The scampi are the shellfish most appreciated in Europe after lobsters. They have a pinkish or pinkish white color, with red and brown hues. Inside the carapace, the meat of the tail, soft and delicate flavor, is a real delicacy. Suitable to create tasty appetizers, succulent first courses, but also second courses of grilled fish, baked or steamed, here are some tips on how to cook shrimp.

Scampi, lobsters, prawns, lobsters or cicadas: how to choose

The escape It is a crustacean that belongs to the family of decapods (ie 10 legs). The body can reach 25 centimeters and is equipped with an armor that can take varied colors.

But the family of crustaceans is rich in numerous species, many of which are edible. In addition to the scampi there are the canocchie (or cicale), protagonists of the most rustic and popular soups like the caciucco and the bouillabaisse.

Then there are the prawns, excellent for risotto and sauces for pasta dishes such as tagliolini with béchamel with prosecco and prawns. For the grilled fish you use the prawns, bigger version of the prawns, with a more full-bodied tail.

Lobster and lobster are the crustaceans used on special occasions. THE'lobster it is similar to lobster, but is different due to the presence of two large claws. It has a body covered with a thick armor that turns red when cooked. It is less expensive than lobster and is highly prized for its white-pink firm flesh. It must stay alive during cooking, but if it impresses you, you can always buy it frozen. 60% of this animal will lose it as waste, but its pulp – low-calorie, among other things – will enrich your recipes with a unique flavor.

Precious and expensive the lobster, at the purchase, must be alive, heavy (a sign that has just been drawn), not too big and possibly female (it is recognized by the double row of wings placed under the tail). Even the lobster should be cooked still alive, like lobster, whatever it is recipe to which it is intended.

How to recognize if they are fresh

If you have decided to cook the prawns, at the time of purchase you will need to make sure they are fresh. These crustaceans waste very quickly, so be careful that at the time of purchase have a nice appearance: they must be swollen and must have a shiny shell and a head well attached to the body. THE'smell it must be seawater. Eye to the scampi that smells of ammonia: it means they are wasting away. The eyes must be bright black and not fogged. The legs must be clear: avoid the scampi with blackened ends.

How to measure (how many scampi per kg)

Like all crustaceans, even the scampi have one high waste, equal to about 60% of their weight. This factor may not be a problem when the recipe requires a precise number of scampi.

However, if the weight of the necessary pulp is mentioned in the list of ingredients, it is good to keep in mind that the net weight of a scampi is obtained by multiplying the quantity by three. So for 500 g of pulp you will have to buy 1.5 kg of scampi.

The scampi scraps can be useful to make a broth in which to cook the shellfish or to create a sauce with which to dress them, if you want to serve them warm. Just put shells, claws and heads with half water and half white wine. Add salt, parsley and aromatic vegetables, cook for 15 minutes and filter everything, crushing the shells with a pestle. It is excellent for flavoring risottos and sauces.

Once you have the brodetto, you can create one sauce hot by blending the cooked shells with a glass of liquid and adding a teaspoon of potato starch and 4-5 tablespoons of cream. Put on a gentle fire for two minutes.

If lobster, lobster and crabs are cleaned only after cooking, scampi, shrimp and shrimp are always peeled after cooking. The part that interests us is the tail: this is where the pulp appetizing necessary for our recipes.

For clean the prawns, first detach the part of the head with a slight twist. Then you can proceed by eliminating the shell and the tail by taking the scampi in hand, with the armor facing down. Helping yourself with kitchen scissors, carve the cartilage of the belly on both sides, detach it and then slowly pull out the pulp, pulling it out like a glove.

Another system for remove the pulp from the carapace is to take the scampo in his hand with the back facing down, removing the first and second ring of the cartilage of the abdomen. Then push with your thumb at the end of the armor, right in the center of the small fan "tail" and pull the pulp from the other side. Be careful not to pull too sharply: you could damage the lobster meat.

