Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi
Made in just 20 min from start to finish! The garlic butter sauce is TO DIE FOR – so buttery, so garlicky/lemony + so perfect!
Is it just me or do you all want to go swimming in this pool of butter sauce?
Don’t be shy, guys. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to face plant yourself right into this sauce.
It’s just that good.
I mean, it’s plenty of butter, garlic, shallots, red pepper flakes, and lemon! And did I mention all of the butter?
But to be honest, I want to do more than just swim in this.
I really just want all the crusty bread in this world to soak up all of this sauce. A single drop should not be left behind.
And when all the sauce has been devoured and inhaled, I’ll just make this again and again.
After all, you just need 20 minutes to whip this up.
Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cubed
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium shallot, diced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 ½ pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, shallot and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add shrimp; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pink and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in parsley, lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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Super easy to make! I recommend measuring and chopping all of the ingredients before starting to cook. We added asparagus tips to the recipe. We found the red pepper to be too much, so we will put less in next time. We just wish there had been more sauce for the angel hair though. Overall it’s a great recipe!
Great easy weeknight recipe! Just don’t mess up and buy the unpeeled shrimp like I did ♀️
I picked this dish to make on a work night for just my husband and myself. So I used only a pound of shrimp, but kept the rest of the ingredients as instructed. Didn’t have shallots though, so I used thinly sliced green onions (white and pale green parts only). I believe I used 2 large organic ones. Served over fettuccine, his favorite.
The flavor is phenomenal, but my husband the sauce was a little thin and suggested adding just a bit of jarred Alfredo sauce. I was skeptical lol. I thought they would either meld beautifully or clash horribly.
They melded
I know it sounds unconventional and a little lazy, but in a pinch it’s definitely worth trying.
Does the shrimp have to be frozen? Or does it release to much water?
Sautéed 8 ounces of portabella mushrooms with the shrimp and served it over angel hair pasta with fresh parm. Delicious.
Really good!! Increased the butter, mixed the pasta in!! My husband said it was absolutely delicious and he’s not a big pasta person.
Delicious
Absolutely amazing! I’ve made many versions of shrimp scampi before and this was hands down the best one I’ve ever made! So full of flavor! My husband loved it so much!! A definite repeat on our menu for sure! Thank you for sharing this!
Wonderful! I substituted some of the butter with olive oil and added only a quarter teaspoon lemon juice replacing it with 1/3 cup white wine.
This recipe was so simple and end result amazing!
love it…perfect amount of butter & garlic
LOVED this recipe! It was so easy to make and the red pepper added a nice twist to it! I will be making this again and often!
Absolute a favorite !! So easy to make, and delicious. Love this recipe.
I made this for my boyfriend the other day when I had my own dinner plan. It was my first time making shrimp, as they’re not something I eat, so I was nervous to do so. Luckily he devoured it! He raved about how flavorful it was, how well the angel hair pasta I served it over soaked it up too, and how perfectly the shrimp were cooked. The shrimp took to the flavor so well that he assumed I marinated them beforehand!
Have made similar. All great!
This was easy and oh so tasty! Thank you!
this shrimp recipe was wonderful – the only thing I can say, is there wasn’t much sauce…what there was of sauce was delicious and I “hungered for more!”
Any idea how to get more of the sauce?
Thank you!
The picture does show a lot of sauce. I make 1 1/2 – 2 times the recipe if I want to swim in it! ; )
So good!! We make it all the time and the whole family loves it. I added a little something (don’t want to be one of those recipe modifying people really..:). Just a tiny little dash of Old Bay. A++++++. Thank you Chungah!
Best in the West, you won’t be disappointed, Sometimes I just pour it on linguine, love it
This was so easy and sooo good!! I will be making this again. Thank you
This is the perfect appetizer for holiday gatherings. You can even get the kids to be the ones who make this because it is so simply. Also, the cook is the one who gets to sop up all that sauce in the pan.
