"Barefoot" Baked Shrimp Scampi

This is my friend Amanda. She is a caterer. Everything she makes is amazing - and she finally told me her secret. Are you listening? Most of her recipes are "tweaked" recipes from the Barefoot Contessa. She made this recipe for a girls night out and it was AMAZING! Try it at your next get together.



Barefoot Contessa's Baked Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients
2 pounds (12 to 15 per pound) shrimp in the shell
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons dry white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1/4 cup minced shallots
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 extra-large egg yolk
2/3 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
Lemon wedges, for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture.

In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined.

Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval gratin dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute. Serve with lemon wedges.

Check out Reviews of this dish at the Foodnetwork HERE.

Crab Cakes with Cilantro Tatar Sauce

Two scoops please! Or should I say Lumps...and two is not really enough when you taste them. I LOVE crab cakes, but I am a crab cake snob. I absolutely love the ones Sweetwater makes. A little spice a lot of crab! There is nothing better. This is the closest recipe I have ever had to those delectable treats! It comes from a sweet little gal named Annie who used to do cooking classes in her home. We would roll away from her house on those nights!

Annie's Crab Cakes
1/2 cup red pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
1 cup Panko crumbs, or unsalted soda crackers, finely crushed
Unsalted butter and canola oil, for frying
Lemon wedges

In a small skillet on medium heat warm a Tablespoon of butter. When butter begins to foam, add the red pepper and onions and saute over medium heat until onions are translucent and peppers become slightly tender. Set aside to cool.



I spread them on a cutting board and let them cool.



In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Cayenne and Old Bay. Add in the cooled peppers and onions and fold in the crabmeat. Add about one third of the crackers or crumbs. Shape into 16 small cakes or 8 large cakes about 1 inch thick. Coat the crab cakes with the remaining crumbs and transfer to a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Refrigerate for a least two hours (or for up to one day before cooking).
In a large skillet, melt 2 Tablespoons of the butter and 2 Tablespoons of the oil. When the butter and oil begin to bubble, add half the crab cakes and cook over Medium-high heat until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove crab cakes from pan and set on paper towels to absorb any extra oil and place in a warm oven. Repeat with the remainder of the crab cakes, adding butter and oil to pan as needed. Garnish with tartar sauce and lemon wedges.



I did these the day before my dinner group and just reheated them in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Perfect!
Make extra - because lets face it - the best part about having a crab cake for dinner....is having a crab cake sandwich for lunch the next day!



Cilantro Tartar Sauce
3/4 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped dill pickles
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tablespoon capers, drained and chopped
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Stir together all sauce ingredients, Serve.