Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi with Orzo

Lookie what my hubby made for me last night!

I am so proud of him. He is becoming quite the domesticated diva.

It was so yummy and somewhat healthy (sans the butter, of course)! The best part? We got the shrimp from a local seafood market in Kemah - Rose's. These babies were probably swimming around in the gulf 48 hours ago. The local seafood restaurants even purchase their seafood from Rose's! It's nice living on the gulf for reasons like these!! If you have a seafood market near you, you must check it out!

Here's a view of our shrimp in Rose's.

Anyway, back to the scrumptious recipe. You ought to give it a try! I can't guarantee your shrimp will be as amazing as mine, but who can resist lemon-y, garlic-y goodness?

Mr. O.'s Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients:
- I cup uncooked orzo
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, 2 Tbsp for orzo, 2 Tbsp for garnishing
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 7 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- cracked black pepper (garnishing)

Directions:
1. Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Stir in parsley and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and keep warm.
2. While orzo cooks, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add half of shrimp to pan; saute 2 minutes or until almost done. Transfer shrimp to a plate. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in pan. Add remaining shrimp to pan; saute 2 minutes or until almost done. Transfer to plate.
3. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in pan. Add garlic to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in shrimp, lemon juice, and pepper; cook 2 minute or until shrimp are done.
4. Remove pan from heat. Add orzo to pan, stir, and serve.

Notes:
- I'm thinking a splash of white wine when you add the lemon juice would be awesome, we just didn't have a bottle open.
- I was in charge of cooking the orzo (only thing I did). After cooking the orzo, I seasoned it with some garlic powder, a splash of lemon juice and a little cracked black pepper. You can never have too much garlic.
- You can substitute butter for a healther option like Smart Balance (my favorite butter substitute).
- Pairing this with a green veggie like broccoli or asparagus (and a glass of white wine for antioxidants) would make this a perfectly balanced meal!


Hope you try and enjoy! Greg was even sweet to make enough for leftovers for my lunch today! He even packed it for me. Hearts.