Shrimp Scampi
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You won’t believe how easy this comes together in just 15 minutes – perfect for those busy weeknights!
This may be hard to believe but this really comes together very quickly. The only time consuming part may be peeling the shrimp, but if you’re short on time, you can purchase the pre-peeled ones. Hey, I’m not one to judge – I’ve done that on several occasions, especially on those super busy weeknights.
Ingredients
Linguine
Linguine is always our go-to since it holds onto all that lovely saucy goodness but you can also substitute spaghetti or fettuccine.
Butter
For richness and creaminess, of course.
Shrimp
Peeled, deveined and thawed overnight (or a quick 5-10 min thaw under cold running water).
Garlic and red pepper flakes
For maximum flavor. You can increase the amount of red pepper flakes for extra heat and spiciness.
White wine
A dry white wine is great here (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc).
Lemon juice/zest
A little bit of acid goes a long way to help balance out the flavors and richness of the butter. Freshly squeezed is always the way to go (over the bottled stuff).
Parmesan
Add your finishing touches with a healthy dusting of freshly grated Parm.
Once your shrimp is ready to go, you’ll cook your shrimp in a bit of butter, deglazing your pan with wine (or chicken stock) and freshly squeezed lemon juice, and then tossing in that cooked al dente linguine. You can garnish with some freshly grated Parmesan and serve right out of the pan.
It’s quick, it’s simple, it’s fast, and it is so so good. Serve with all the crusty bread and leftover white wine for a complete meal.
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Shrimp Scampi: Frequently Asked Questions
You can thaw frozen shrimp overnight, transferring it from the freezer to the fridge the day before. For a quick thaw, you can run them under cold water until completely thawed, about 5-10 minutes. Pat them dry as thoroughly as possible to remove any excess moisture (so they can brown nicely and evenly).
Chicken stock can be used for white wine as a non-alcoholic substitute.
Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients
- 8 ounces linguine
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more, to taste
- ¼ cup white wine*
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- Melt butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add shrimp, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in wine and lemon juice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes; remove from heat.
- Stir in pasta, lemon zest and parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately, topped with Parmesan.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Just finished a second serving! This recipe was delish! And, so simple to make! I loved it as is, hubby said he would have liked it to be “saucier”. Any suggestions??
Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you had a chance to make this! As for your husband’s request, you can add a bit more reserved pasta water to make it a bit “saucier” – hope that helps!
Thanks for info. I’m making this right now and thought already I probably want it a little saucer. Let you know the results
I don’t have fresh lemon juice, can I substitute bottled lemon juice? Cute puppy by the way 🙂
Yes, bottled lemon juice should work just fine.
OMG this looks so delicious. I love prawns and i will surely be making this for dinner this week. I hate peeling prawns so i will be buying already peeled prawns
My husband and I made this for dinner! So GOOD!
Oh my gosh your puppy is too cute!!! There is nothing like an adorable puppy face and corgi’s have one of the best. Shrimp scampi is one of my go-to’s on busy nights – I love to add fresh basil to mine, but will have to try with fresh parsley next time.
thanks
ohmigerrrd! How am I supposed to concentrate on how awesome the scampi looks with that face looking at me. That FACE!! <3
What breed is Butters? I simply adore him!
Thank you, Becca! He is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
This just went on the menu for this week! Butters is a doll. Is he named for anyone? A Harry Dresden Character for instance?
Thank you! He’s named after a South Park character. Although initially, I wanted to name him Buster after Arrested Development but Jason heard “Butters” – that’s when we knew we had the perfect name 🙂
What an adorable little fur baby! I love mine too, and yes, it’s incredibly hard to stay angry at them for very long. As for the dish, salivating here!
This is just like my “made-up” recipe , except just before plating, I add I can diced tomatoes, and top with Feta cheese.. DELICIOUS
Shrimp scampi is my favorite dish. I can not wait to try your recipe. Love your site and all your recipes.
I love your recipes and your new puppy…we have a Corgi mix we adopted over 10 yrs ago, and he’s an amazing dog.
and I just made your recipe tonight adding a little heavy cream and it was AMAZING! my husband loved it too
Hi How much Heavy Cream did you add to scampi recipe?
Love the recipe! Butters is surely a heart melter. Just be very very careful about him chewing electrical chords. It is very dangerous for puppies, and dogs. Aside from the electrical danger, the vet said there is something in the wires that can be very harmful. We had a chewer too (MinPin) his specialty was shoes! He has moved on to blue jeans and underwear.
Thank you so much for concern – you are too sweet. We’re actually in the process of “puppy-proofing” all the electrical cords – for his sake and ours!
Love your recipes and Butters is my favorite character from South Park.Your Butters is very cute!
#1 Butters is the cutest! Such a sweet face. #2 I love shrimp scampi, wish this was dinner tonight!
This is a great quick meal. And Butters is adorable!
I just love your Blog of recipes! Always love it when I see a new one on your Blog.
I will be making your Shrimp Scampi this week!
What kind of dog is Butters? He is adorable and I’m sure he’ll bring much joy into your lives.
Thank you, Jeanne. Butters is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
A great quick meal recipe! Delish! Now let’s talk about how cute that little sweet puppy is! I could not get any cooking done if I had Butters running around!
It’s definitely a bit of a challenge with him around!
I wanted to know what kind of wine did you use for this recipe?
Love this dish, so will be trying your version soon. Also loving Butters! Keep the photos coming.
OK. Butters is absolutely adorable. That little face!! The recipe looks great.
Butters would melt anyone’s heart, Chung-Ah! What a sweet face and I bet his personality is even sweeter. Gorgeous Shrimp Scampi! I need this for breakfast right now. 😉 Pinning!