Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi
by Chungah
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Juicy, garlicky sautéed shrimp with the dreamiest butter sauce! Made in just 20 min. Perfect for quick weeknight meals or to impress company!
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Why you’ll love this garlic butter shrimp scampi recipe
- Quick cooking time. Shrimp scampi comes together in lightning fast speed – we’re talking 20 minutes start to finish.
- Restaurant-quality. This may cook quickly, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have restaurant-quality shrimp right at home using bigger and better quality shrimp all around. Talk about more bang for your buck!
- Versatile recipe. Serve this as an appetizer with some crusty bread, or over a bed of angel hair pasta and a salad as a fancy dinner.
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 are 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.
How to make garlic butter shrimp scampi
- Prep the shrimp. Pat the shrimp as dry as possible to remove any excess moisture. This is key for a crispy, caramelized sear (deep flavor). Too much moisture will lead to steamed shrimp instead.
- Sauté the aromatics. Melt the butter in a large cast iron skillet, sautéing the garlic, shallot, and red pepper flakes (adding more for extra heat!).
- Cook the shrimp. Cook the shrimp just until cooked through – keep a close eye as shrimp cook very quickly, about 3-4 minutes. Unfortunately overcooked shrimp will be rubbery.
- Add the finishing touches. Add the parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Freshly squeezed lemon juice will have the brightest flavors.
- Serve. Serve warm with crusty bread for sopping (or on a bed of white or brown rice) with a side salad.
what to serve with garlic butter shrimp scampi
TOOLS FOR THIS RECIPE
Large cast iron skillet
For the best texture and flavor, use a large, heavy-bottomed skillet that holds heat evenly.
Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi: Frequently Asked Questions
Unsalted butter allows you to add as much (or as little) salt in your dish as you like, allowing for more control and consistency. You can replace unsalted butter with salted butter in a pinch, reducing the amount of salt indicated in the recipe, and adding to taste.
You can thaw frozen shrimp overnight, transferring them 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.
Shrimp cook incredibly quickly, about 3-4 minutes.
Check for shape and color – look for shrimp with a loosely curled C (a tight O means the shrimp are overcooked) that are opaque with a pink hue (undercooked shrimp will be translucent and grayish).
The lemon juice helps balance out the flavors and richness of the butter.
Absolutely! Serve over angel hair, linguine, fettuccine, or any other long strand pasta variety.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 day, reheating in the oven at 325°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through.
Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi
Video
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
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large cast iron 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 zest and lemon juice.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Use a cast iron skillet. Cast iron skillets retain heat much better than a nonstick skillet, allowing for even cooking and a better sear on the shrimp.
- High quality butter goes a long way. Although any butter will work well here, high quality European butter has a higher butterfat content than standard American butter (82% vs 80%), resulting in better emulsification for that richer, silkier butter sauce for the shrimp.
- 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. Note that smaller shrimp will cook much faster!
- 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.
- Pat the shrimp dry. This is crucial to remove any excess surface moisture for that crispy, golden brown sear. Too much moisture will steam the shrimp instead.
- Add freshly squeezed lemon juice (and zest). The lemon will help balance out all the flavors, cutting through the richness of the butter while providing a vibrant, zesty kick.
- Cook in batches. Overcrowding the pan will lead to poor searing and chewy, rubbery shrimp.
- Mix it up. Add a splash of white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc), diced tomatoes, leafy greens, or serve over pasta.
- Reheat in the oven. Leftover shrimp can be rubbery when reheated in the microwave. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the oven at 325°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
Did you make this recipe?
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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..