Easy Shrimp Scampi

The great thing about cooking with shrimp is how fast and easy it is - in fact, the biggest mistake cooks make with shrimp is cooking it too long, so it becomes rubbery. The very simplest way, with just garlic, lemon, and wine is delicious and fast, but with a couple of extra minutes you can improve it even more with some shallot and lemon zest. The hot pepper is optional, as is the parsley. The wine can be omitted as well. See how versatile it is?

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb raw shelled deveined shrimp
• 2 -3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (preferably fresh)
• 2 Tablespoons dry white wine or vermouth
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons minced shallots (optional)
• 1-2 Tablespoons minced parsley (optional)
• pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes (optional)
• Zest of one lemon (optional)

Preparation:

1. Heat the skillet until hot. While it's heating, salt and pepper the shrimp. Add the oil and swirl to coat. Add the shrimp and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring or turning it until it just turns pink - you'll be cooking it a little longer at the end, so don't worry if you're not sure it's done in the middle.
2. Turn the heat down, and add the butter to the pan. (If using the shallot, I cooked it here for about a minute.) Add the garlic and red pepper, and cook until fragrant. Add the wine and lemon juice (and lemon zest if you have it).
3. Add the shrimp back to the pan, stir, and heat through. Add parsley if you have it.

Serving suggestion: Over Cauli-rice

Nutritional Information: Makes three servings, with 3 grams effective carbohydrate plus 31 grams protein, and 250 calories. If you use the shallots, add one more gram of carb and 4 calories.

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