Shrimp Roasted with Garlic and Parsley

Adapted from Make It Ahead by Ina Garten

As I was waiting for the elevator, a new tenant came into the building, picked up her mail, and came to stand by me. She was holding a small cardboard package from Amazon. I introduced myself and said, “It’s so much fun to get a new book.” “Yes,” she said. “I’m sure it’s Ina Garten’s newest.” I replied that I had already received mine as it was pre-ordered. She looked at me, smiled, and said “I used to work for her.”

Ina Garten’s recipes have, for me, always been so reliable that I would be willing to make them for a dinner party untested. I have now made two recipes from the book, Garlic & Herb Roasted Shrimp and Make-Ahead Zabaglione with Amaretii, and both of them are really good recipes, definitely keepers. Two for two means there must be a lot more in the book that I am going to like.

Shrimp Before It Goes Into the Oven

Shrimp After It Comes Out of the Oven

With my thanks to the always-reliable Ina Garten, here is my adaptation of the shrimp recipe that has replaced the shrimp scampi recipe I have used for years. There are so many side dishes that would go well with this dish, but I especially like basmati rice to soak up the sauce you end up with and sautéed bright green spinach, which makes a pretty plate - all pink and white and green.

Shrimp Roasted with Garlic and Parsley

Adapted from Make It Ahead by Ina Garten

Serves 2

2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves minced garlic

2 tablespoons or so chopped parsley

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

A scant ½ teaspoon kosher salt

A few generous grindings of black pepper

1 pound large shrimp 

1 large lemon

½ teaspoon of Maldon Salt

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Peel the shrimp, rinse in a small colander, and set aside.  (Personally, I don’t devein it.)

In a 10-inch black iron skillet, melt the butter. Turn off the heat, and add the olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes, crushing them a little with your fingers as you put them in. Turn the heat back on, and cook over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Do not let the garlic even color. 

Remove the pan from the burner, and zest the entire lemon directly into the pan. Slice three ¼-inch slices from one half of the lemon, and set them aside with the other unsliced half. 

Next, stir the parsley into the sauce, and add the shrimp in a single layer. Stir to coat it well with the sauce, and season with the kosher salt and black pepper. Stir one more time, making sure the shrimp stays in a single layer. Tuck the 3 slices of lemon among the shrimp.

Put the skillet into the hot oven, and cook until the shrimp are just cooked through, to pink and just firm. I don’t brown them at all. The amount of time this takes will depend on the size of the shrimp and the accuracy of your oven temperature. The size shrimp I use (21 to a pound) are normally cooked in a hot oven in 8 to 10 minutes. You don’t want to overcook them because they will get rubbery. The deliciousness of this dish depends on the quality of the shrimp and not overcooking it.

Crush a little Maldon Salt over the shrimp right before serving.