This keto shrimp scampi is jumbo shrimp in garlic butter with vermouth and a little Cajun heat, served over cauliflower rice instead of pasta, at about 3 grams of net carb a serving. It cooks in about ten minutes start to finish.
If you need a break from turkey this holiday season why not try having some shrimp instead. When I lived in Australia I enjoyed having shellfish for the holidays instead of turkey and ham. I love shrimp and they are quick and easy to cook. I feel like too many people out there think that shellfish are difficult to cook, but what other food drastically changes color when cooked? It is just like a red light telling you to stop at a signal. When they turn pink, stop. I prefer to always cook with raw shellfish for this reason. For this recipe I use the jumbo shrimps from Trader Joes. These meaty little guys are perfect, and the perfect complement is my cauliflower rice.
Scampi without the pasta
Scampi is an Italian-American move, shrimp cooked in garlic, butter, and wine, and it almost always lands on a pile of linguine. The garlic butter is naturally low carb; the pasta is the only carb in the dish. Cauliflower rice is the swap I reach for here because it soaks up the garlicky, vermouth-spiked sauce the way rice would, with none of the starch. If you would rather mimic the noodles, zucchini noodles work as a low carb pasta swap, just salt and drain them first so they do not weep water into the sauce. The vermouth, Cajun, and Old Bay are where this parts ways with the usual lemon-and-garlic version, and they give it a warmer, spicier edge.
Watch the color, not the clock
Shrimp are the one protein that tells you exactly when they are done, and they do it fast. In a hot pan jumbo shrimp need 2 to 3 minutes, and the second they turn from grey to pink and opaque, an internal 145°F, they are finished. Leaving them in for the five minutes a recipe might say is how you end up with rubbery, squeaky shrimp. Add the broth and vermouth near the end so the sauce comes together without overcooking them, and pull the pan the moment the color turns.
Sources:
USDA FoodData Central, nutrient reference for shrimp, butter, and cauliflower
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, safe minimum internal temperature for shrimp
Sugarfreechic test kitchen, shrimp scampi notes
