Your French Fries Are Yearning For A Loaded Shrimp Scampi Twist

Loaded french fries aren't exactly a new snack. They're often loaded with cheese sauce and bacon, but with that mild potato flavor as the base, you can get as creative as you want — that's why you need to try whipping up some shrimp scampi fries.

Think of it like a spin on classic fish and chips. French fries and seafood have long been a likeable combination, but making your fries with garlicky, buttery shrimp gives you that traditional pairing in a seafood snack. The fry shape matters here because the scampi topping can get a bit messy; using thicker, steak-cut fries will help you get more scampi in one bite. Thinner, shoestring-style fries likely won't hold up well for this dish. You can also use waffle fries or curly fries — any shape that has substance to it. Make the fries as crispy as possible, too, because the scampi will cause them to soften pretty quickly. The most important element to the scampi topping is the shrimp, but you can get creative with how you season and flavor it to build your perfect dish.

Once you have your fries figured out, build the scampi by using two different shrimp textures: chopped, to ensure you get a little shrimp in every bite, plus whole shrimp, for presentation and to keep that traditional shrimp scampi look. Small- or medium-sized shrimp are best here. Large or jumbo will likely be too big for the fries.

Classic shrimp scampi is cooked in a garlic-butter sauce, often with the addition of white wine, but to get the "loaded" look for these fries, make an Alfredo sauce base of heavy cream and Parmesan, then flavor it with those typical scampi ingredients. For a little brightness to offset the heavy cream, you can add a squeeze of lemon juice, and garnish with some lemon zest and parsley. You can also build a spicy garlic butter sauce using Calabrian chili peppers or crushed red pepper; both blend perfectly with the other flavors. Ultimately, this snack is best eaten fresh to avoid soggy fries; plus, the sauce will likely separate if reheated.