A long, long time ago I was friends with a wonderful man named Charlie. Charlie owned Luciano’s Italian Restaurant on Alameda. It’s since been sold to new owners. Throughout, I had the absolute best time getting to explore the restaurant behind the scenes.
Charlie would often laugh at my choice of favorite Italian meal. I was very predictable choosing the chicken parmesan every time I ate Italian. However, he soon made a rule that I couldn’t order the same thing twice.
I began exploring the menu and trying things that were out of my comfort zone, things like veal and dishes with vegetables. I tried taramsu and gorgonzola cheese. I discovered that traditional Italian meals don’t always include pasta. I am not a fan of the no-pasta dishes, but that’s the Americanized Italian food lover in me. This was also the time I discovered shrimp crostini. It was cheesy, crunchy perfection.
With a little begging, I was told how to make the dish. However, for the sake of time, I cheat with pre-made Alfredo sauce. If you have a seafood allergy you could always substitute chicken or forgo the meat altogether.
Shrimp Crostini
Inspired by Luciano’s Shrimp Crostini
Makes 12 servings
½ lb. shrimp {I prefer white shrimp}
1 Tbsp. butter
6 slices Sourdough or bread of choice, cut in half
1 cup pre-made Alfredo sauce
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Preheat oven to 350. Slice bread and place on baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes or until toasted.
- In a skillet melt butter. Add shrimp and cook until done. Add Alfredo sauce to the shrimp. Remove skillet from heat.
- Turn oven to broil.
- Spoon 1-3 shrimp with Alfredo sauce onto each slice of bread and sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese. Continue with each piece of bread.
- Broil for 3-5 minutes or until Mozzarella cheese has started to bubble and brown in spots. Remove from oven. (Careful with this step. If you aren’t paying attention, you’ll burn everything.)
Enjoy!
