Shrimp Scampi
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You won’t believe how easy this comes together in just 15 minutes – perfect for those busy weeknights!
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reasons to make shrimp scampi
- Quick cook time. With a short ingredient list and a few easy steps, you’ll have this fancy meal on your dinner table in less than 30 minutes start to finish, perfect for busy weeknights and weekend company.
- Restaurant-quality. This is truly restaurant-quality, if not even better, with bigger, better-quality shrimp.
- Versatile. Shrimp scampi can be served over pasta or rice, or served alongside crusty bread and a light salad.
types of shrimp
Wild caught shrimp vs. farmed shrimp
Farmed shrimp are raised in controlled environments, whereas wild caught shrimp have been caught in their natural habitats by fishermen. Wild caught shrimp is generally preferred over farmed shrimp primarily due to taste.
Frozen vs. fresh shrimp
Unless you reside in a coastal area, the “fresh shrimp” on display at your local grocery store have already been previously frozen at sea. Frozen shrimp offers ultimate freshness (flash-frozen as soon as they are caught) and flexibility, using only what you need for dinner. Bottom line, frozen shrimp will taste better and cook better.
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.
tips and tricks for success
- Know your shrimp size. Shrimp size is calculated on number of shrimp per pound. The smaller the number, the larger your shrimp. There are about 40-50 medium shrimp per pound.
- Buy frozen shrimp. For superior quality and freshness, using frozen shrimp is ideal (but avoid the bags with freezer burn), opting for a quick thaw under cold running water.
- Choose a wine you will drink. A dry white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc) is great here – it does not have to be anything fancy or overpriced. Just something you don’t mind sipping on since you will have an open bottle.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
what to serve with shrimp scampi
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.
The lemon juice helps balance out the flavors and richness of the butter.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 day.
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
Equipment
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.
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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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!
This recipe is so delicious. It’s definitely a keeper and my husband said it was better than we had at restaurant a couple weeks ago. I actually can’t wait to make it again!
Outstanding! So flavorful and quick to prepare. I omitted the pepper flakes for kiddo preferences but definitely added back to the adult plates! I also added a touch of olive oil to the pan with the butter as one review mentioned. Will for sure keep on the rotation list!!
This is wonderful. Always a crowd pleaser!!
Absolutely loved it! I was craving shrimp pasta but wanted something a little lighter than normal. This was a perfect fit and so flavourful.
A whole lot of negativity about the red pepper flakes! You’re right, one of the joys of home cooking is being able to alter the food to your personal taste. Personally I loved them, I ended up changing it the second time, with more white wine and less lemon, but overall our home loved it! Great job!
This shrimp scampi was so great! Everyone loved it, even the four year old. I subbed fresh red pepper for the red pepper flakes (4 yr old doesn’t like anything spicy) and it was a hit! This truly was damn delish and I will be making it again. Thank you!
Great recipe. I added a minced shallot and sautéed the garlic with olive oil and the butter first for a little before adding the shrimp since my fiancé doesn’t like any sort of crunch in vegetables in his food. Made it with gluten free spaghetti for his allergy and he devoured almost the entire thing himself. Will definitely make again!!! Thanks for the recipe!
I followed this recipe and added some olive oil and asparagus to this recipe. I cooked the asparagus first and then added all the rest of the ingredients later. It came out delicious!
I have made this a number of times and it is always good! I’m making it for dinner tonight.
I made this recipe tonight, it was FANTASTIC, I just made a few minor adjustments. 1)I didn’t have linguine so I used spaghetti noodles.2)I boiled my noodles in water with chicken bouillon to give them more flavor. 3)I added a little of the chicken bouillon pasta water to the sauce and I added extra garlic and lemon juice to the sauce. I will definitely be making this again it was so quick and easy!
Flavorful and so easy to put together. We really enjoyed it!
Please tell me what kind of dog butters is. I love his little face. Thank you, Ellen
Ellen, he is a corgi. My family has one and he is amazing. Her also chews electric cords, its it’s a corgi thing.
This recipe reminds me from when I was a young girl in my dad used to make my mom only shrimp scampi. As an adult I do remember his recipe and how it made me smell and feel like I always wanted to eat it every day. My 26 letting anniversary came up and I asked God if he would allow me to afford myself and wonderful shrimp package in order to make my husband a shrimp scampi linguine. This recipe was very good the only changes that I made was I used a wet wine that was a lemon lime flavor, and I added a spice which is a staple in my father’s recipe and that is of nutmeg. The nutmeg has a wonderful well nutty flavor and it offsets that overwhelming zesty Nas that the lemon and the lemon juice plus a lemon lime wine will give. All in all I will make it again but I encourage you if you are reading this to try pinch of nutmeg and use a wet wine instead Of dry. And add a little extra shrimp I used about a pound and a 1/2. Thank you for the recipe I enjoyed its God-bless you and your family and keep on putting out there would still licious cause I’ll find it and I’ll cook it. Love a stay-at-home Oma
Are you using the pink shrimp for this recipe?
Love your recipes and Butters! I think its awesome how you present your recipes and let us know a little about you and your family. You make this a warm and inviting experience. For “dude” who doesn’t like to read this scroll down and don’t learn how to make a connection, or how to interact with others. Just rude dude!
I love it. This is my first time making it & I must say I’m impressed.
Very good only complaint I have is some how I over cooked my shrimp but the linguine was on point
Love this recipe but prefer basil than parsley. Will definitely make it again.
Awesome dish! In the future please don’t bore the hell out of me with your personal life and pets. Just a dude making food.
You can simply scroll down to the recipe. It’s not that hard to do. Let’s spread some kindness. It’s 2020, dude. 🙂
I must say, as a dog lover I loved looking at the pictures of your pup! He is precious. Also, excited to try this recipe 🙂
Don’t be a negative Nancy dude!
It’s a food BLOG. Go to food network if you want JUST recipes. In the future, don’t be jerk and just take the recipe and your miserable self elsewhere.
I’m thinking he was kidding. No-one would be that rude on a PERSONAL blog.