Garlicky Shrimp Scampi with Stacy Lyn Harris

Stacy Lyn Harris — cookbook author, gardener, mother of seven, and a guest chef on RFDTV's Rural Heritage — calls her Harvest Right freeze dryer her favorite kitchen appliance. She uses it to preserve garden harvests that all ripen at once, and also shrimp from family beach vacations, so the trip's catch doesn't have to end when the cooler does.

Garlicky Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. large shrimp, shelled, heads on
• 1 lb. pasta (spaghetti or linguine)
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 10 cloves garlic (half minced, half sliced)
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• ⅓ cup white wine
• Juice of 1 medium lemon
• ¼ cup fresh parsley
• Kosher salt, to taste

Instructions:

1. Boil the shrimp for about 2 minutes, until lightly pink. Reserve the cooking water.
2. Cook the pasta in the reserved shrimp water.
3. In a separate pan, melt part of the butter with the olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest.
4. Add the white wine and reduce by about a third.
5. Combine the sauce with the cooked pasta, shrimp, and a splash of the reserved pasta water.
6. Finish with the remaining butter, lemon juice, and parsley. Season with kosher salt to taste.

Using Freeze-Dried Shrimp

Freeze-dried shrimp (cooked, then dried) rehydrates well in this recipe — add it directly to the sauce along with a little extra reserved pasta water, and let it warm through before serving. It's an easy way to turn a vacation catch, or simply a freezer stocked ahead of time, into a quick scampi dinner any night of the week.

More From Stacy Lyn Harris

Meet Stacy Lyn Harris has more on her background and her other recipes on your site.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can shrimp be freeze-dried?
Yes — cook it first, then freeze-dry and store in an airtight container. It rehydrates well in dishes like shrimp scampi.

How do you make garlicky shrimp scampi with freeze-dried shrimp?
Add the freeze-dried shrimp directly to the garlic butter sauce along with a little extra pasta water, and let it rehydrate and warm through before combining with the pasta.

Who is Stacy Lyn Harris?
A cookbook author, gardener, mother of seven, and guest chef on RFDTV's Rural Heritage show, who calls her freeze dryer her favorite kitchen appliance.