LIDIA'S SHRIMP SCAMPI

LIDIA'S SHRIMP SCAMPI image

Yield 6 people

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons shallots, finely chopped
salt
freshly ground black pepper
½ cup white wine, dry
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons parsley, minced
2 teaspoons fresh terragon, minced
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
36 shrimp, (about 3 1/2 pounds)
8 sprigs fresh thyme

Steps:

To make the flavored butter: Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until pale golden, about 1 minute. Stir in the shallots, season generously with salt and pepper, and continue cooking, shaking the skillet, until the shallots are wilted, about 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of wine, bring to a boil, and cook until about half of the wine has evaporated. Transfer to a small bowl and cool completely. Add the butter, parsley, and tarragon and beat until blended. to make the butter easier to handle, spoon it onto a 12-inch length of plastic wrap and roll it into a log shape, completely wrapped in plastic. Chill thoroughly. (The flavored butter can be made several hours, or up to a few days, in advance. Place the rack in the lowest position and preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Peel the shrimp, leaving the tail and last shell segment attached. Using some of the flavored butter, lightly grease a shallow baking pan, such as a jelly-roll pan, or ovenproof saute pan into which the shrimp fir comfortably without touching, Place each shrimp on the work surface with the underside of the tail facing up and away from you. With your fingers, roll each half of the slit part of the shrimp in toward and underneath the tail, forming a 6-inch on each side of the shrimp which will lift the tail up. Arrange the shrimp, tails up, on the prepared sheet or saute pan as you work, leaving some space between. Cut the remaining flavored butter into 1/2-inch cubes and disperse the cubes among the shrimp. Mix the remaining 1/4 cup wine and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and add to the pan. . Scatter the thyme sprigs over and around the shrimp. Season with salt and pepper and place the pan on the oven rack. Roast until the shrimp are firm and crunchy and barely opaque in the center, about 5 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a hot platter or divide among hot plates. Drain the pan juices into a small pan. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil until lightly thickened