Recipes, recipes, recipes... and Scampi!

Hello again from The Red Lobster Chef’s Blog. Michael LaDuke here to start answering your questions. First, I want to thank you for your responses and questions on the blog. I literally received hundreds of recipe requests over the past few weeks. So I will be using this space once a week to answer some of the questions that I get from a lot of you. Like “What is the Red Lobster Biscuit Recipe?” Sorry, that is still a secret. If I did share the recipe, it unfortunately would will be my last blog, and I am not ready for retirement yet! But here are a couple of questions we received from multiple readers this week.

Many were about our shrimp scampi – how we make it, what is scampi, etc. To start with, scampi is really an Italian word describing large shrimp or prawns, and originally it had no connection to a specific dish. Over time scampi came to be a common name for large shrimp simply prepared with garlic and butter or garlic and olive oil. Scampi has evolved over the years, and depending on the restaurant, you will see many versions of the dish -- some with cream, white wine, basil, fresh herbs, some even without shrimp.

At Red Lobster, Shrimp Scampi is one of our most popular dishes. Every year, we ask our guests to help give us a “report card” on all of our menu items, and scampi continues to lead the pack. While it is difficult to give you an exact recipe for our scampi (kitchen recipes often do not exactly translate into household recipes), here is a recipe to produce Red Lobster Shrimp Scampi at home. Good luck with the recipe, and have fun in the kitchen. I’ll be back soon to answer more of your questions.

Good Cooking,
Michael LaDuke

Shrimp Scampi
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 Pound Medium Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tbsp Pure Olive Oil (not extra virgin)
2 Tbsp Finely Chopped Garlic (you may used pre-chopped from the produce section of your grocery store)
1½ Cups White Wine (a nice Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay will work well)
½ Fresh Lemon (juice only)
1 Tsp Italian Seasoning Blend
½ Cup Butter (softened)
1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley (chopped fine)
To taste Salt and Pepper
½ Cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese (if desired as garnish)

Method:
1. Heat heavy bottom skillet and add olive oil, do not allow oil to smoke. Add shrimp and cook until tender and no longer translucent
2. Remove shrimp from pan and reduce heat slightly. Add garlic and cook 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to brown garlic as this will produce a slightly bitter flavor. When garlic is cooked, add white wine.
3. Squeeze juice from lemon in pan, and reduce wine by half. After it is reduced, add Italian seasoning blend
4. Reduce heat to low, and slowly add butter, 1 Tbsp at a time. The butter should slowly melt into the sauce and create a nice creamy texture. If the pan is too hot the butter will separate
5. Once butter is fully incorporated, add shrimp back into sauce, add parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Serve with garnish of fresh cheese if desired. Scampi is great accompanied by fresh pasta