Main Course Recipes : Butterflied Baked Shrimp With Herbed Breadcrumbs

Serves 4

Ingredients :

2 cups fresh breadcrumbs

16 extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tail fins left on

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon minced garlic

4 ounces unsalted butter, melted

4 cups baby arugula leaves, rinsed well and patted dry

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

Lemon wedges, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Evenly spread the breadcrumbs on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes, watching very carefully to make sure they don't burn. Remove them from the oven, transfer to a mixing bowl, and set aside to cool. Raise the oven temperature to 500 degrees.

With a small, sharp knife, butterfly the shrimp by slicing all along the length of its outer curve where the vein was removed, cutting about half to two-thirds of the way down through it, from just in front of the tail to the head end; be careful not to cut all the way through. Turn the shrimp over and gently make three very shallow slits across the other side, perpendicular to the length of the shrimp, to prevent it from curling during cooking. Lightly season each shrimp on both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Add the basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, and garlic to the breadcrumbs, season with some salt and pepper, and toss well.

Brush a large ovenproof skillet with some of the melted butter to coat the bottom. Dip each shrimp in the butter, opened side down, and then dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing down so the crumbs stick and coat the shrimp well. Place all the shrimp, breadcrumb side up, in the skillet in a single layer and drizzle them with some of the remaining melted butter. Bake just until the shrimp are just cooked through, turning pink and white, and the breadcrumbs are a deep brown, about 5 minutes.

While the shrimp are baking, put the arugula leaves in a mixing bowl, add the olive oil and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and toss well. Divide the arugula among four serving plates, mounding it in the center. Arrange four shrimp, breadcrumbs up, around each mound of arugula. Drizzle the shrimp with the last of the melted butter.

Tips : Serve immediately with lemon wedges.