It's shrimp season in Maine and one of our favorite winter activities is stopping by the road-side stands for the freshest shrimp possible. Once I stopped to buy some as the sellers were getting a delivery — the shrimp were still wiggling! That's fresh!

We pick at least 50 pounds each winter and freeze them for use on the Evans in the summer. The process is somewhat like picking blueberries, though; you can't save them all for later.. We cook shrimp each time we pick them from their briny shells in prepations for freezing. We eat the shrimp either plain or with cocktail sauce; sometimes we  whip up a simple scampi.

Simple Maine Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 pounds fresh Maine shrimp
* 1/3 cup butter (I use olive oil)
* 4 tablespoons minced garlic
* 1/4 cup dry white wine
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh if possible
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
* salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Rinse shrimp and set aside. Heat butter (or olive oil) in large skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic 1 or 2 minutes or until softened but not browned. Add wine and lemon juice, then add shrimp; cook until shrimp are pinkish-white and firm, about 2 minutes. Do not overcook. Add chopped parsley and salt and pepper before serving. Garnish with lemon slices and parsley sprigs if desired. Makes 6 first-course servings.

We serve this over a delicate pasta (angel hair or thin spaghetti) but fettucini is good too. Also serve with the toasted baguette soaked in sauce as I described.

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Capt. Brenda and Brian Thomas own the Schooner Isaac H. Evans.
 

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