Region: Italy
Category: Seafood
Season: Any
Difficulty: Labor Intensive
This is one of my favorite methods for shrimp. It takes a little work, about 15 minutes to peel, flatten, and bread the shrimp but only about 2 minutes to cook them.  (2)LO.jpg)
Of course it's extraordinary with fresh shrimp; the larger the shrimp the better. Just remember that over breading, so common among many chain restaurants, will kill the succulent taste of the shrimp, so take it easy. If you double or triple the recipe make sure you cook the shrimp with lots of room in the skillet, or cook them in batches; don't crowd them. If you are using fresh shrimp with their heads you'll need 2 pounds.
[photo: Clifford A. Wright]
Yield: Makes 2 to 4 servings
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
1 pound jumbo or larger shrimp, shells removed and saved for making broth
Salt to taste
2 large eggs, beaten
Dry bread crumbs for dredging
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, crushed
Zest from 1/2 lemon, julienned extremely fine
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
Lemon wedges (optional)
1. Slit the shrimp from head to tail along the belly with a sharp paring knife. Make sure you don't cut all the way through. Open the shrimp a bit with your fingers, remove the intestinal track, and lay them belly side down on an oiled piece of wax paper. Salt them lightly, cover with another sheet of wax paper and pound them gently with a mallet until they are thin. Be careful you don't break them when flattening as they are fragile.
2. Dip the shrimp in the egg and then dredge in the bread crumbs. Set aside and repeat the process with the rest of the shrimp.
3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat with the garlic cloves until they begin to turn light brown. Remove and discard the garlic. Cook the shrimp until golden, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Remove and sprinkle the lemon zest and parsley on top. Serve with a lemon wedge.
Variation:
Note:
Posted: 12/29/2006