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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Easy and fabulously good food right here. I added Thyme to the pasta after I tossed in olive oil. No other changes, highly recommend.
Best shrimp scampi I ever made! My family loved it. Perfect combination of fresh ingredients. Absolutely delicious!
So glad to hear it, Louise! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I made this tonight for my husband and I. We can’t say enough positive things about this dish! It was fantastic! I made it as written minus the lemon zest. We made cheese garlic bread to sop up the sauce…YUM! Will definitely be making this again and again!
Love your dog. I feel I want to pet the picture and talk to it. Such a beautiful face. Absolutely adorable!
I’ve made your shrimp scampi numerous times. I am making it this afternoon. My son is coming for dinner and we both like your recipe so very much. Thank you.
Can this recipe be prepared 1-2 hours before a party? Will the pasta dry out or become soggy?
This is truly best when served immediately.
Excellent recipe. I added a little olive oil and dried oregano. Easy and delicious.
My fave recipe!!
Sweet!
Omg made this for my mom for Valentine’s Day dinner as she is recovering from surgery. WE ATE THE ENTIRE PAN JUST THE TWO OF US!!! So delicious and so easy. It will be our new fave.
Very good! Easy to make. Family loved it.
Thank you so much
This is an amaizing recipie
So easy
Make it 2 times friday
Will love to get more recipies from you.
I love your pup! God bless and thanks for the easy recipe!
I made this tonight and OMG. It was a hit! My husband couldn’t stop getting up for more.
Definitely a new favorite in our home. Thank you so much for sharing!
Made this but substituted half a cup of dry vermouth because I didn’t have white wine. It was absolutely phenomenal! Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome!
Oh my, was going to try and creat some form of Shrimp Scampi tonight but will try Your recipe. However I bought cooked frozen deveined shelled shrimp that I defrosted this morning. Can I use them tonight but how long should I cook them in the skillet? Don’t want to overcook them. Love your pooch and love hearing about you personally ads dimension.
Looking for the Shrimp Scampi recipe from ‘Sorrentino’s restaurant in North Hollywood, Ca. Please help. Thank you.
Sooooooo good. I shared your link for this recipe on my blog 🙂 Thanks for posting!
First of all , Thank you so very much for this awesome recipe. I made it but I don’t use noodles I use spagetti squash. My husband went crazy. We just love it.
That’s so awesome, Tammie! Thank you for sharing.
Since I use whole wheat linguine, I’ll need to increase the lemon juice and white wine a little to make it juicier… The whole wheat pasta really sucks up the liquid. Other than that, it was a fabulous recipe!! Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely love this recipe! I also added mushrooms while sautéing the shrimp and garlic. I didn’t have the white wine and used the chicken broth instead. I also added Mrs Dash Onion and Herb seasoning. Rather than linguine, I used whole wheat thin spaghetti. This all made a great difference and added more flavor.
Thank you for posting the recipe.
Love the puppy pics. I imagine she is just a beautiful 3 years later!
I have made this twice, and it is soooo good. I love how even though there is no sauce, the pasta is not dry and there is so much flavor! I did up the garlic to five cloves and the red pepper flakes just a little (what can I say, I love ’em). Fantastic recipe!
I’ve tried a lot of shrimp scampi recipes, and this one is so much better than any of them!!