Scampi Another Shrimp Dish, Can It?

Oh, yes it can and here we go!

Dad's Baked Shrimp Scampi

Ha, not so fast..we goin' talk story first, brah! :)

Everyone has memories of growing up, right? I have many and one that sticks out in my mind when I cook is of my dad, crouched down, low to the floor, in front of our oven in our Hawaii Kai home, with a pot holder in one hand and peering through the cracked oven door into the broiler watching his precious Baked Shrimp Scampi get that last bit of melting and browning on the top before it's finally done. My Dad, nice Aloha Friday shirt and 'too short' shorts; it was the 70's, brah. Yes, Dad was very proud of his creation and I learned a lot from his passion for cooking. This is what he was looking at as he peered through the cracked oven door.

I grew up in Hawaii. Both of my parents were outstanding cooks, each having their own specialities and favorites, and a luv for mixing and creating new 'Island-kine' favorites that they could make for and serve to visiting friends and family from the Mainland, or the "States" as we called it. But, ya know, they never really cooked together. And by that I mean they never cooked as a team and never shared the kitchen together as one cohesive unit, creating a meal for our family...together. My mother had her specialities and my dad had his; each different and each not needing the skills or help from the other. It's sort of a bummer, actually, but I must say that I did learn a lot from each while watching and I saved, in writing and in memory, a lot of their dishes. Some of them are, unfortunately, extremely hard to re-create because of techniques and ingredients used which I do not have, nor know. 

So what is this recipe all about? Dad passed away suddenly in 1993, due to a rare form of liver cancer and Mother passed away in 2009 from the ill effects of Dementia. Many of their memories are now stored here in our home. Sometimes I go through them while on a search for other things, like, you know, car keys, glasses, the remote... Well, recently I was looking through some items in our guest closet and out came an old recipe from my parents. I told my wife about it and I, once again, relayed to her of the memory of my dad and some of his cooking skills, the Baked Scampi broiler crouch, case in point.

Well, this past Christmas I opened one of my presents and it was a set of the ocean shells, just like the ones that my dad used for his prized baked scampi recipe. No, not served on a dish or bowl, but on a special shell he got just for this dish. For you locals of the 70's, I'd bet he got them at either City Mill, Wigwam, or Ben Franklins. Ah, the memories...

He made this dish for friends and relatives when they visited and everyone, I mean everyone, loved it. So, I opened the gift from my wife this past Christmas and there they were, the shells...shells just like I remembered. Leaky? Oh, you better believe it. Does this chick know me, or what?

It was at that point that I committed to making, or rather trying to re-create my father's Baked Shrimp Scampi just like he made when I was a kid. I've never made it since he passed away so this was set to be something special.

So here we go! The shrimps, yup, shrimps brah, they gotta be good and they gotta be big. Not those tiny little things you get at the grocery store and not the frozen ones from Costco. Like any quality cooking, you must use quality ingredients if you want a quality dish.

The seasoned, raw, deveined, and shelled with the tail on shrimp are paced on the cooking shell and then covered with a generous portion of a special paste. Here's what they should look like:

They are then placed in a 425 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Once removed, they're topped with a bit of fresh parmesan cheese and into the broiler they go. This is where the crouching and watching closely process begins. If you walk away, it is game over, brah. Especially if you have the ADD, if you know what I mean. Look! Squirrel!

Once they are pau with that golden sear from the broiler, out they come and this is what you have:

Golden brown, sweet and buttery baked shrimp scampi. It goes great as an accompaniment to a nice filet, like pictured above, or as great, yummy appetizer.

Looks ono, eh, brah? So, here's the recipe.

And if you don't have the shells, you can easily make it in a small cast iron dish like the one below. Yup, tastes the same, but just without that Island flare.

So, there you have it, my dad's Baked Shrimp Scampi creation. It is definitely a guest pleaser and great when served alongside a nice grilled filet. I hope you've enjoyed my story and I hope you try the dish sometime. I'd luv to hear what you think and how it turned out.

Can you say Onolicious?

Mahalo for cooking with Captain Bobby Mitchel

Dad's Perfect Mai Tai

Ah,…the Mai Tai. The name itself brings up images of the beach, our home back in Hawaii, Waikiki, Luaus, Hula Dancers, and the **FREE** Mai Tai sign on the advertisements. Well, that's what it does for most people, but the idea of a Mai Tai always brings up memories of my Dad, for he spent time in perfecting his own signature Mai Tai which he often served to friends and family that visited or attended a party at our home while I was growing up in the islands. Take a look at this beauty, brah? Onolicious, huh? Yeah, you could almost feel the coolness and flavorful yumminess. Go ahead, lick the screen. :)

So, over the years, I've had so many friends ask me for the recipe. I finally made a nice copy of it and yes, it's going into the cookbook that we are writing. I mean, seriously, I would not leave this baby out! I've had many different Mai Tais over the years and I may be biased, but my Dad's got a winner here and he was very proud of it. It's all about the ingredients and the mix.

