Shrimp Damian #FishFridayFoodies

Lots of garlic, lemon and, most of all butter make shrimp Damian my favorite dish to order at Carrabba’s Original. This is my own copycat recipe.

When my older sister graduated from law school many moons ago, my husband and I helped her buy essentials for her new office and even a few smart business suits to wear to court. For several years hence she thanked us for the support by taking us out for what she called “the firm” dinner.

Our favorite place to go was Carrabba’s and I always, always got the shrimp Damian - served with fettuccine alfredo - until one traumatic year when, much to my horror, the shrimp Damian was NOT ON THE MENU. Fortunately the lovely waiter put me out of my misery by saying that if I ordered it, the kitchen would still oblige.

I guess too many people continued ordering shrimp Damian because by the next firm dinner, it was back on the menu! Power to the people.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill is a chain restaurant now with locations in 31 of these United States. Sadly, you won’t find shrimp Damian on those menus but they do have a shrimp scampi appetizer that is similar. If you ever find yourself in Houston though, the two original restaurants are still owned by the Mandola/Carrabba family and shrimp Damian is still on the menu!

Shrimp Damian

If you aren’t coming to Houston, give my recipe a try. It brought back some really happy memories for me. It’s really rich so I served it with toasted baguette slices rather than the traditional fettuccine alfredo and we enjoyed it as an appetizer.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee)
4 tablespoons minced yellow onions
3 tablespoons minced garlic, divided
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons dry white wine
1 lb or 450g cleaned and peeled fresh shrimp
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons cold butter
salt
pepper
chopped parsley or green onion tops

Options for serving:
Traditional: alongside fettuccine alfredo (serves 2 as a main course)
Less caloric: with crusty bread for dipping (serves 4 as an appetizer)

Method
First, we’ll make the lemon butter sauce. In a small pot, heat the clarified butter, add onion and garlic, and sauté until transparent.

Add lemon juice and white wine, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Simmer for a few minutes to reduce the liquid by about one-third. Remove from heat but keep warm.

Heat a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil.

Season the cleaned shrimp with a little sea salt and pepper, massage it in gently. Put the shrimp in the hot pan in a single layer and leave it to color on one side before turning.

Cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side.

Add in the garlic and reduce the heat. Cook for a few minutes, being careful not to brown the garlic.

Now add cold butter to the warm lemon butter mixture and stir till it has melted. Add a little parsley or green onion tops for color.

Add the lemon butter to the shrimp pot and cook for another couple of minutes.

Your shrimp Damian is now ready to serve.

Enjoy!

This month my Fish Friday Foodie friends are recreating their favorite restaurant dishes along with our host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. Check out the lovely recipes by clicking on the links below.

• Rubio's Fish Tacos from Making Miracles
• Wahoo's Grilled Fish Tacos with Citrus Slaw {copycat} from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Chinese Take-Out Combination Seafood Chow Mein from Palatable Pastime
• Shrimp Damian from Food Lust People Love
• Crispy Cheese Prawn Pancakes from Sneha's Recipe
• Mahi Mahi Matecumbe from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies? We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month. To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517 (at) gmail.com. Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas.

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