Juicy shrimp tossed in basil butter and cooked in my wood fired pizza oven.
I've been meaning to post this for a while, and you may have seen some stuff on my Instagram stories, but we had some construction work completed recently. Along with a new office and studio space, we also decided to install an outside kitchen. I was super excited because I love to cook outdoors especially in the summertime so this was a perfect idea! It was so much fun being able to design it and choose the surfaces, chairs, and appliances. One of the appliances and the anchor for the whole kitchen was an amazing wood fired pizza oven. The authentic handmade oven is built by Forno Bravo right here in California. The company was founded in 2003 and has since become a leader in the world of wood fired pizza ovens, and once you use it, it's easy to see why they're so popular.
Making the best wood fired pizza
Forno Bravo has many designs and sizes of ovens for a wide choice of backyards or restaurants. I have the Napolino which comes in two sizes. With a heat up time of 20 minutes, yup that's right, 20 minutes, you can have an epic fresh wood fired Italian style pizza in no time. And you won't be disappointed, after some experimenting with dough, I think I've found my favorite, this no-knead version from Jim Lahey. It's quite amazing to watch the pizza start to rise and bubble right in front of your eyes in less than two minutes, seriously, that's how long it takes to make the best pizza outside of Napoli! So you might be looking at the picture below and wondering why you don't see an actual pizza and instead see a cast iron pan full of juicy plump shrimp? Well, trust me when I say that I've made lots of pizza so far and each time I get better than the last.
How to make my wood fired shrimp with basil butter.
But here's the deal and the best part. The pizza oven isn't just for pizza! You can cook so many other recipes in it, and because the temperature can easily reach 700-800 degrees you or your guests won't have to wait long until they get something tasty on their plate. Even on a typical dinner night, after you've finished making pizza the oven will hold all of the heat for hours longer. This would be a great time to add a roast or maybe some steaks. Dessert is another option, a fruit crumble would work well or maybe some roasted peaches with rosemary and vanilla ice cream. See, I told you it's not only for pizza! Making the basil butter is simple, just combine fresh basil with salted butter in a food processor and that's it! Season the shrimp and shove a heavy cast-iron pan into the hot oven. Wait for 5-7 minutes and then add the shrimp, the sizzle will blow your mind because when the shrimp hit that super high temperature they'll be fully cooked in less than two minutes. Just before they're ready, add a couple of big dollops of the basil butter to the pan. Once the butter melts, toss the shrimp until they're completely coated. Serve with some crusty bread to mop up all of that melted basil butter!
Juicy wood fired shrimp with basil butter! This recipe is so easy to make and people are raving about how good these shrimp taste! #woodfired #tasty #shrimp #seafood #foodnessggracious[/caption]large poured concrete squares in a grid pattern make the space look like it's bigger than it really is, and strips of artificial grass between each concrete square completes the idea. I think its time to fire up that oven again! Let me know what pizza toppings I should use and watch my Instagram this summer for all sorts of new recipes cooked in the backyard. You can also check out my Q and A session over on Forno Bravo's website for more reasons why I went with this type of oven!
This post is sponsored as part of my relationship with Forno Bravo Pizza Ovens. I was supplied with an oven but all thoughts and opinions are my own!
