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
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This recipe was a hit. The lemon juice, zest and chili flakes made this dish refreshing with a little kick. I also added asparagus to give some color to this wonderful dish.
This was sooo good!! We will definitely be having it again (and again and again). So easy to make! Thank you for this easy, delicious recipe!
Thanks for the wonderful recipe. It was delicious and I usually find the red pepper flakes too much but it was just right! I found that there wasn’t enough sauce so when I make it again I’ll double the sauce (and I’m not a sauce person). The lemon zest gave it a nice pop!!
Thank you for a decent recipe without promoting frozen in the box. I took a look at the added ingredients in those recommended brands of boxed shrimp and appalled. Why not use natural ingredients and growing up, peeling the shrimp gives you much more appreciation of the final dish
Excellent. Tasty with a very slight kick. Very enjoyable, easy to make!
Excellent!!! Husband and I loved this recipe. Added some skinny asparagus to the last few min. of the pasta water. Doubled the sauce (husband is a sauce guy). It came together so quickly and easily. Thank you for great recipes. I have your cookbook also 🙂
This is just plain easy and delicious. I followed the directions and used a wonderful light white wine from Aldi’s, Winking Owl! I accidentally put a little more red pepper flakes in, but my husband and I like spicy…it was perfect for us. I wouldn’t skip the red pepper flakes because it takes scampi from boring to lively and extremely tasteful. Will keep this as my go-to recipe for Shrimp Scampi.
Fast and delicious.
Made it tonight first time..so easy, delicious. Thank You
Absolutely AWESOME the first time. The second time, used scallops, some asparagus and mushrooms. Excellent. Four year old grandson couldn’t get enough either way. Keep up the exceptional recipes.
This is exactly like my recipe except since I very rarely have wine, I use reserved pasta water. I serve this with garlic bread and an Italian salad—Olive Garden copy cat
Butters is so damn cute! And the dish was definitely delicious
We have this recipe from a much earlier post (I believe I found it on Pinterest) and it may very well be the one that introduced me to your amazing recipes! This scampi has become one of our favorite go-to meals; light, quick, and DELICIOUS! We made it the weekend before last 🙂
It’s perfect when throwing something together beautiful when we have guests. You are making a BEAUTIFUL meal – taking very little time away from your guests!
This is simple and fast to make. DELICIOUS!! I will definitely make again.
I knew I had to make this dish if only because of your Corgi, Butter. I also have a corgi named Ziggy. They can be naughty but so so cute. Anyway, the recipe was easy to follow and came out delish. Perfect for a summer evening. Yummy.
I bought a 5# bag of Yakisoba noodles as I love all noodles and being that it’s only my wife and I, cooking something besides Yakisoba with them I searched for other options and this recipe came up. I am making this tonight and will try adding crumbled bacon and asparagus. Thank you for inspiring me. There’s nothing to not like about this dish. I also think a garnish of cilantro is in order.
This was delicious. I had frozen pre-cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp. I thawed out the shrimp and added them at the end of the cooking process – just enough time to warm them, but not overcook them. It worked out fine. I cut the amount of crushed red pepper in half because we don’t like a lot of hot spice. Sprinkled some Parmesan on top before serving. Will definitely make again!
Fantastic and easy to make
Also, 5 stars for the puppy! I have a 10 month old corgi and I think wire chewing is definitely in their blood! I’ve only had lab mixes before her and none of them were as horrible of a chewer as our Mochi lol. Even at 10 months, no ones hands are safe. Good thing she’s so dang cute.
I wish I didn’t eyeball the red pepper flakes. Lol… Needless to say, I had to remake the sauce again. But it was much better the second time! I wanted it just a little but thicker, so I added just a few shakes of parmesan. It was a hit with my picky fiance! Will put this into our monthly menu rotation. Thanks so much!