This was the birthday menu.  I requested the food, supplied my husband with the recipe and he made them.

I have had the Linguini with Shrimp Scampi recipe for a while now and I am kicking myself for not trying it earlier.

It is so, so delicious and I think has gained a spot as my new birthday meal request (although I hope I eat it more than once a year).

And the steamed asparagus was to die for. I helped my husband with this and kind of threw it together at the last minute, but it was too good not to share.

Fresh fruit or green salad
Steamed broccoli or other vegetable 
Simple Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 14 minutes

Total Time: 34 minutes

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Ingredients

• Canola/vegetable oil
• Salt
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 9 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup chopped parsley
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 12 ounces linguine

Instructions

1. Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the linguine and cook until al dente, 7-10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in another large heavy bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium low heat.
3. Add the garlic. Sautè for 1 minute. Don’t burn the garlic. Add the shrimp, salt and pepper and sautè just until shrimp turns pink, five minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Add parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices and red pepper. Toss to combine. Drain pasta and toss with sauce and serve.

Notes

I used easy peel frozen shrimp already deveined. They were delicious and a little cheaper than using “fresh” shrimp (plus I am inland so far “fresh” seafood doesn’t really exist).

The original recipe calls for a bit more fresh lemon juice but I wanted the buttery garlic flavors to come out more so I cut down the fresh lemon juice and was glad I did. But if you like a strong lemon zing, add the full 1/2 cup. Also, the lemon slices kind of got in the way of the dish, in my opinion, so although they add an elegant touch, I think I will eliminate them next time.