If you wish to leave the carapace intact, you can tuck one toothpick between the attachment of the head and the rest of the body and slide off with the help of a toothpick the intestine, that black gut that crosses the tail of the mollusc.

How to cook the prawns

To cook the scampi boiled boil water, taking care to leave 3-5 cm of water covering the legs. The liquid will be enriched with apple vinegar, a pinch of salt and 3-4 spoons of spices and aromas.

After boiling the water with the aromas, pour the prawns into the pot. Some people prefer to cook whole, still with the carapace, in order to preserve all the flavor of internal juices, giving the pulp a genuine and full flavor. Remove your armor at the end of cooking.

When the scampi will start to surface (after about 5-7 minutes, depending on the size), you can drain them. Stop cooking immediately by pouring ice over it.

The flavored water can be used for cooking steamed escapes. Place the prawns in a steamer, cover with the appropriate lid and cook over medium heat. Then it lowers to the minimum to prevent the water from being consumed before the end of cooking. With steamed tails, you can prepare one scampi, artichoke and potato pie.

Let's find out how to cook them scampi in the pan. This technique allows you to add ingredients that enrich the flavor – as in the case of couscous with citrus pesto, dried fruit and shrimps – or to create one tasty fry.

For cook the baked scampi just clean them, place them in a large pan with a broth obtained from the emulsion of lemon, oil, parsley, salt and black pepper. After seasoning, bake at 200 ° C for 10 minutes.

Baking also allows you to prepare excellent prawns gratinated, preparation that will give the crustacean a crispy breading.

You can cook it scampo al cartoccio, wrapping it in tinfoil. By properly condimenting the crustacean, with this technique the sauces will be retained from the wrapper and will continue to flavor the scampi. You can add capers, tomatoes and aromatic herbs.

Cook the fish on the grill it is not an impossible undertaking, but some precautions must be taken into account. The scampi are perfect for fire and embers. They can be cooked with the shell after having eliminated the heads and left them to marinate for half an hour with oil and lemon.

How to eat

Once you have chosen the recipe and cooked the prawns, remember that if you have chosen to serve the already shelled pulp, the guests will simply have to bite it. In case you have cooked the crustacean in its carapace, it will be up to the guests to slip off the various armor rings. If you have engraved the lower part of the tail, you will only have to place the knife in the middle and take out the pulp with the fork. Otherwise, the lower part must also be engraved with the knife.

Fresh prawns, frozen prawns: what changes?

The scampi are divided into very fresh, fresh is frozen foods. THE fresh it's the crustaceans you've caught, or someone you trust so much. You can also buy them on the dock or at the port market. If you have chosen this type of crustacean, remember to chop them down in the freezer before consuming them.

The fresh scampi they are available in very small quantities. In fact, most of the product arrives on the desks – and must be reported on the package – frozen or deep-frozen. If you buy them at the fishmonger or at the supermarket, you will find them lying on ice mountains. In that case they are called "fresh": they are shellfish caught some time ago that have undergone an instant freezing process, to be then thawed by those who run the fish school. Which means that they are becoming less and less fresh with the passing of the hours.

If you do not trust fresh and fresh crustaceans, tip on frozen prawns. Unlike freezing (preservation with the subzero cold of domestic type), freezing is an ultra rapid freezing that only industrial technologies can practice, observing specific rules.

Once the scampi are caught, the angler immediately puts them under ice, freezing them in real time. Then it goes to immediate freezing on board, which allows maintenance at a temperature below 18 ° C. This process starts the cold chain, a real guarantee of quality for the consumer who will find in the freezer counter the fresh taste of shrimp and other crustaceans. But choose raw frozen foods: they will be a better raw material than cooked and then frozen.

Appetizer ideas with scampi

A versatile ingredient in the kitchen, langoustines lend themselves very well to preparing recipes for tasty appetizers such as i sandwiches with scampi, i aspic of scampi with mint flavor or an elegant one scampi tartare with peach granita for summer menus.