The One Ingredient Your Shrimp Scampi Needs For A Bright Upgrade

It comes together quickly, but the rich taste of shrimp scampi resembles a dish that has been labored over. The garlic-tinged sauce lends the food a deeper flavor, though the pasta is brightened by fresh-tasting shrimp that cooks quickly, among other ingredients. However, there's another quick addition you can add to enhance the recipe. For brighter shrimp scampi, throw in some capers.

The dainty strands of angel hair pasta, mild shrimp, zesty white wine, and creamy butter create a delicate dish. The simplicity of the ingredients makes adding extra components slightly difficult; divergent flavors completely throw off shrimp scampi's exquisiteness. Yet, capers fit seamlessly into the dish. The tiny green buds are pickled or soaked in a salty brine, giving them a tangy taste. The minuscule ingredients bring a punchiness to shrimp scampi that pairs well with the main components.

Capers cut right through butter's fattiness, complement white wine's tartness, and flavor the shrimp with a savory hint while reminding the crustaceans of their briny beginnings — and all of this can happen in an instant. You don't need to do much when adding capers to shrimp scampi. After plating the dish, add a teaspoon or two of drained capers onto the pasta as a tasty garnish. If you'd like the flavors to release slightly, add a tablespoon of the capers to the pot after folding in the cooked shrimp and cook on low heat before pulling off the stove.

Even if you keep capers in your pantry solely for pairing with shrimp scampi, you can still easily work through a jar of them. The little buds work well with all kinds of shrimp scampi beyond your typical buttery, garlicky type. The small burst of brine works wonderfully with an explosion of heat in spicy shrimp scampi. Red pepper flakes infuse the dish with a flame that's quieted down with a punch of acidity from the capers, preventing the pasta from becoming too spicy.

If you prefer to embrace the acidity, add some capers to a pot of lemony shrimp scampi ravioli. The briny buds enhance the sweetness of the lemons while complementing their sharp flair. You can add a caper or two inside of the ravioli pieces, or opt to saute it with minced garlic, parsley, and lemon zest when building the pasta sauce. Either way, the blend of bright lemon and capers with creamy ricotta and parmesan is divine.

Rather than adding capers to various kinds of shrimp scampi, you can also give the buds a new look and taste. Take your cooking to the next level with fried capers; heating them up with oil subdues their vinegary bite, allowing the earthiness to come through. This new depth adds a richer taste to shrimp scampi, as well as a satisfying crunch to accompany the fleshy shrimp.