Summer shrimp scampi with tomatoes and corn is our latest home pasta night special.
Last night, my daughter looked me straight in the eye and said, “Mommy, are you our servant? You cook food for us, so you must be. That’s what servants do.” I was so shocked, I didn’t know what to say for a minute there.
In retrospect, I may have contributed to this thought process by clarifying to her on multiple occasions, when she demanded a water refill or that I bring her additional food, that I was not her servant, and she can get things for herself. But I guess in her mind here we are, living it up in the royal palace. And I’m staff. Great.
So let’s talk about summer shrimp scampi with tomatoes and corn, the latest special from the kitchen.
A Ballad for the Shrimp
About 3 months ago, none of our delightful children would even touch shrimp.
But I really like shrimp. So I made it a couple of times despite this. After maybe the third attempt, I was really worried that I was going to have to stop making shrimp altogether, because my husband started giving me these long, lingering glances from across the table like, “Shrimp again, seriously, this did not go well last time can I go microwave some leftover chicken for the kids without you getting riled up about it.” Shiver me timbers. Who says romance dies once you have kids?
It took making this dish a solid 5-6 times and bribing our kids to try little bites each time before they discovered they, in fact, LOVE shrimp.
Seriously, they love it. We are at the point where my daughter asks if we can have shrimp pasta every Friday (our designated “pasta night”), and if I dare to make a non-shrimp pasta on pasta night, she gets mad. Like, “Mom, I actually asked for shrimp!!! I’m not having dinner,” arms-crossed, mad. (Don’t worry, she still eats dinner once she adjusts to her new, non-shrimp reality.)
This result was unimaginable to me only a couple of months ago, so wanted to share that it’s worth it to push through! A win for the keep making them try it and eventually they’ll like it school of thought.
How the Battle Was Won
I was so happy this worked out – so now I’m trying to think hard about exactly what worked here so we can replicate it with other difficult foods. A couple things come to mind. First, we paired it with pasta. My daughter is super into pasta, to the extent that she was very open to trying something new if it meant she could just get more pasta. This made it easier to get her to try the new food, even though she didn’t like it at first.
The second thing that helped out was that our baby liked the shrimp, which made him “such a big boy!” – Almost instantly, the other two got jealous and started asking if they were big kids too. And they started competing to prove who was the biggest kid. So they would try the shrimp and ask if this made them “big kids.” And next thing I knew, everyone loved shrimp.
So combination of a very tempting food to offer as an enticement (they have to try the shrimp to get a second serving of pasta). And positive peer pressure.
Why Fight for the Shrimp?
Shrimp is a great source of protein. It’s a complete protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids. A 3-ounce serving of cooked shrimp gives you approximately 18–20 grams of protein, which is comparable to chicken or fish in terms of protein density but with fewer calories (around 85–100 calories per serving), thanks to being lower in fat. Of course, this recipe makes up for some of that spread with butter and olive oil, so worth it!
Shrimp also is a good source of:
- Vitamin B12 (essential for brain and nerve function);
- Selenium (antioxidant that supports immune health and thyroid function);
- Phosphorus and iodine (critical for proper metabolism and thyroid regulation); and
- Omega-3s (especially important during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and for growing children to support healthy brain development, plus reduces inflammation in the body);
- Astaxanthin (the source of the shrimp’s pink color – an antioxidant linked to heart health, skin protection, and reduced inflammation.)
Now, on to the recipe!
Summer Shrimp Scampi with Tomatoes & Corn
Summer shrimp scampi with tomatoes and corn is our latest home pasta night special.
Ingredients
Shrimp
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup chopped or crushed garlic (I just use a garlic crusher)
2 pints cherry tomatoes
2/3 cup dry white wine
1 lemon (zest + juice)
1 tsp salt
1 pound of large, peeled, deveined shrimp
1/3 cup parsley
Pasta
1 lb fresh pasta or 2/3 lb dry pasta – linguine is our go-to!
4 ears of corn
Instructions
1. Start heating the pasta water if you’re making pasta.
Follow the instructions for making pasta while you do the below. Once the pasta is al dente, remove from the water to a bowl and toss with about 1 tbsp of olive oil.
FYI – some recipes will have you combine the pasta + shrimp, but I don’t do that because this recipe is prioritizing family dynamics. I find it much easier to avoid mealtime battles if the shrimp and pasta are separate. That way I can use the plain pasta as an inducement to try the shrimp. And I can just spoon the shrimp & sauce over my pasta for myself / my husband.
2. Steam the corn.
Heat about 1 inch of water in a large frying pan or sauté pan over high heat. Once boiling, add the corn and cover. Allow to cook for 5 minutes. Then take off the lid, turn off the heat, and allow to cool.
You can either keep it on the cob or cut it off if you’d like to mix it into the pasta. My personal preference is to keep it on the side because kids.
3. Preheat large sauté pan or Dutch oven.
4. Lightly brown the garlic.
Add your 3 tablespoons unsalted butter plus 4 tablespoons olive oil. Add your 1/3 cups crushed garlic. I crush it straight into the pan with my garlic crusher. Yes, it’s a lot of garlic. Yes, it’s worth it. Yes, we all smell fantastic and vampires dare not approach.
Let it (the garlic, not the vampires) cook 3-5 minutes until lightly browned. It will continue to brown after you add the tomatoes so don’t overdo the browning.
5. Add the tomatoes.
Add the 2 pints cherry tomatoes. Let them cook 5-8 minutes until most of them burst. Keep an eye on your garlic to make sure it doesn’t burn – if it starts to get too golden, reduce the heat a bit.
6. Add the wine, lemon zest, salt.
Add:
- 2/3 cup dry white wine;
- zest from 1 lemon; and
- 1 tsp salt
Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes.
Note: If you need to slow down on prepping dinner, now is a good point to turn off the heat and pause for a few minutes. When you’re ready to go again, just bring the mixture back up to a simmer and pick up where you left off. Once you add the shrimp, you’re going to be ready to eat in less than 5 minutes.
If you want to add corn to the mix, stir it in now.
7. Get your shrimp ready.
Pat the 1 lb of shrimp dry. Sprinkle them with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Then dump them into the simmering wine mixture. Stir them in until the shrimp are starting to turn opaque. Should take about 3-4 minutes.
8. Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice and parsley, and serve.
I use 1/2 of a lemon and 1/3 of a cup of parsley.
I keep my shrimp in the pan I cooked them and put it right on the table – keeping the pasta and shrimp separate so people can top their pasta with shrimp as needed.
