Step 1

Thaw your frozen shrimp. Place 1 pound frozen shrimp in a colander and run it under tap water for a couple minutes. Let sit for another 5 minutes. You will know they are thawed out when you can easily bend them, they are nice and soft, and becoming translucent.

Step 2

Marinate your shrimp. Add the thawed shrimp to a medium bowl, drying them a bit with paper towels if you have time. Sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. Toss to coat. Let them sit for 15 minutes (or up to one hour). This brine ensures moist shrimp with a nice firm bite: no mushiness, no rubberiness.

Step 3

Prep the garlic. While the shrimp brines, smash and peel 10 cloves of garlic. Yes, 10!! Garlic shines in this recipe, but I promise, once it's sautéed properly it melts into sweet nuttiness. Chop the garlic finely, and you will end up with about 1/4 cup of minced garlic.

Step 4

Prep the lemons. Use a microplane grater to zest 2 lemons into a small bowl, you should end up with over a tablespoon of zest. Set it aside. Halve the lemons and squeeze the juice into a different small bowl. (I did this over a stainer, to keep out the lemon seeds.)

Step 5

Prepare your pasta and/or bread. If you're serving your shrimp with pasta, put well-salted water on to boil at the same time you're ready to start cooking the shrimp. Cook according to package instructions, until al dente. Drain and add oil so it doesn't stick. Keep warm. If serving shrimp scampi with bread, make sure the bread is sliced and warm. when you start cooking your shrimp.

Step 6

Cook the marinated shrimp. Heat a stainless steel skillet over medium high heat. Let it preheat for 1-2 minutes, until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and swirl to coat the pan; it should shimmer immediately.

Step 7

Add as many shrimp as will fit in a single layer, without touching each other. Get ready for speed flipping! As the shrimp turn opaque pink, use tongs to flip them over. They should curl, but not tightly. As soon as they're opaque on both sides, remove them to a plate. This is a search and destroy mission to identify cooked shrimp and get them outta there before they get chewy. You'll be done in like, 2-3 minutes TOPS. Continue with another batch of shrimp in a single layer, adding another tablespoon oil if necessary, until all the shrimp are cooked.

Step 8

Once all shrimp have been removed, lower the heat to medium. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet, and wait until it shimmers. When it's hot, add 1/4 cup minced garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Saute for 30 seconds to 60 seconds, until the garlic just barley starts to turn golden.

Step 9

Add 1 cup of sherry wine* and bring to a low simmer over medium heat. Once it bubbles, continue cooking for about 3 minutes. The sherry will reduce somewhat.

Step 10

Add butter. Cut 6 tablespoons butter into a few pieces. Add butter to the sherry mixture and use a whisk to stir it in. Whisk it well to make sure it's fully incorporated.

Step 11

Add lemon juice. Add the bowl of lemon juice and continue whisking to incorporate. Taste the sauce and season with more Kosher salt if needed.

Step 12

Simmer. Continue whisking the sauce for about 1-2 minutes at a low simmer.**

Step 13

Add the shrimp back to the skillet. Stir to coat with the lemon sauce. Turn off the heat.

Step 14

Add garnishes and lemon zest. Top with 2 tablespoons minced parsley and/or chives. Add in all the lemon zest.

Step 15

Serve over pasta or with crusty bread for soaking up the sauce (or BOTH! treat yoself right)

Step 16

Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. If you made your scampi from fresh, never frozen shrimp, you can freeze the fully cooked, fully cooled leftovers for 2-3 months. Chances are that you used frozen shrimp though, and it's best not to refreeze previously frozen shrimp. Enjoy the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Step 17

Reheating: Shrimp is best on day 1, when it's been cooked until it's juuust right. Reheating it naturally means you're going to overcook it a little. Heating it in a pan over medium low heat for 3-5 minutes, just until warm, will do less damage than the microwave. If you're microwaving, do 10-20 seconds at a time and hover. I recommend adding a bit of melted butter and an extra squeeze of lemon juice to any leftovers, especially if there is leftover pasta.