Rock Shrimp Scampi

This is a recipe from Gina at Ecco la Cuccina (http://www.eccolacucina.com).


Mom's Rock Shrimp Pasta
Serves 8

Ingredients:
3lb rock shrimp
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
Hot pepper flakes, to taste
1 tbsp parsley, minced
1 teas dried basil (it's my mom's recipe)
1 teas dried oregano
1 teas sea salt
1 lb spaghettini or 1 ½ lb angel hair pasta

Directions:
Clean the rock shrimp:  take each tail and cut it lengthwise through the legs, taking out the sandy vein.  Butterfly each tail, it's okay if you cut all the way through as long as the halves are joined at the tail. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a small saucepan.  Add the garlic and hot pepper and take it off the heat.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir.

Taking each rock shrimp by the tail, dip them one at a time into the butter and oil, then lay them in a single layer on a sheet pan.  Pour the remaining sauce onto the tails.  Broil for 5 minutes until done.  Meanwhile, cook spaghettini or angel hair pasta until al dente and place in a large pasta bowl.  Pour the rock shrimp directly onto the bowl of pasta and toss, drizzling additional olive oil to finish.

If you can't find rock shrimp, substitute regular shrimp, shell and devein.  Heat the oil in a sauté pan with the garlic and hot pepper, add the remaining ingredients and then the shrimp.  Toss and cook on a high heat for 5 minutes until cooked through, toss with pasta and serve.