Traditional Shrimp Scampi verses Shrimp Scampi Zoodles, you'll NEVER believe the difference in Calories...
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Shrimp Scampi served over angel hair pasta is one of my favorite quick dishes... but, the CALORIES are insane!
All that butter and oil combined with traditional pasta can easily add up to over 1000 calories (Cheesecake Factory Shrimp Scampi is 1850) per serving!!!!
WHAT???? Oh... no thank you, I'll pass! 1850 calories in ONE meal? That's more than many of us (me included) should eat in one day! My mouth is wide open, as I desperately rack my brain to remember if I've ever ordered Shrimp Scampi at the Cheesecake Factory! That might explain the extra pounds I carry around!
I don't know about you, but if I'm going to eat over 1000 calories in one sitting, I want it to be with two of my favorite people, Ben & Jerry! Truth be told, that's one of the reasons I work so hard to decrease calories while preserving the flavor of my favorite dishes - I save up those calories for my monthly secret love affair with Ben & Jerry... shhhh, don't tell Jeff!
The SECRET is in the stock
Shrimp Stock to be exact. Stocks can (and should) be made from all kinds of shells, bones, veggie scraps. They are wonderful flavor boosters to almost any dish (cereal... not so much) and can be made in bulk and stored in the freezer for several months.
- Pro Tip: Freeze stock in ice cube trays and then store in airtight freezer bag or storage container so you can take out just what you need for the dish you are making.
There are several different ways to make shrimp stock depending on what dish you are going to make with it; here are a few different styles I've made:
Maryland Style Shrimp Stock Recipe
Next time, I think I'll make a Mexican inspired shrimp stock and make a lightened up version of Camarones a la Diabla! Oh boy, I'm excited now!
Pick the Best Shrimp!
When cooking with seafood (or any ingredient for that matter), quality matters! I like to use Jumbo (21-25) wild caught shrimp from the USA.
Most seafood retailers will have their products labeled with either Farmed or Wild Caught and also the country of origin.
Dr. Oz goes over some of his concerns with farmed-raised shrimp in this video which you can watch on his official website: The Dr. Oz Show: How to tell the difference between wild and farmed shrimp.
What are Zoodles anyway????
This is an easy one: Zuchinni noodles = Zoodles.
- Pro Tip: There are several ways to make zoodles and some great tools (shown below) that I love; but, if you don't have any of these, you can just use a veggie peeler and then cut the strips in half. It's a little more time consuming, but it works.
My number one pick for making Zoodles is the Veggie Strip Maker from Pampered Chef (affiliate link). I use it all the time and it makes perfect fettuccine like zoodles, which is great for making Shrimp Scampi Zoodles!
It's inexpensive ($14.50), light-weight, dishwasher safe and makes fast work of making zoodles! Here's a quick demo: What is up with that facial expression???
My second pick for making zoodles as well as other types of veggie "noodles" would be a spiralizer.
I've heard a lot of food bloggers talk about the Inspiralizer (affiliate link) and even though I have the Pampered Chef Spiralizer (affiliate link), I am thinking about getting an Inspiralizer because I have run into a few issues with the PC one in regards to the size of the veggie you can use.
Here is a demo I found on the Inspiralizer as well as one I did on the PC Spiralizer. Both would work great for Shrimp Scampi Zoodles!
Now, let's get to making my recipe for Shrimp Scampi Zoodles!
What you'll need:
- Wild Caught Shrimp
- Onion
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Tomatoes
- Salt
- Spicy Shrimp Stock
- Olive Oil & Butter (oops, forgot to show those)
- Parmesan cheese for garnish
Step One:
Peel and rinse your shrimp. Don't throw away those shells! Place shrimp in fridge until ready to use. Make one batch of Spicy Shrimp Stock.
Step Two:
Dice onion. Add ½ tablespoon of Olive Oil to a saute pan and saute onions for 3 minutes. Add 8 cloves of minced garlic and cook over low for 2 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ cup of shrimp stock. Add lemon juice, lemon zest. Cook on medium for 5 minutes.
Step Three:
Prepare your zucchini noodles. Add noodles and shrimp to saute pan, stir to combine and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add butter and stir. Cover and turn off heat. The shrimp will continue to cook with the steam, but are less likely to overcook. If you are using an electric stove, remove the pan from the burner after covering. Allow to rest in covered pan for 3-5 minutes or until shrimp are done.
Step Four:
Stir to incorporate the melted butter. Plate and garnish with grated Parmesan & shaved Parmesan. It's pure heaven when you get a bite of everything along with a piece of shaved Parm! Enjoy!
Simply the BEST Shrimp Scampi Zoodles
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 cup Diced sweet onion (about ½ medium onion)
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 8 cloves Garlic (a heaping tablespoon) minced
- 2 small Tomatoes diced
- ½ lemon zested and juiced
- ½ cup Spicy Shrimp Stock see link for recipe
- 4 tablespoon Salted Butter
- 2 medium zuchinni
- 1 lb Shrimp Jumbo (21-25)
- 2 ounces Parmesan Cheese Shaved and grated
Instructions
- Dice onion. Add olive oil to saute pan and heat on medium. Add onion and salt. Saute for 3 minutes.
- Mince garlic and add to onion. Continue cooking on medium for 2 minutes.
- Add diced tomatoes, lemon zest, lemon juice, & shrimp stock. Cook on medium for 5 minutes
- Add zucchini noodles and peeled shrimp. Stir to combine all ingredients. Cook on medium for 3 minutes. Stir continuously ( I use tongs) and flip shrimp often to get an even cook.
- Add butter and stir. Turn heat off, cover and let sit for 3-5 minutes. This will allow the shrimp to finish cooking without overcooking.
- Plate, Garnish with both grated and shaved Parmesan cheese. Serve & Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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