.

This recipe comes from America’s Test Kitchen. Do you know them? They test their recipes until they get  great results, then they publish them. I am sharing this one with you because it is so delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

-3 Tbsp salt

-2 Tbsp sugar

-4 Cups cold water (purified)

-1 & ½ pounds shell-on jumbo shrimp, or the largest you can find

-1 Tbsp olive or cooking oil

METHOD/PREP:

1. Peel and devein the shrimp and reserve the shells
2. In a large, deep container, dissolve the salt and sugar in 4 cups of cold water; this is called a brine and ensures that the shrimp will be plump, tender, and juicy.
3. Submerge the shrimp in the brine, cover, and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes.
4. Remove the shrimp and pat dry with paper towel.
5. Heat the oil in a large skillet until the oil is simmering. If you have a stainless steel skillet please use it for this process.
6. Add the shrimp shells and cook, stirring often, until they turn spotty brown and the skillet starts to brown. This will take 2-4 minutes.

MORE INGREDIENTS:

-1 cup dry, white wine

-4 sprigs fresh thyme (*It isn’t easy to find fresh thyme in Sayulita unless you buy a plant at the local vivero, or garden nursery. I actually subbed dried lemon thyme leaves instead. Check our Friday local Mercado del Pueblo; Oksana from Sana Spices carries dried thyme. Her spices are wonderful!)

-3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (*Sayulita’s tiendas used to only sell limes but now we can also find lemons. But if you can’t find lemons feel free to use limes.)

-1 Tsp cornstarch

-8 garlic cloves, sliced very thinly

-½ Tsp red pepper flakes (*I cut a whole one with my scissors)

-4 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces

-1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

REMAINING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. After shells have browned remove your skillet from the heat and carefully add the wine and thyme sprigs.
2. Return the skillet to medium heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
3. Strain this mixture and set over a large bowl, through a colander or mesh sieve.
4. Discard the shells and reserve the liquid. You should have about 2/3 of a cup. (*If you have less than 2/3 cup you can top it up with more white wine. I only had ½ cup, so I added more wine and it worked perfectly.)
5. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel, leaving all the browned bits.
6. Combine the lemon juice and the cornstarch in a small bowl.
7. Heat the oil, garlic, and pepper flakes in an empty skillet over medium-low, just until garlic is fragrant; this should take only about 30 seconds.
8. Add reserved wine mixture, increase heat, and bring to a simmer.
9. Reduce heat to medium. Add shrimp and cook just until opaque; this should take 2-3 minutes. Be VERY careful to not overcook. Always error on the side of undercooked rather than risk having rubbery shrimp.
10. Transfer shrimp to a bowl with a slotted spoon if you have one.
11. Add the lemon juice-cornstarch mixture to the liquid mixture, and cook until slightly thickened.
12. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, and then add the parsley.
13. Return shrimp and any accumulated juices to the skillet and toss to combine! Amazingly delicious! MUY RICO!

Then invite some friends over to indulge. I promise that they will be more than impressed!

I am available for catering now, and as the holidays are coming up, yummy appetizers and special desserts are my favorite things to make! You can reach me through my Sayulita Life web page LIVE LOVE & EAT IN SAYULITA. I would love to hear from you whether for a order, comments, or questions.

My next column? Stay tuned!!!

*Written by: Karina Shecter