Mediterranean Shrimp

This dish is just the epitome of summer to me! It reminds me of being in Europe on a yacht, eating fresh seafood and drinking wine, or even just in my parent's back garden in England enjoying the British summer sunshine with some crusty bread and lots of fresh lemon drizzles. My Dad made this my whole life so I 100% stole this from him and it’s so fresh and delicious with all the best flavors to complement the prawns (shrimp) but not overwhelm them. Here is the recipe below:

2 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp butter

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 shallot, finely diced

Zest and juice of one lemon

1 tsp Calabrian chili paste (or more if you like it spicy)

1 cup white wine

1 pint baby heirloom tomatoes (optional)

1 6oz can tomato paste

2 tbsp capers (optional)

Fresh parsley, finely diced to serve

1lb of wild peeled and deveined prawns (shrimp), or shell on and butterflied if you want to get messy

Salt/pepper

In a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven, melt your butter and olive oil together. Add in the crushed garlic, shallot and lemon zest and toss until fragrant for a few seconds to flavor the oil and butter. Then add in your tomatoes and chili paste, (or red pepper flakes), along with your salt and pepper to taste. Toss around the tomatoes until blistered, then add in your lemon juice and white wine. Leave on a medium heat to burn off the alcohol, stirring occasionally. Add in your tomato paste. Now let it reduce over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Once the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly, add in your shell on prawns (shrimp), and your capers. Toss in the sauce until just cooked through and pink. For smaller prawns, it could only be 2 minutes, but for very large prawns it could be 3-4 minutes. Do not overcook or they will be tough.

Serve with wedges of fresh lemon, some finely diced fresh parsley to garnish and some crusty bread on the side with a cold, crisp glass of white wine and enjoy!