It is not often I can give you a recipe that is as easy to make for 2 people as it is for 22. Well, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration. I should say it is almost as easy.
I really dislike it when people make comments that are utter exaggerations. One of my pet peeves is the saying "Be a Guest At Your Own Party." I don't care how organized you are when entertaining, unless you have help running the party, you are not meant to be a guest. Even if the party is catered, as a host it is your job to make sure everyone is happy. When did you ever have to do that as a guest? Another one is "It's as easy to double a recipe as it is to make it once." I still haven't conquered chopping two onions in the same time I can chop one.
In all honesty, these shrimp are a great dish to serve for a crowd because they bake in as many casserole dishes as will fit in your oven.
I always prefer to purchase food fresh rather than frozen, but since almost all shrimp has been previously frozen, I often buy frozen shrimp from the supermarket for this recipe. Because I wrote recipes for Safeway store packages for many years, I can vouch for their waterfront BISTRO raw frozen shrimp. (I can also vouch for the recipe on the packages, because I wrote them.) Look for the shrimp that say EZ peel on the package. That means that they have been deveined and the shell is split, so all you need to do is just pull it off. You can choose any size shrimp you want for this recipe, but I prefer jumbo or extra jumbo, 21 to 24 count per pound.
I like to serve the shrimp with rice—brown or white & wild—and sugar snap peas, but any green veggies are good. After all, what doesn’t go with butter and garlic?
I don't mean to suggest that you should have a party to serve these delicious shrimp. The recipe is so easy that you can make it for your family or a romantic dinner a deux.
Garlic Shrimp with Panko & Parmesan Crust
1 pound raw jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (21 to 24 count)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
⅛ to ¼ tsp. dried red pepper flakes, to taste
1½ tablespoons Panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Lemon wedges for serving
Arrange oven rack in top third of oven and preheat oven to 425°F.
Arrange shrimp in a baking dish where they will fit comfortably in one layer. You do not want too much space in between them. Season with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, mix butter, lemon juice, garlic, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Drizzle over shrimp, spreading the garlic evenly over the tops.
In a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs with cheese. Sprinkle over top of shrimp.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until shrimp are pink, cooked through and the butter is bubbling on the edges. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
Makes 2 servings.
