Shrimp cook in about three minutes and this recipe gives them two separate heat exposures, so each one is cut short. Sixty to ninety seconds a side in a hot pan for colour, then twelve to fifteen minutes in the oven to finish.
The pasta is treated the same way: two minutes shy of al dente, because it has a bake ahead of it. Nothing in this dish is fully cooked before it goes into the oven.
Why This Recipe Works
- Searing over high heat browns the shrimp in under two minutes, before the interior has time to tighten.
- Deglazing with wine or broth and reducing two minutes concentrates the scampi flavour before the cream goes in.
- Undercooking the penne leaves it room to absorb sauce during the bake rather than turning soft.
- Putting the shrimp on top rather than stirring them through keeps their seared surface visible.
Ingredient Notes
- Large shrimp
- A pound, peeled and deveined. Seared for colour only, then finished in the oven until pearly and opaque.
- Dry white wine or chicken broth
- A third of a cup, either one, reduced for two minutes before the cream.
- Parmesan, divided
- Half a cup: half stirred through the pasta, half over the shrimp on top.
How to Make It
Oven on, pasta short
Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook pasta 2 minutes shy of al dente and drain.
Sear the shrimp, briefly
Season shrimp with half the salt and pepper. Sear in oil over high heat 60 to 90 seconds per side until browned but not fully firm; transfer.
Build the scampi sauce
Melt butter, cook garlic 30 seconds, then add wine or broth and lemon juice. Reduce 2 minutes, add cream, and simmer gently.
Assemble
Combine pasta with sauce, mozzarella and half the Parmesan in a baking dish. Top with shrimp and remaining Parmesan.
Bake
Bake 12 to 15 minutes until bubbling and shrimp are opaque; finish with parsley.
Nothing Is Fully Cooked Before the Oven
Both the pasta and the shrimp get two turns at heat, and both are deliberately cut short the first time. These are the points where that discipline holds or fails.
Draining the pasta
It comes out 2 minutes shy of al dente and looks underdone
It has 12 to 15 minutes in a 400F oven still to come, and it will absorb sauce while it is there. Cooked to al dente now, it is soft by the time it is served.
In the searing pan
The shrimp are browned on both sides but still give when pressed
60 to 90 seconds a side. Shrimp take about three minutes in total to cook; spending it all in the pan leaves nothing for the bake but tightening.
Building the sauce
The wine or broth has reduced for a full 2 minutes before the cream goes in
That reduction is what concentrates the scampi flavour. Cream added over unreduced liquid gives a thin, mild sauce.
Assembling
The shrimp sit ON the pasta, not stirred through it
The seared surface is the reason for step 2, and burying it under sauce wastes it.
Out of the oven
Bubbling, and the shrimp are opaque
This is the doneness standard the recipe gives for the shrimp: pearly, white and opaque rather than a temperature.
Success Tips
- Get the pan properly hot before the shrimp go in — a slow sear cooks them through instead of browning them.
- Pull the pasta two minutes early even though it will look underdone.
- Watch the bake. Twelve to fifteen minutes is enough; longer and the shrimp tighten.
Serving Ideas
Six servings from the baking dish, the seared shrimp visible on top of the bubbling cream-sauced pasta, finished with parsley.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why sear the shrimp if they are going in the oven?
The browning only happens in a hot pan. A bake alone leaves them pale, and the finished dish shows a seared surface.
How firm should the shrimp be after searing?
Browned but not fully firm. They finish during the 12 to 15 minute bake.
Do I have to use wine?
A third of a cup of dry white wine or chicken broth, either one.
