I love it when recipes are inspired by things right in your kitchen. I came up with this shrimp scampi pizza, as I was considering what to do with 1/2 of a bag of shrimp in the freezer. I also noticed some pizza dough I had made about 2 weeks ago – and froze 1/2 of the recipe. I pulled them both out to thaw, and here it is – my Shrimp Scampi Pizza!

A thin crust pizza, topped with marinated lemony shrimp, then sprinkled with a crunchy “scampi” topping!

I thawed the shrimp (about 2 lbs med size shrimp (40-50 ct), and the dough. I went with a thin crust – to allow the shrimp to be the star of this pie.

Shrimp marinade:

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp white wine
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine ingredients, and add shrimp. Marinate for about 30 min.

Prepare the “scampi” topping.

Ingredients:

1/3 c Panko bread crumbs
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp melted butter
1/4 – 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (depending on your taste for heat)
1/4 c fresh chopped parsley

Combine all ingredients in a med bowl and set aside.

Spread a light coat of olive oil on a pizza pan, and spread the pizza dough to the edges.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Top the pizza dough with shrimp, shaking off excess marinade. Arrange in a circular pattern, around the dough. Include the shallot bits.

I added about 1 c of a shredded Italian cheese blend over the shrimp. This gave it a really nice “creamy” taste.

Finally, top with the bread crumb mixture.

Bake for about 20 – 25 min, until edges and bottom are browned. Turn on the broiler for another few min – to brown the topping. Cover the edges with strips of foil to prevent over-browning if necessary. Watch closely!

Top with a bit more parsley, and squeeze with fresh lemon before serving!