Shrimp cooked in a buttery, lemony sauce is nothing new, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to give it a twist.
One way that I shake up shrimp scampi, a weeknight dinner favorite in my house, is to use preserved lemon peel instead of fresh lemon. The lightly funky tang and briny flavor complement the subtle flavor of the shrimp. Cooking the lemon peel for a few minutes in lightly browned butter softens its texture a bit and infuses the butter with salinity. (You can usually find preserved lemon at well-stocked grocery stores and can always order it online.)
Besides the preserved lemon, I like to season the shrimp with ground cumin for a bit of earthiness. A handful of fresh herbs — a combination of dill and parsley is particularly good here — finishes the dish.
As for cooking the shrimp, simply dry it well and add it to the hot butter for a few minutes. Shrimp are great at telling you when they’re finished; look for their color to change bright pink and for their bodies to begin to curl into a spiral. Depending on the size of shrimp you buy, they will cook in 3 to 5 minutes. Just keep an eye on the skillet and pull it off the heat as soon as you see those curls.
I like to serve this dish on top of a bed of quick-cooking couscous, but it’ll pair equally well with steamed rice or small pasta, such as orzo.
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