Just perfect! I would love to soak in a pool of garlic butter & lemon sauce. I’m blessed by living pretty close to the Gulf of Mexico & have a nearby source for large easy-peel shrimp.
First time making shrimp scampi. Decided I wanted it tonight so I had to use what I had on hand. My garlic head was old and I didn’t have a lot of fresh ingredients but I still made it. I used a lot of lemon and a lot of butter and my shrimp was frozen salad shrimp. I still made it and it was very good. I served it over rice. I will make it again and make sure I have all fresh ingredients. Thank you for the great recipe.
This looks fabulous! I’m planning on making your wonderful shrimp dish to company once we open up again after Covid. Can your shrimp be made in the oven?
Yes. About 10-12 minutes.
This was undoubtedly one of the very best shrimp recipes I have ever made. It has just the right amount of heat from the crushed pepper, garlic from the minced fresh garlic and the shallots, and the lemon juice and zest give it a really fresh taste. I will make this gain and again. We use only wild caught shrimp and the ones tonight’s were from the Gulf of Mexico waters. Delish!! Thank you Chungah for this terrific recipe! You rock!!
Excellent thanks for the great recipe.
thanks for the awesome recipe cant thank you enough
I have made this several times. It gets better and better each time. Thank you for the recipe. Simple and delicious!
Such an easy and delicious recipe! We used linguini!
1.) Run, don’t walk to your nearest fresh seafood market & purchase ocean scallops
2.) Boil thin spinach spaghetti; prepare this recipe in your favorite enameled cast iron cookware
3.) Accept the applause graciously from your sweetheart
Damn! That’s a brilliant idea! I have bay scallops and will do this!! Thanks for this!
Excellent recipe and so easy to follow. I used basil instead of parsley and it tasted wonderful. Served over thin spaghetti for a special dinner for two.
Absolutely delicious and so fast and easy! Definitely make again!
I absolutely love this recipe, I cook this as often as I possibly can.. I love shrimp , but I never cared for shrimp scampi until I came across this recipe.. It’s my go to recipe. I love it..
Easy and delicious. Forgot to put lemon in and it was still wonderful. Used Jared minced garlic so added more because it doesn’t seem as strong as fresh. Can’t say enough how fantastic it was.
My dear son made this for us the other night for our evening meal. Verdict: it was delicious! From one of comments of one of the other reviewers, I took the suggestion and served this with One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta and some steamed broccoli. A lovely meal!
This is so much better than the usual shrimp scampi! Love the additions you have made which add flavor and pizazz! Thanks a bunch!
Best scampi I’ve ever had. All your recipes are,wonderful. Thank you! Served with Skinnytaste broccoli orzo.
Simply done and delicious! Bravo
We loved this recipe! For someone who asked in the comments: I used regular butter (vs. unsalted), and we thought it turned out great. I didn’t have any parsley, but I don’t typically add something like that anyway. I paired this recipe with her “One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta” dish (my favorite of hers). I’m glad I tried this!
Added a little grated parmesan cheese, just a little . I replaced my shallots with scallions … Came out great!
Garlic, butter and shrimp…you had me! I added some zucchini spirals for veggies and it was DYNAMIC! OMG! I was heavy on the red pepper and it showed, so I’ll use it sparingly next time. But an instant favorite!
I for some reason had it in my head that I couldn’t cook shrimp, even though it’s one of my favorite proteins. This recipe was simple, quick and turned out *perfectly*. It even looked like the picture! I will definitely make this recipe again!
I added capers and a touch more garlic….
I have made this dish several times. I always put extra butter and a little extra crushed peppers . The lemon zest I do about half of a small lemon and juice to taste . When I am cooking the shrimp I cover the pan with a lid and stir occasionally until pink. I find that it makes the shrimp moist. Everybody loves this dish and it’s so simple to make . 10/10
I have never made scampi before and this recipe knocked it out of the park. Love your recipes because they make me try new things.