From the pre-made Mai Tai that comes already mixed in the bottle you can get at Trader Joe's or Costco to the signature Mai Tai you may get at a quality restaurant, there is quite a difference in taste, flavor, and how you're going to feel the next day if you have too many.

At our wedding rehearsal dinner in Waikoloa on the Big Island, we had a free-flowing Mai Tai waterfall which someone, who shall remain nameless, had quite a bit of and didn't know it had alcohol in it. He thought it was juice and yummy juice at that too. Oops! Now that was funny.

I can also remember when I was flying in the military and we were often 'put up' at the Outrigger(s) in Waikiki. I'd usually hear from members of my crew, "Score, now we can go across the street and get 99 cent Mai Tais!" To which I'd usually reply, "Yeah, right, how 'bout we just stay here and drink rubbing alcohol, because that's what they taste like? I'm mean, you're going to get what you pay for, right? They were n..a..s..t..y..!!, and I'm sure still are.

With this recipe below, you have to use quality ingredients. Quality liquor, fresh fruit, and nectar, not juice for the guava. This is the way my Dad made it and he took the time to do it right. Yeah, I know…perfectionist. Wow, it's a good thing I didn't get that trait passed down to me, huh?

So, have I changed the recipe at all to perfect it? ;) Yup! Not that there's much to do, but I did add my twist to it in the notes and here they are:

• Make ice cubes out of the Mai Tai mix and use them instead or in addition to the regular ice cubes. A good Mai Tai should take you awhile to finish. It's not a shot glass and can certainly pack a punch. You might say it creeps up on you. I always disliked the watered down Mai Tai when the ice melted, so with this idea, you will just get a little more juice and not a watered down drink. Remember though, that these juice cubes will melt faster that regular ice, especially if any of your ingredients are warm. It's best to use regular ice and maybe a couple 'juice' cubes for aesthetics.
• Infuse the pineapple chunks in either the 151 rum or the Myer's Dark Rum for a few minutes. Why? Come on, now….WOW! Ah, yummy! Biting into an infused cool piece of pineapple? Hello???

Yup, that's all I did to change it up a bit.

One other quick story. So, my parents used to entertain a lot when I was growing up. Yup, Mai Tais were often on the menu. I would always ask for one since they were a hit, but was denied for obvious reasons. I was a kid…I didn't know any better. I remember one time, I was made and given a 'virgin' Mai Tai with the juice and fruit. It came as a surprise and I didn't know about it either. It was put on the stairs as I was called down to get "something" and, yup, I didn't see it and I stepped right into it and fell down the stairs. …Didn't go over well, if you get my drift. LOL, I guess…but not so much for me at the time.

And yes, we take the recipe on vacation with us to this day. We often go back home to the islands and one of our first stops is usually the Costco and the liquor store. We get everything we need for our stay as we are not there to go shopping and be tourists, but rather diving, hiking, chillaxin', swimming, etc. It's often that the bellmen laugh when we check-in and they load up the cart with out dive gear, photography equipment, fruit, food, and drink. They'd say, "Wow, you guys having one party, eh?" Yes, that's exactly what it looks like. "Nope, just the two of us coming back home to relax, brah." 

Here's a photo of our recent trip to Yosemite and the Mai Tais we made as we chilled just outside our cabin room on the Merced River at the Ahwahnee Hotel. You don't have to be in Hawaii to have a good Mai Tai, right? Yeah, we don't have a lot of Mai Tais because that's a lot of sugar, but it sure does take the edge off and brings back memories of home for both of us.

Okay, you listened to be talk story long enough now, huh? Well, you either did or you jumped all the way down here because, yes, it is finally recipe time! A give to you my Dad's Mai Tai recipe that he sought to perfect and share with friends and family. He was proud of it and always loved to make people smile and be happy. To this day, every time I see a Mai Tai, I think of him. He's been gone for quite a while now, but I think of him often and share a bit of his memory on almost every vacation we take. Some of you who read this knew my Dad and some of you were even treated to a Mai Tai (or two) at our home. It's not a difficult recipe, and probably one of hundreds on the internet, but it's all about the quality of ingredients, care in the making, and luv that goes into it. Here's to you Dad…Cheers!

Well, I hope you enjoy it and please let me know what you think. Just remember, use quality ingredients and don't buy 99 cent Mai Tais in Waikiki. Like these pineapples, for instance. Pa..lease don't use canned pineapple.

A.D.D. time…"There are 6 lemons. I asked for 12. Baby wanted 12 lemons." Yeah, I know. Sorry, but it just came to my mind. If you don't "get it" don't worry about it. Anyway, these are some onolicious looking pineapples, huh?

That's it. I hope enjoyed my short stories and I hope you enjoy your Mai Tai. And, please, when you visit us, feel free to ask for one; I'd luv to make one for you. But, let me know ahead of time for I refuse to not use quality ingredients. I gotsta go shopping first, brah!

Mahalo for imbibing with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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