Shrimp & Bay Scallop...umm...Scampi?

Shrimp & Bay Scallop....well....Scampi?

My entire grocery shopping list is totally and completely dependent on what is on sale (and, no, this doesn't seem to save me any money...dammit!). This week, much to my shock, jumbo shrimp were on sale for half their usual hefty price. So into the cart 2 lbs. went! Must say, I've never been very good with shrimp as we didn't have it a lot growing up as dad was allergic to it, and most of my basic cooking I learned from the years I lived at home. 

The only way I ever remembered having shrimp for dinner was boiled with seasonings, then thrown in the middle of the table (on a cookie sheet of course) and peeled by those of us who were enjoying the meal (only served when daddy was out of town). There probably was dipping sauce...but I really don't remember. DO remember what a wonderful meal it always was! 

At work today, I found Emeril's shrimp scampi recipe on foodnetwork.com so thought I'd try it. Got home, started making the recipe (no, I generally don't read through a recipe and pre-measure/prep everything, nor do I Clean-As-I-Go, much to my daughters' irritation) and realized it didn't really fit.  (Who the hell has the time to make ~shrimp stock~, whatever that is, an hour before dinner???) Here's what happened:

The T'nG:

butter, or, if you want to be healthy, olive oil

1 1/2 lbs. jumbo shrimp

1 lb. bay scallops

4 or 5 finely chopped garlic cloves

1 - 2 lemons, juiced 

at least 3/4 cup white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)

(a bit of sugar if mix is too sour - optional)

about a 1/2 cup half & half cream

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley plus more for garnish

2 Tablespoons cold butter

Basmati rice, cooked to package directions

Steamed broccoli (what was our side dish)

Clean, devein and season shrimp well with salt and pepper. Heat a large sauté skillet over medium high heat. When pan is hot, add enough butter/oil to lightly coat pan. Add the shrimp in one layer and sauté until just turning pink, turn over and sauté a bit longer, till pink but not cooked through. Turn down the heat and add a bit more oil/butter and gently sauté the garlic for about a minute. Add the wine and lemon juice and set aside. In another skillet, heat it over medium high heat and warm up a bit more canola oil. Throw the scallops in the pan and cook until they begin to release their juices. When they've done that, drain them in a colander over the skillet with the garlic and wine so their juices all combine. Set the scallops aside. Bring the garlic/wine/lemon pan back to the heat, bring to a gentle simmer and reduce to at least half. After the alcohol has evaporated off, taste and if it's too tart, add a sprinkling of sugar. Add the cream and when that's warm, throw in the shrimp, scallops, parsley and 2 tablespoons butter. Heat through. Throw on more parsley for garnish and serve.

We served it over the rice with broccoli on the side. 

~~~

YUM!

'till we feast again!
xoabb