Hi, I made this for the first time. It was so good, i sent the recipe to my sister inlaw in Honduras Pati. She also made it and my mother in law ate every bit and even used bread to soak up the rest of the sauce. They Loved it. Thank you for the great recipe. Today we’re making it agin because my wife Claudia loves it .
I know I have made this before, but the recipe is currently missing from this page!
I’m gonna make this but I’m wondering if it makes a difference for if I use salted butter, seeing as how u have a whole pack.
How did it turn out with regular butter?
Love how easy, inexpensive, and tasty this dish is! I add about 1/2 cup of white wine (not too sweet) to this for added flavor, and boiled spaghetti to the last minute of cooking to make a more substantial meal. Paired with warm, crusty French bread, and the rest of the white wine, Delicious……..yum,
Damn good is a tough standard to live up too! This succeeded, and even exceeded all expectations! Plus fast and easy!
Very good we all loved it
This recipe I made as post of pr Christmas Eve dinner. The sauce was very easy to make and very tasty! I also used the sauce to brush on my lobster tails… delicious!
I think you forgot step 1. Cook the pasta. 🙂 thank you for this recipe! And this is a oh so delish christmas meal.
I am trying this for Christmas Eve. Can it be doubled?
Yes haha I am to. Guess we will see how it turns out.
I made this tonight for the family. It was delicious and really quick. I got all my ingredients ready beforehand since it looked fast paced. I was worried the amount of butter would make it oily but the lemon and parsley really brighten it up. And I could just taste a little heat from the red pepper. Only change I made was adding fresh spinach for a veg. Sooo yummy!
Hell ya
Damn delicious is right! Added a touch of heavy cream and mixed in spiralized zucchini. Prefect keto dinner.
I just made this recipe tonight and it was delicious! We did sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and it just added to the great flavor. We had a small amount left which I added a small amount of heavy whipping cream to for more juice and it to was great.
You never let us down with your amazing recipes. Delish!
SUPER EASY! I’ve made other shrimp scampi from other sites and never came out good but this came out delicious my husband had 2 plates and I couldnt be happier. The only thing I added was grated parmesan cheese. It was the icing on the cake. Thank you
This recipe is every bit as good as you say it is! Absolutely astounding! Thank you! Fortunately my wife and I were eating alone at home, so after I soaked up the sauce with some crusty bread, I could pick up the plate and lick it! :-). Thanks for an astounding recipe!
This is so simple and inexpensive. I got some pasta on sale. I didn’t have any shallots available, but I added a chopped up red bell pepper and chopped up carrots to add some
Veggies to the mix.
We got some garlic bread, and it was a delicious, quick meal. It is perfect for a weeknight dinner.
FRIGGIN AWESOME!!! I just saved this to my phone for future use. Bravo to the chef!
I made this for my fiance this dish for his birthday… And besides my pot roast, this is the 2nd favorites meal I’ve cooked for him. I cook for him almost every day for the last six years. So thank you for this recipe!
OMG Absolutely delicious!!! I served it over rice, and, I will definitely be making it again. Thank you for a great recipe.
I made this for the first time and as a beginner cook, this is so very easy and quick to make. So full of color and flavor. I piled some scampi on pasta with the sauce and a side of Italian bread and it was perfect! My hubby said it was better than his! I will be making it again.
Let me tell yall! I made this dish for my parents and my Dad was begging for seconds and thirds!!! Definitely will be making this again!!✔✔✔
Isn’t it the best? Glad your dad is a fan! Thanks for sharing, Sabrina!
I think the lemon zest made it bitter but other than that it was good. I think next time I will leave it out.
Be careful to zest just the yellow rind. The white pith underneath is very bitter. I made it for the second time tonight. So delicious that I printed the recipe and it’s officially in our favorite recipe binder.
I just made this shrimp scampi. It was my first time making shrimp scampi ever and it came out amazing. Restaurant quality. I will be making this again and again!
It just so simple..
Over egg noodles
Can you use already cooked shrimp? Would you cook it for as long as raw shrimp?
