Scampi-licious 🦐

(AKA Baked Scampi in a warm garlic butter sauce…)

The best things in life happen unexpectedly. The best stories begin with “And all of a sudden .. “ Free yourself from expectations. The best will come when and from you least expect it.

I never know what my next recipe is until that very moment I roll up my sleeve and start thumping through my larder.

I have never ever got excited seeing such beautiful Scampi’s. I knew I had to do justice to it. This recipe is a clincher, it is soooo heavenlyyyyyy …. trust me on this one !!! Absolutely Scampi-licious ….. if you have to try one recipe in my blog … let it be this one !!!

Happy Baking ♥️!!!

Ingredients:

Cleaned, deveined and butterflied Scampi’s (check notes below on butterflying) – 5 Nos. (They weighed approx. 150gm per Scampi )

Turmeric – a pinch per scampi

Salt – a pinch per scampi

Cayenne pepper – a pinch per scampi (optional)

Method :

Preheat oven to 200 C.

Marinate each scampi with a pinch of salt, a pinch of turmeric and cayenne pepper (if using). Place Scampi on a greased baking dish.

Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce

Salted butter – 2 tbsp

Minced garlic – 2 tbsp

Lemon juice – 1 tbsp

Method :

Sauté the minced garlic until lightly brown in the butter. Add lemon juice. Add salt if required . Take off the flame.

Spoon the sauce onto the scampi. Add butter bits onto the scampi just before baking to add more oomph. ( optional )

Bake for 6-8 mins in the oven. ( Always remember every oven differs, the fleshiness of the scampi makes a difference, to check for doneness ensure your scampi has turned from opaque to translucent to white …it took me 7 mins.. do in two batches the first time to get the perfect time for your batch.)

While it’s baking make the warm butter drizzle.

Warm Butter Parsley Drizzle

Ingredients:

Salted Butter – 1 tbsp

Lemon juice – 1 tbsp

Salt – if needed

Parsley minced – 1 tbsp

Method :

On a low flame melt the butter. Switch off the flame, add lemon juice, add salt if required and parsley .

Spoon over the scampi just before serving. Serve warm .

Butterflying A Scampi:

Butterflying a Scampi tail means to cut open the hard-top shell through the meat. Then you spread the tail into two even halves. This is easy to do and helps the meat cook evenly.

In a nut shell you hold a Scampi tail in one hand with the hard-top shell facing up. Using sturdy kitchen shears, cut through the top of the shell and through the meat, but stop just before the bottom shell. Do not cut through the back end of the tail.

Using your thumbs and fingers, separate the meat. Gently spread the halves of the tails apart, keeping the meat attached near the back end.

If it’s your first time and you want to be doubly sure, learn how to butterfly Scampi tails by checking a YouTube tutorial .

Add a pinch of love ♥️:

Add a tsp of Dijon mustard into the final warm butter drizzle. Use olive oil instead of butter to cut back the saturated fat. Add grated cheese before baking the scampi to change the flavour. Add 2tbsp dry white wine. Use your creativity to boldly change the taste according to your palette.

xoxo,

Sareeka ♥️