If this is your only excuse to transport yourself to the ocean, then make it. For me, shrimp scampi feels beach-ready. Any good scampi will rely on fruity, robust olive oil at its base, then be loaded with garlic. This version comes from the dirty martini angle, featuring Ceringola olives and savory dry vermouth. The olive oil, brine, and vermouth balance in harmony, creating this light garlicky sauce tossed with thin linguine.

I have colavita olive oil gliding through my veins. I’m always cooking, baking and making salads with it at home so of course their classic evoo would become the base of the scampi. And Linguini fini is right there to mop it up.

Bella di Ceringola olives, native to Puglia, are super meaty and buttery with a briny zing, making them a perfect addition to this seafood environment. They’re oblong and often sold with the pit in them. So, the fun part in this recipe is getting to smash them! I use the back of my knife to smash the olive and remove the pit. It’s a great way to incorporate an ingredient that would otherwise be served on a cheese board.

Shrimp should snap. When you bite into a piece of shrimp, you want nothing more than a salty, mild, snappy bite. Shrimp should never have a foul, fishy smell (not to be mistaken with freshness), taste like dirty water, or have a mushy texture. If you have the option to shop at a fishmonger, do it! Otherwise, I’m a proponent of IQF (individually quick frozen, almost immediately after caught) shrimp that are peeled and deveined for you.