I recommend using uncooked shrimp to avoid overcooking, resulting in rubbery shrimp.
I used cooked and it turned out great just cooked on lower heat to get hot and then serve. Great recipe thanks!
I made this and it was so good that I decided to use it as a base for another dish – Make some angel hair pasta and reserve the pasta water. Add 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese and one cup of pasta water. Toss. Chop up at least one cup of arugula (more if you like arugula) and mix into pasta, then toss in the garlic butter shrimp scampi! Serve immediately. DELICIOUS!!
I always add heavy cream… yum yum
As good as I hoped it would be! DEElicious! I halved the recipe for the amount of shrimp that I had, but doubled the garlic. I didn’t have a shallot, so I used some red onion. So I pretty much followed the recipe. I took the advice of having some good bread to soak up every drop and that we did! My husband and I both loved it and I will definitely make it again. Thanks for the recipe!
This recipe is quick, easy and DELICIOUS! Made it last night for my husband and adult son- there wasn’t a scrap left after the meal! We had 2 pound bags of shrimp so used that amount vs. the 1 1/2 pounds in the recipe. Also didn’t have a shallot so used red onion. Other than that, did everything just as stated. Was afraid with the extra shrimp we might not have enough sauce but that wasn’t the case. After drenching the shrimp and dipping about 20 toasted slices of a petit loaf of organic bread- the guys still had enough for ladling tasty spoonfuls directly into their mouths. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Your review is mouthwatering, Karen! I think I might have to make this again myself! 🙂
This was fantastic—a great basic shrimp scampi recipe that could be adjusted to suit people’s tastes—like adding a fave veggie or putting over noodles or rice. But it really does not need any additions to be delicious. And the cook time and prep time is basically nothing for such wow flavors. A definite make again in our family rotation.
I made this dish and it was amazing! I actually used leftover shrimp from my favorite seafood restaurant that I froze two months ago. At first I was just looking for a dish that I could use my leftover shrimp. They were just too good to throw away and it was quite a bit. Needless to say I was skeptical. This recipe was fast, simple and a breeze. The flavor was incredible… restaurant quality. I will definitely make this again! Next time I plan to add crab or lobster. I painted this dish with pan seared asparagus. One of the best decisions ever.
What a great way to repurpose your leftover shrimp! 🙂
I had to modify slightly because I had cilantro and not parsley. And then because I added the cilantro, I also added some finely chopped serrano pepper. Otherwise followed your recipe to the T. It was so delicious it was sinful! I’m on keto so I didn’t have bread to dip into it (which was a travesty) but it was so good. I will absolutely have this on rotation and it will be my go to recipr for shrimp scampi and any variation. I always love your recipes!
That’s so great to hear, Karen!
ADDED CLAMS and a little sherry. Even better.
Great additions, Michael!
Amazing. Definitely a keeper
Super quick and delicious.
Fed my son and his lady as well as my picky parents and everyone loved it.
Isn’t this the best? I’m currently obsessed with it myself! 🙂
Absolutely delicious made for my fiance with oven-roasted parmesan asparagus. AMAZING and carb friendly. She loved it very much…
making this tonite just curious how long o i cook frozen shrimp
Barbara, I recommend thawing the shrimp prior to using.
Best scampi recipe we have made. Will definitely make it again!
We love hearing that, Debbie! Thank you for sharing!
My mom gave me some tomatoes and mozzarella cheese to make caprese salad so I needed something else to make a light dinner out of it and came across this recipe. We just finished eating this shrimp scampi (no really, my fiance is doing the dishes as I type this) and wow was it delicious!!! We sopped up every last drop of the sauce with crusty bread! Thank you! 🙂
We love hearing that! Thanks, Susie!
This was AMAZING. I didn’t even know I could cook something that would taste this good! I paired it with brown rice and green beans for meal prep one week. Everyone at my job was so intrigued by what I was eating!
