Baked Shrimp Scampi Appetizer
Baked shrimp scampi is a rather confusing term around the world. The word scampi is the Italian plural for scampo, and it actually means, in a rough translation, bending or winding. The word loosely refers to the way a food is prepared rather than the ingredient used.
In the United States, most often scampi is referring to shrimp preparation. In Great Britain, the reference is to shelled tail meat, whether it be lobster, shrimp, crayfish or prawns. In Norway it refers to lobster preparation and in Ireland prawns. At Chef Point Café, you can count on the freshest shrimp rolled in panko and baked in a garlic butter sauce.
The history of scampi is a bit sketchy, but it first appeared on menus back in the 1960’s and was quite the popular dish in pubs, labeled often as “Scampi in a Basket.”
As far as how it is served, that varies as well. Many places poach the seafood for a few seconds and they are eaten plain or with butter. In Great Britain it is common to serve scampi fried in batter or breadcrumbs and served with chips and tartar sauce. Whatever the case, it appears that this term originated in the Mediterranean countries and then slowly moved over to the United States.
What we know for a fact is that when Chef Franson decides to address a new recipe, he does it with his own flair and personal touch. Listen, Chef Point Café didn’t become the best family restaurant in Fort Worth by accident. We only serve the freshest foods, and each dish is prepared with exacting care. While some restaurants will cook in large batches, you can count on each dish at Chef Point being prepared separately for each customer.
We might as well tell you about panko while we are on this subject. Panko is a flaky bread crumb that we use for our breading. It comes from Japanese tradition and it a crisper, airier variety of breading. Believe us when we tell you that you will be able to tell the difference once you taste panko on our baked shrimp scampi appetizer.
Why do we go to so much trouble? Why not just fry it and serve it with chips and call it “Scampi in a Basket”? Simply because we like being everyone’s favorite family restaurant. We like serving gourmet food at family prices. We have a reputation to uphold and that reputation means a great deal to us.
