The basil in my herb garden is out of control. I have never had this much basil growing at once. I’m to the point that I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to use it all! This has probably been the best year for our herb garden. I’m trying to figure out different ways to use the fresh basil, and pesto is one of my favorite uses for basil.
A new restaurant on the water opened a few months ago, and Jon and I have already gone several times. We tried their Shrimp Scampi Flatbread and became hooked instantly. I have ordered it almost every time we’ve gone there to eat. As always, it gets expensive eating out and using the gas to drive over there, so I found a way to make our own at home. We are lucky to live in an area with fresh, local seafood, so anytime I can incorporate our local ingredients into a dish, I love to do it!
The Shrimp Scampi Flatbread is pretty easy to put together and doesn’t take a lot of time. The crust is crispy, the shrimp is nice a juicy, and the basil pesto gives the flatbread that little bit of fresh taste. Jon and I ate this entire flatbread together in one sitting. We are hooked on it at home too!
Ingredients:
1 premade, prebaked thin pizza crust (store-bought, such as Boboli)
½ to ¾ pound fresh, medium sized shrimp (shells peeled off, tails removed, and deveined)
1 to 1 and ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional, use as much or as little as you like. I use a pinch.)
Basil pesto (homemade-recipe to follow; or premade from a jar)
Basil Pesto Ingredients:
25 fresh basil leaves
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove
Juice of half a lemon
Small pinch of salt and ground black pepper
To make the pesto, combine each of the ingredients into a small food processor or blender. Blend until leaves and garlic are finely chopped. Set aside.
To make the Shrimp Scampi Flatbread:
Preheat the oven to the temperature on the pizza crust’s package. Mine was 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut each of the shrimp in-half, following the back of the shrimp. This will allow the shrimp to cook fully in the oven and keep them looking like shrimp on the pizza. Be careful, they’re slippery little fellas. Season the shrimp with salt and ground black pepper. Use as much or as little as you like.
Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the crust, about 1 tbsp, then top with the shredded mozzarella cheese. Arrange the shrimp halves on top of the cheese. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes.
Drizzle the basil pesto all over the pizza.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through. Allow the Shrimp Scampi Flatbread to cool for a few moments, then cut into slices and serve.
- 1 premade, prebaked thin pizza crust (store-bought, such as Boboli)
- ½ to ¾ pound fresh, medium sized shrimp (shells peeled off, tails removed, and deveined)
- 1 to 1 and ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and ground black pepper
- Crushed red pepper flakes (optional, use as much or as little as you like. I use a pinch.)
- Basil pesto (homemade-recipe to follow; or premade from a jar)
- Basil Pesto Ingredients:
- 25 fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove
- Juice of half a lemon
- Small pinch of salt and ground black pepper
- To make the pesto, combine each of the ingredients into a small food processor or blender. Blend until leaves and garlic are finely chopped. Set aside.
- To make the Shrimp Scampi Flatbread:
- Preheat the oven to the temperature on the pizza crust’s package. Mine was 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cut each of the shrimp in-half, following the back of the shrimp. This will allow the shrimp to cook fully in the oven and keep them looking like shrimp on the pizza. Season the shrimp with salt and ground black pepper. Use as much or as little as you like.
- Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the crust, about 1 tbsp, then top with the shredded mozzarella cheese. Arrange the shrimp halves on top of the cheese. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes.
- Drizzle the basil pesto all over the pizza.
- Bake for about 10 minutes or until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through. Allow the Shrimp Scampi Flatbread to cool for a few moments, then cut into slices and serve.