That’s awesome, Michelle! It’s fun when you step out of your comfort zone and try something new (and maybe even scary) and have it turn out great! Thanks for sharing with us! 🙂
Excellent is all I can SAY! I have been making shrimp scampi for years and this recipe is a keeper! Thank you for sharing it
So glad you found and enjoyed our version of this, Bill!
So yummy and easy! I forgot to buy the parsley and it was still so good. Great for a weeknight!
It’s so perfect for those busy weeknights! 🙂
This was so simply fast and soo delicious, the family dug into it before I could get a photo! Thanks for sharing!
You’ll just have to make it again then! 🙂 Thanks for sharing with us, Joaquin!
Yep! It IS Damn Delicious and fast. I used more garlic and lemon and served it over angelhair pasta and sprinkled freshly grated parmesan on top. My side dish was baby Brussels sprouts with sauteed sweet onions. Also crusty French bread…gotta get all the sauce! We loved it
What great side dishes!
Your title says it all! This scampi was “Damn delicious!” My picky eaters can’t wait to have it again for dinner! Thank you!
Thanks, Denise! It’s the best when you can satisfy those picky eaters! 🙂
First time I finally made great tasting shrimp scampi at home. It was easy to prepare & fast also. I printed this recipe I want it around
That’s great!
Easy and delicious as promised! However, I’m doing the Keto diet and logging all carbs I put in my mouth. I think this recipe wasn’t too bad but could not find any nutritional information. Can you let me know? I’d like to make it again.
Nutritional information is provided only for select recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, we recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!
This was fabulous. Shallots REALLY add to the flavor.
It was quick and easy but tasted like you slaved over it. Definitely use bread to soak up all the delicious sauce.
Thanks, Jennifer!
I want to try this but am tempted to do so without the shallot. I love shallots but hate buying them because there’s always so many in a pack and most end up going to waste. Thoughts?
You can omit the shallots if you prefer.
Or when you meal plan for the week, Jjst do another recipe with shallots! That’s what I do when I buy something that has too much leftover ingredients.
I really want to try this recipe but I’m doing low carb right now. And I feel like scampi must have pasta with it. 🙁
You could try green onions.
I have a recipe that uses butter, shrimp, and green onions – that’s all….but I think it would be good with some added garlic and red pepper flakes. The green onions are added pretty much at the end of cooking, so they will add a little bit of crunch and are not so wilted. Served with rice or noodles or whatever you want. The bread for dipping sounds devine!
Butter AND shrimp, it doesn’t get any better! Looks amazing and totally swim worthy! Haha.
I’m going to make this. Can I use ghee?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Not a review, a question. I gather if I used salted butter, just skip or be very light with the salt when seasoning?
Yes, that should work! 🙂
Substitute Hollandaise Sauce for the butter and you almost have Shrimp Scampi Aurora. The famous dish from Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy. The favorite dish of Hemmingway and Vincent Price at Harry’s, back in the day. Stated making Aurora way back in ’76 and just had it again this weekend. Make this dish, you will never regret it!!!
Would like more of a recipe for this Baltisraul! Sounds wonderful! thanks!
Scampi Aurora
1 lbs – shrimp, cleaned
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbl – olive oil
1/2 tea – salt
1/4 tea – pepper
1/2 tea – minced garlic
1 cup – hollandaise sauce
Arrange shrimp in two shallow baking dishes. Top shrimp with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add garlic to the warm hollandaise
Broil shrimp 4 min, turn shrimp and broil an additional 3 min. Top shrimp with hollandaise mixture and continue to broil 1 additional min.
We usually increase the shrimp and eat as a meal instead of an appetizer.
Serve with crispy garlic butter bread for soaking up the sauce.
I made shrimp scampi like this for decades! But then my friend Mondā let me goof around in his restaurant kitchen with him. He showed me two additional ingredients that really made my scampi pop with flavor!!! I had a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce and depending on how many people you are feeding. Let’s say 4. I would add about 3 dashes of Worcestershire
Sauce and then 1/4 cup of crushed tomatoes. Yuuuum!