The Best Way to Make Perfect Shrimp Scampi at Home

Summary by Krater

America's Test Kitchen demonstrates how to make a superior shrimp scampi by brining jumbo shrimp, sautéing the shrimp shells to make a quick five-minute stock, slicing garlic instead of mincing it, and poaching the shrimp in the sauce.

From the video

Answers: How do you make shrimp scampi without overcooking the shrimp?

• shrimp scampi recipe
• brining shrimp
• making shrimp stock
• slicing vs mincing garlic
• poaching shrimp

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb jumbo shrimp
• 3 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 qt water
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 cup white wine
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 4 tbsp cold butter
• 1 tbsp parsley
• lemon

What it concludes

• Brining shrimp in salt and sugar preserves flavor and adds natural sweetness.
• Simmering shrimp shells for just five minutes extracts maximum flavor without bitter notes.
• Slicing garlic instead of mincing provides a milder flavor and avoids a gritty texture in the sauce.
• Poaching shrimp directly in the sauce keeps them moist and tender rather than dry and rubbery.
• Using a teaspoon of cornstarch with lemon juice helps keep the butter emulsified in the sauce.