The Cooking Method That Leads To Better Tasting Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp scampi is elegant in its simplicity, but the simplest dishes can sometimes be tricky to perfect. The ingredients have to shine, the ratios have to be perfect, and the technique has to be just right. That's why The Takeout talked to Kevin O'Donnell, chef and owner of Rhode Island's Giusto PVD. The restaurant takes on traditional Italian dishes through a Rhode Island lens, using local ingredients for inspiration. We asked him for advice on making shrimp scampi.

According to O'Donnell, poaching the shrimp beforehand is a mistake because a lot of the flavor remains in the poaching liquid rather than the sauce. He also doesn't recommend tossing the shrimp in early or searing them ahead of time, as many recipes do. Instead, he takes an innovative approach. "Depending on the size of the shrimp, I will usually add the raw shrimp to the sauce at the same time as the pasta," he told The Takeout.

One big benefit of adding the shrimp and pasta at the same time is that it ensures perfect cooking. It's easy to overcook the shrimp if it's one of the first things in the pan, and removing the shrimp and adding them back later just adds extra hassle. And yes, in this case, using precooked shrimp could ruin your meal. O'Donnell's method means you'll only be cooking the shrimp for a couple of minutes, but that's all they need.

When you add the shrimp and pasta while reducing the sauce, it will give you a glossy, even coat that you wouldn't get from just dumping the sauce on the pasta when it's ready to serve. To make sure everything fully cooks and that the sauce reaches the desired consistency, timing is key.

If you're using larger shrimp that'll take longer to cook, O'Donnell recommended slightly undercooking the pasta and splitting the shrimp. "If the shrimp are on the larger side, then butterfly them in half," O'Donnell said. "Undercook the pasta by about 45 seconds and finish cooking it in the sauce with the shrimp. This will make sure you retain all of the flavor of the shrimp in the sauce." The flavor the shrimp imparts right into the sauce makes this shrimp scampi method a winner, though the short cook time also means there's no need to leave the tails on the shrimp.

Timing can be tricky with some shrimp scampi recipes, but O'Donnell said this method works well for him. "I've found that the timing almost always works out perfect," he explained. "The sauce coats the pasta at the same time the shrimp are finished cooking."