Miso Shrimp Scampi
A garlicky scampi rewired with white miso: lemon, wine and butter pan sauce gets a deep savoury hum from the miso. Served over pasta or with bread.
Overview
A clever, restrained twist on a familiar pan sauce. You keep the scampi method intact: butter foamed with shallot and a tower of garlic, deglazed with dry white wine and lemon juice, finished with a hit of chilli and parsley. The change is a couple of spoonfuls of white miso stirred into the sauce just before the shrimp return to the pan. The miso melts in without overpowering, lending a salty, umami round-out that intensifies the buttery base and gives the dish a "what is in this?" quality across the back of the palate. The shrimp themselves get Cajun-spiced before they ever touch the pan, which adds a low background warmth across the whole bowl. You cook them fast because shrimp turn rubbery in moments past doneness; pull them when they show an even pink and a tight C-curl. Serve three ways: over hot linguine with a splash of pasta water for gloss, ladled over white rice, or in a shallow bowl with torn crusty bread for mopping the sauce.
Ingredients
Shrimp
- 450 g large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Creole (or Cajun seasoning), to taste
- 30 ml olive oil (for marinating)
Sauce
- 30 ml olive oil (for the pan)
- 85 g unsalted butter
- 1 shallot (small), finely chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, minced (or pressed)
- 1 g red pepper flakes (optional)
- 120 ml dry white wine (sauvignon blanc, chardonnay or pinot blanc)
- 30 ml fresh lemon juice
- 120 ml chicken broth
- 30 g white miso paste
- 8 g chopped flat-leaf parsley (reserve half for garnish)
To serve
- Crusty bread, hot rice, or 225 g cooked pasta (linguine, spaghetti or fettuccine)
Method
Stage 1 - Season the shrimp
- Pat the shrimp dry with kitchen paper.
- Season generously with Cajun seasoning.
- Drizzle with 30 ml olive oil and toss to coat.
- Let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes.
Stage 2 - Sear the shrimp
- Heat 30 ml of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Lay the shrimp in a single layer; cook 90 seconds per side until pink and opaque.
- Transfer to a plate and reserve.
Stage 3 - Build the sauce
- Drop the butter into the same pan; add the shallot.
- Saute 2-3 minutes until translucent and lightly caramelised.
- Add the garlic; stir 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the chilli flakes if using.
Stage 4 - Deglaze and finish
- Pour in the white wine and lemon juice, scraping the browned bits up off the pan.
- Simmer 2-3 minutes to take the raw edge off the wine.
- Add the chicken broth and whisk in the miso paste; cook 2-3 minutes until the miso has fully dissolved.
- Return the shrimp with half the parsley; toss gently and warm through, 1 minute.
- Remove from heat, scatter remaining parsley, serve immediately.
Notes
- Wine swap: replace the wine with another 120 ml chicken broth for a no-alcohol version.
- Pasta finish: reserve some starchy pasta water and add a splash to the sauce just before tossing for a glossier coat.
- Do not overcook: shrimp go rubbery fast; the right doneness looks like a soft C-curl, not a tight O.
- Low sodium: skip the Cajun seasoning and use low-sodium broth; miso is already salty.
- White miso vs red: white (shiro) miso is mellow and slightly sweet; do not substitute red or it will dominate.
Storage
- Best fresh; the shrimp toughen on reheating.
- Keeps 1-2 days refrigerated; reheat gently and briefly in a covered pan over low heat.
- Not recommended for freezing.
More like this
Crawfish Étouffée
A Louisiana classic, the dish whose name means "smothered" in French, and that's exactly what's happening at the table: tender crawfish tails smothered in a rich gravy spooned over white rice. You start with a blond roux (butter and flour cooked just to the colour of peanut butter, lighter than gumbo's nearly-burnt mahogany), then soften the Cajun trinity of onion, celery and bell pepper in it until everything goes glossy. Tomato paste, Cajun spice and stock loosen the mixture, and the lot simmers down to a thick velvety gravy. Crawfish tails (or prawns if you can't find them) go in near the end and cook just briefly so they stay tender rather than turning rubbery. Spring onion and parsley scatter over at the finish. Ladled over white rice in a bowl, with crusty bread and a glass of cold beer alongside.
Shrimp Creole
The trinity (onion, celery, green pepper) softens in butter; garlic, Creole seasoning and herbs join. Tomato paste deepens; chopped tomatoes and stock loosen; the lot simmers for 20 minutes into a thick sauce. Prawns drop in at the end and cook for 3 minutes, pink and just-set. Hot sauce, lemon and parsley to finish.
Kare-Kare
Oxtail simmers slow with aromatics until the meat is falling-tender. The cooking liquid thickens with toasted ground rice and peanut butter, gets coloured with annatto, and becomes a deep golden sauce. Vegetables join briefly at the end so they keep their texture. Bagoong on the side is non-negotiable.
Gỏi Cuốn
Pork belly is simmered until tender, prawns are poached briefly, and vermicelli is cooked just al dente. Everything cools to room temperature, then rice paper rounds are dipped briefly in warm water and rolled around lettuce, herbs and the protein with the pink of the prawns showing through the wrapper. The peanut-hoisin sauce is the make-or-break: it should be thick, sweet and lightly garlicky.