Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving tails on. (See note 1.)

Set a large frying pan over medium-high heat and warm the olive oil.

Add shallot, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for a minute or so until shallots turn slightly translucent.

Add shrimp to pan. The two pounds of shrimp in this recipe will not fit in a single layer in almost any frying pan, but here we're not looking for browning, so it's totally fine. Use tongs or a spatula to keep the shrimp moving so they cook evenly. Take them out individually and put on a plate just as they start to turn pink. You'll finish cooking them later.

After removing the shrimp, pour in the wine and lemon juice. Simmer briskly until liquid is reduced by about a third.

Turn heat to low and swirl in butter until it's melted into a silky sauce. (Leaving the heat too high can make the sauce separate rather than emulsifying. It'll still taste good, but will feel a little greasy. That's not what we're after here, so do remember to lower the heat.)

Return shrimp to pan and cook, stirring to coat with sauce, just until cooked through.

Off the heat, sprinkle with the freshly ground black pepper and parsley.

There are lots of ways to serve shrimp scampi. You can place the whole pan on the table along with a couple of torn baguettes and let everyone have at it. You can toss with a pound of cooked spaghetti or linguine. Or you can spoon it atop basmati rice pilaf or orzo. All pretty, pretty, pretty good.