one skillet lemon white wine shrimp and orzo
I guess I’m aight with cooking if I needn’t use more than one skillet.
I’m on a shrimp kick lately, mostly because I’m too socially anxious lately to visit the fish counter to ask for an obnoxiously specific cut of salmon and I haven’t felt like going to Trader Joe’s lately, where salmon is much more easily grabbable. I know, weird, but that’s how my brain’s worked lately. I have little energy to spare from my constant mental brawling to dedicate to dealing unnecessarily with other humans, even in benign scenarios.
So, I’ve been grabbing bags of frozen shrimp and dreaming up fun recipes to use them in. Last week was scampi, and this week a delightful orzo skillet that used the last of my four random bags of orzo in the cabinet! Huzzah!
Yesterday our AC leapt up to 77 degrees before struggling mightily to drift back down to our overnight setting of 70, and I partially blame my running of the oven and stove all day for that. I think our summer is going to be absolute brutality this year – not that it isn’t every year, but considering we have August conditions in June, we’re in for trouble, ya’ll. And, it hasn’t been raining at all. Not good.
Skillet dinners are a great switchup from salads but won’t smoke out all the air conditioning comfort thanks to the isolated heating of a single burner. If you’d like a change from no-cook meals, try this One Skillet Lemon White Wine Shrimp and Orzo. Juicy, fat shrimp lightly sauteed in butter and snuggled in a bed of citrusy orzo. All easy, staple ingredients you may have lying around.
Or, may have four of lying around, if you’re an orzo hoarded like I apparently am.
No Shrimps or Wimps Here
The most important prep step of shrimpies is drying them out very well. I guess also ensuring they’re thawed fully. Probably helps.
Lay the shrimp onto a plate, pat them with paper towels (good shrimpies), and season with salt and pepper. Melt a pat of butter with some oil in a skillet and cook the shrimp a couple minutes per side. They’re super fast, so you shouldn’t need more than 4-5 minutes to get them good and opaque.
Then, throw in a sliced lemon and cook until lightly charred on both sides. Some of the juice from the lemon releases into the pan and merges with the ingredients we add later. Dope.
Melt a little more butter and saute a diced yellow onion until soft, then add garlic and fresh oregano. Sometimes I sprinkle in a few pepper flakes if I need a lil spice.
Orzotto
Not exactly making anything risotto-esque here, but the addition of the wine reminded me of the yummy Italian mainstay.
Toast the dry orzo in the aromatics for a couple minutes, stirring around a few times, then pour in the wine. By now your skillet should be nice and hot so the wine won’t take long to reduce a little and absorb into the orzo. Add your broth, or water, thereafter.
Simmer the orzo until softened, which took me almost exactly 10 minutes because I lucked the fuck out and had the perfect heat setting on my pan. Go self. You may need 10-12 depending on how reliable your burner is.
Once the water mostly cooks off and the orzo is nice and tender, snuggle the shrimp back into the pasta bed and top with the lemons. Serve the dish hot with plenty of fresh basil and extra black pepper as you please.
I really love the luxurious touch a little wine adds to this dish, but if you’re not into cooking with wine, swap out for the same amount of broth or water. I’d then recommend squeezing a couple tablespoons of lemon juice into the dish after the orzo is finished cooking. Which you could do anyway even if you do use wine!
Eat this shit with Basic-Ass House Salad, or a bunch of steamed or roasted veggies. I’ll probably grab a slab of tiramisu afterwards since we have it around. Livin’ large over here!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Whip out dat skillet:
One Skillet Thai Basil Coconut Curry Salmon
One Skillet Creamy Lemon Butter Salmon Picatta
one skillet lemon white wine shrimp and orzo
Ingredients
- 1 lb jumbo or colossal shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano, choped
- 1 1/2 cups dry orzo
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth, or water
- fresh basil and cracked black pepper, to serve
Instructions
- Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Lay the shrimp in a single layer and cook 2 minutes per side until lightly golden and opaque. Move to a plate. Add in the lemon slices and cook 2 minutes per side until slightly charred. Set onto a second small plate or bowl. Or be a savage and put them on the same plate as the shrimp. I don't give a damn.
- Melt the second tablespoon of butter in the skillet and drizzle with a touch more olive oil if needed. Saute the onion until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and oregano for 1 minute, then add the orzo. Toast for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the white wine and heat until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes longer.
- Add the broth or water and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 10-12 minutes until the orzo is soft and most of the liquid is absorbed. Monitor the heat to ensure the liquid does not boil rapidly. Once the orzo is done, nestle the shrimp and lemons back in the skillet to warm through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve warm with fresh basil and additional black pepper, as desired.
