Scampi is a
culinary nameCulinary names, menu names, or kitchen names are names of foods used in the preparation or selling of food, as opposed to their names in agriculture or in scientific nomenclature. The menu name may even be different from the kitchen name...
for some species of
lobsterClawed lobsters compose a family of large marine crustaceans. Lobsters are economically important as seafood, forming the basis of a global industry that nets US$31.8 billion in trade annually....
, notably the 'true' scampi
Nephrops norvegicus, and is also used as a name for a style of preparation of these lobsters and other seafood.
Several varieties of lobsters are known as
scampi. The 'true' scampi are
Norway lobsterThe Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus, , is a slim, orange-pink lobster which grows up to 24 cm long . It is found in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and North Sea as far north as Iceland and northern Norway, and south to Portugal...
s (
Nephrops norvegicus), which are found in the
AdriaticThe Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges. The Adriatic Sea is a part of the Mediterranean Sea...
, parts of the western
MediterraneanThe Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by the Levant. The sea is technically a part of the Atlantic Ocean, although it...
, and the
Irish SeaThe Irish Sea also known as the Mann Sea or Manx Sea, separates the islands of Ireland and Britain. It is connected to the Atlantic Ocean in the south by St George's Channel, and in the north by the North Channel...
, hence its name in Ireland and the United Kingdom, the
Dublin BayDublin Bay is a delta shaped inlet of the Irish Sea off the east coast of Ireland.The bay is approximately 10 km in width at its north-south base and 7 km in length to its apex at the centre of the city of Dublin, stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south...
Prawn.
Scampi is a
culinary nameCulinary names, menu names, or kitchen names are names of foods used in the preparation or selling of food, as opposed to their names in agriculture or in scientific nomenclature. The menu name may even be different from the kitchen name...
for some species of
lobsterClawed lobsters compose a family of large marine crustaceans. Lobsters are economically important as seafood, forming the basis of a global industry that nets US$31.8 billion in trade annually....
, notably the 'true' scampi
Nephrops norvegicus, and is also used as a name for a style of preparation of these lobsters and other seafood.
Variety of Lobster
Several varieties of lobsters are known as
scampi. The 'true' scampi are
Norway lobsterThe Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus, , is a slim, orange-pink lobster which grows up to 24 cm long . It is found in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and North Sea as far north as Iceland and northern Norway, and south to Portugal...
s (
Nephrops norvegicus), which are found in the
AdriaticThe Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges. The Adriatic Sea is a part of the Mediterranean Sea...
, parts of the western
MediterraneanThe Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by the Levant. The sea is technically a part of the Atlantic Ocean, although it...
, and the
Irish SeaThe Irish Sea also known as the Mann Sea or Manx Sea, separates the islands of Ireland and Britain. It is connected to the Atlantic Ocean in the south by St George's Channel, and in the north by the North Channel...
, hence its name in Ireland and the United Kingdom, the
Dublin BayDublin Bay is a delta shaped inlet of the Irish Sea off the east coast of Ireland.The bay is approximately 10 km in width at its north-south base and 7 km in length to its apex at the centre of the city of Dublin, stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south...
Prawn. The French term is
langoustine. The
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
word referring to Scampi is Scampo. It is the plural of
ItalianItalian is a Romance language spoken by about 60 million people in Italy, and by a total of around 70 million in the world. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four official languages. It is also the official language of San Marino, as well as the primary language of Vatican City...
scampo, but that form is rarely used in English. The name is used loosely both in Italy and elsewhere to refer to other similar species, though some food labelling laws (in Britain, for example) define "scampi" as
Nephrops norvegicus.
The fleshy tail of the Norway lobster is closer in both taste and texture to
lobsterClawed lobsters compose a family of large marine crustaceans. Lobsters are economically important as seafood, forming the basis of a global industry that nets US$31.8 billion in trade annually....
and
crayfishCrayfish, crawfish, or crawdads — members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea — are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related...
than
prawnPrawns are Decapods, belonging to the sub-order Dendrobranchiata . They are similar in appearance to shrimp, but can be distinguished by the gill structure which is branching in prawns , but is lamellar in shrimp...
or
shrimpShrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
.
Method of Preparation
In both the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and the
USAThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the word has come to define the method of preparation rather than the ingredient, although referring to quite different methods in the two countries.
In the United Kingdom, "scampi" refers to a dish of shelled lobster tail meat, that commonly comes prepared coated in breadcrumbs or
batterBatter is a liquid mixture, usually based on one or more flours combined with liquids such as water, milk or beer. Egg is a common component. Often a leavening agent is included to aerate and fluff up the batter as it cooks, or the mixture may be naturally fermented for this purpose as well as to...
, deep fried, and often served with
chipsFrench fries , fries, or french-fried potatoes are thin strips of deep-fried potato...
,
peasP.E.A.S. is an acronym in artificial intelligence that stands for Performance, Environment, Actuators, Sensors.-Environment:The environment in which the agent operates. They are the described with the following main properties:...
and
Tartar sauceTartare sauce is a thick white sauce made from mayonnaise and finely chopped pickled cucumber, capers, onions , and fresh parsley. Chopped hard-boiled eggs, olives, and horseradish are sometimes added, and dijon mustard is often used as an emulsifier. It is frequently used to season fried seafood...
. In the
Southern HemisphereThe Southern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is south of the equator—the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball'...
, other species of lobster are used instead, such as
Metanephrops challengeriMetanephrops challengeri is a species of lobster that lives around the coasts of New Zealand at depths of between 250 m and 1,000 m...
.
In the USA, "scampi" is often the
menu nameCulinary names, menu names, or kitchen names are names of foods used in the preparation or selling of food, as opposed to their names in agriculture or in scientific nomenclature. The menu name may even be different from the kitchen name...
for
shrimpShrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
in
Italian-American cuisineItalian American cuisine is the cuisine of Italian American immigrants and their descendents, who have modified Italian cuisine under the influence of American culture and immigration patterns of Italians to the United States...
(the actual word for "shrimp" in Italian is
gamberi). The term "Scampi", by itself, is also the name of a dish of
shrimpShrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
served in
garlicAllium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion family Alliaceae. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, and chive. Garlic has been used throughout recorded history for both culinary and medicinal purposes. It has a characteristic pungent, spicy flavor that...
butterButter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications such as baking, sauce making, and frying...
and dry white wine, served either with bread, or over pasta or rice. The word "scampi" is often construed as that style of preparation rather than an ingredient, with that preparation being called "shrimp scampi", and with variants such as "chicken scampi".