What is Scampi

Jan 16, 2012 Gourmet Food

Checking out the menu for any restaurant with a hint of Italian (or at least one trying to assume an Italian outlook) may very well result in you thinking to yourself what is scampi, as it seems to be all over the place? Most of the time in the United States you will see Scampi written below such menus next to pasta dishes although you can also see them for pizzas, risottos and other dishes. lookup a bit more and you can find also find them in the frozen food section of your supermarket, specifically if you’re looking for seafood.

Try inquiring the same question you just imagined of to anyone you know and chances are you’ll get plenty of answers that aren’t the same at all. Some will say scampi is a fish, some will say its a type of Italian lobster Whilst others will say that its a method on cooking seafood (which nevertheless doesn’t explain the frozen seafood section). Even more will say that scampi is the plural noun for prawns or shrimps. Unfortunately for you, all of these answers are actually right or very close to being so. Read on and find out why.

Etymology of the word

Before we start shelling out why scampi means all those things its a good idea to take a look back at the etymology of the word scampi very first, as it provides the clearest which means of what it is. The word scampi is actually a plural form that is derived from the Italian word scampi which in turn refers to the Nephrites Norwegians or Norway Lobster. This is a type of ocean-going crustacean that looks much like a large crayfish, right down to the lobster-like claws and elongated tail. It can generally be identified in the Atlantic Ocean and may also be identified in some parts of the Mediterranean sea. It is also regarded as a Languorous (for the French) and Dublin Bay prawn which can be misleading despite its very different anatomy. In short, scampi does not actually refer to prawns or any types of shrimp so if that is what you’re getting with your Scampi pasta, you know that this restaurant isn’t exactly the most authentic of Italian spots to go to.

Supermarket scampi

On to the supermarket frozen seafood section. Even though searching, you may have come across Scampi tails or tail meat and wondered what the heck it is. They may be breaded seafood nugget-like things or can also look like white lobster meat. The breaded seafood nugget-like things will be labelled as reformed scampi which is much like what a crab stick is. For those not in the know, it means that its a mixture of mostly white fish meat (monk fish, dory, etc.) and some lobster or crab flavouring. From time to time the mixture may use prawns or actual scampi or lobster meat but the price tag will definitely be higher if this is the case. The white lobster meat-like scampi on the other hand will be labelled as whole tail and is actually the tail meat for scampi. The labelling for each will make it clear what exactly it is, so be sure to read it through initially, specifically if you’re looking to impress some guests fresh from sites where they’ve most most likely had the real thing.

Scampi dishes

Due to the diverseness of the English language (and the inevitable muddling of it in each nation), Scampi has also been referenced to dishes served with prawn or shrimp. In the United States in particular, scampi is referred to a dish of prawns with no shells poached in garlic butter which is then served over rice or pasta and At times with bread or toast. It has become so widely referenced as such in the United States that it is also used for non-shrimp or prawn connected dishes, such as chicken scampi and so forth. There are many variants though so you can expect some with tomato or others that add Partisan cheese into the mix.

Buying Scampi

Most gourmet Cooks and cooks will tell you to buy Scampi fresh as the process of freezing scampi often final results in it losing some, if not all of the natural fairly sweetnessthe scampi meat. This doesn’t mean that breaded reconstituted scampi doesn’t taste good or shouldn’t be bought as its just as good with a side of chips and sauce. Be aware though that most cheap variants are going to contain certain chemicals for the flavouring and so forth, so it isn’t the most natural or healthy of seafood to get. However, finding authentically fresh scampi in the United States can be quite challenging unless they’ve been flown in live somehow.

Cooking Scampi

Once you have some fresh or whole tail scampi you can choose to do a variety of things with them. If they’re clear ample you can just eat them raw like any other sushi or Sasha but the general method of cooking should match up those of prawns or shrimp. Since it is rare that you will get them with their shells on, you can expect to poach them over high heat very swiftly (just a few seconds) and then assimilate them with any sauce, salad, soup or dish of your choice.

They should taste quite nice if they are fresh. If you do manage to get scampi with their shells on, then its just like how you would cook lobsters or crabs, which could be to boil, broil or barbecue them as you see fit. Like lobsters and crabs, they go well with a side of citrus or something slightly acidic on the side, but go down just as well with some melted butter. If you’d like to go for a taste of irony you could just as most likely cook real scampi in the same way as the dish scampi is prepared; with garlic butter (which would taste very good nonetheless).

All in all, scampi is a great seafood to have, specially if you’d like something different from your usual fish and chips. Unlike many fish species, scampi is definitely more sustainable (compared to cod which has been over fished for years) and is at the moment being marketed as a better seafood alternative by some cooks and Chefs. Generally, scampi is also cheaper than lobster so it shouldn’t be all that expensive to incorporate into your daily diet, particularly as you no longer have to ask yourself the question: what is scampi?

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