Lemon Garlic Shrimp

Lately, I'm craving seafood.  Especially shrimp.  All the time.

I blame it completely on the fact that I just got back from a 7 day stay at the Polynesian (which was gorgeous, stunning, amazing) and that you can't be in a place so beautiful and so tropical without craving something that's kind of exotic too.  Ok, so maybe shrimp isn't the most exotic thing in the world...  But in my mainly chicken/beef/pork cooking routine, shrimp is something unusual and special.  Plus, seeing as I'm in New Hampshire and it's February, my exotic and unusual selections at the grocery store are pretty limited.  So...  Do what you can with what you can find, right?

I'm actually pretty excited to say that today's recipe comes from Disney's Boardwalk Resort.  This last trip was the first time I got a really, really good look at the Boardwalk Resort, and I have to say, it's utterly gorgeous.  Gorgeous in that, if I won the lottery and it wasn't enough to afford a house in Golden Oaks (sigh), I'd DVC in Boardwalk.  And since they're getting ready to do some extensive refurb there, I can only imagine that it's going to get nothing but more stunning.  A waterside resort in walking distance to my favorite park (EPCOT)?  Sign me up.

This recipe is simply stunning.  Seriously, one of my best Disney recipe discoveries.  Light, flavorful, easy to make, one of those dishes that comes together like lightning and tastes like heaven, so everybody you serve it to thinks that you're a culinary genius.  Even if you don't like shrimp, the sauce works with chicken, pork, scallops, or as an amazing dressing to pasta and rice with no protein at all.  I served this over De Cecco's riso pasta, which is a noodle shaped like a rice.  It's finer than orzo, not as touchy to cook as rissoto, and actually it may be my new favorite pasta since it's easier and faster to make then rice, my known nemesis, and it's uniqueness adds a classy element to dishes when substituted for rice.

When I do this recipe over again, I think I will use less butter and a little more garlic, but really, it's all personal preference.  This recipe is heaven as is.  The big change I did was to not butterfly the shrimp...  I accidentally bought pre-cooked shrimp, so it didn't hold up to the butterflying that well and because it was pre-cooked it didn't have the cooking time issues that it would have if it'd been uncooked and whole.  Honestly, for those who want to use large cooked shrimp, don't butterfly it and just really watch the cooking times.  It needs to be warmed, not cooked.  Also, I used dried parsley because, again, mid-February in New Hampshire...  Fresh bunches of parsley just aren't available that aren't overly expensive or look like death, much to my chagrin.

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Lemon Garlic Shrimp

As is served at Spoodles, Disney's Boardwalk Resort

 

°o°  1/2 cup unsalted butter, divided
°o°  3-5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped, divided

°o°  36 large raw shrimp, deveined and butterflied (if desired)

°o°  2 large lemons (or 1/4 - 1/2 cup lemon juice), halved, divided

°o°  1 tablespoon lemon zest (optional)

°o°  1/2 teaspoon course salt

°o°  1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

°o°  1/2 bunch parsley, roughly chopped (or 2 tablespoons dried parsley)

Melt half of the butter in a large saute pan and add half of the garlic.  Saute until lightly golden.  Add shrimp and toss to coat.  Cook about 1-2 minutes per side until shrimp is almost done (pink, firm, slightly opaque).  Add juice of 1 1/2 lemons, and remaining butter and garlic.  Cook until butter is melted, but do not boil (it damages the shrimp).  

When cooked entirely, remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, toss in parsley.  Garnish with remaining lemon.  Serve immediately over pasta, rice, bread, or as a stand-alone meal.

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