It's hard out there for a shrimp

I have a confession to make, so I hope you're sitting down. I don't like seafood. Whew, there, I said it. I just swore off on entire genre of food--but don't judge me, it's just that I have a sensitive palate. Also, I blame a particularly traumatic childhood incident involving a bottle of fish sauce when I was still well in the stages of taste development. Thanks, dad.

Until recently, the only fish I could manage to eat was of the battered and fried variety (Captain D's perhaps) and drowned in malt vinegar. Sea critters are just not something I look at (or smell) and think, "food!" However, there are certain moments when you are thrust into a position that places you miles outside of your food comfort zone. Occasionally, these situations will lead us to something we like, and with that said, I present you with a recipe for the only shrimp I can eat that has not been fried courtesy of Red Lobster and drowned in cocktail sauce.

Karla's Spicy Shrimp Scampi

1 lb medium shrimp, peeled

2 tbsp butter

2tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1.5 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp dried oregeno

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

3 tbsp Italian breadcrumbs

1/4 cup parsley, minced

cooked angel hair or fettucine pasta

1. Melt butter w/olive oil in pan large enough to hold shrimp in one layer and that can also go in the oven. When oil is hot add garlic and toss.
2. Add red pepper, cayenne and oregeno and stir well. When garlic is cooked, but not brown, add shrimp and toss so that they are coated with the oil mixture.
3. Add lemon juice and continue stirring over the heat until shrimp are bright pink and cooked through.
4. Quickly add parsley, bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Put pan under broiler until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.
5. Salt if needed and serve over pasta.