This shrimp scampi recipe makes easy appear elegant with juicy shrimp bathed in a garlicky, lemony butter sauce. Dish it up as an appetizer or serve as a main with pasta, zucchini noodles, or over rice.
At first glance, this garlic shrimp scampi dish looks downright decadent. But in reality, it’s the poster child for simplicity, because it takes just minutes to prepare.
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Homemade shrimp scampi is elegant but effortless and is a no-brainer for a quick and delicious dinner. Whether you serve it as shrimp scampi pasta for a super quick weeknight meal or serve it to company for a chic nod to your faux fancy cookery, I love this recipe because the ingredients can always be stocked in the pantry and freezer for a sizzling bite any time.
Plus, it’s a versatile dish that can be served over rice, pasta, zucchini noodles, or just with some crusty bread (the perfect vehicle for all of that luscious buttery garlic sauce).
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
- “Fresh is best” almost always applies to any recipe, but this is the exception. Make shrimp scampi with frozen shrimp for ease and to save some money.
- To ensure you’re getting the freshest shrimp possible, skip the seafood counter’s ice rink of thawing shrimp (it was originally frozen too, and how long have they been sitting there??) and go for a bag of flash-frozen shrimp so you can thaw it yourself.
- For the best flavor, choose wild-caught shrimp. I prefer the large 21/25 Key West pink shrimp for its sweet flavor.
- Avoid using acids like lemon juice or vinegar in the shrimp marinade. Similar to ceviche, these ingredients will “cook” the shrimp. Sitting in an acid-based marinade for too long could also make the shrimp mealy.
Ingredients in Shrimp Scampi
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Frozen shrimp — Choose a frozen shrimp with the shell and tail still on, then shell and devein yourself. You can keep the tail or remove it. Shrimp still in the shell have more flavor and are cheaper.
- Garlic — Choose fresh garlic over the jarred stuff. I prefer to press mine instead of mincing.
- Red pepper flakes — Deliver a balanced heat.
- Extra-virgin olive oil — A fruity extra virgin is my choice.
- White wine — Adding white wine to this scampi’s olive oil, butter, and lemon juice sauce gives it a depth of flavor that won’t ever leave you boozy woozy. See, the wine’s alcohol cooks out and evaporates while simmering, making it perfectly okay for kids or those who abstain to eat.
- Butter — Salted or unsalted work equally fine and thicken the sauce.
- Lemon juice — Always use fresh lemon juice in this recipe.
- Kosher salt — Isn’t as strong as table salt.
- Parsley — Use flat-leaf or regular parsley. Mince it fine for just the right bits of brightness.
How to Make Shrimp Scampi
- Prep the shrimp. Thaw the shrimp by giving it 5 to 10 minute dunk in cold tap water, then remove the shells and devein.
- Marinate the shrimp. Toss the shrimp with a little olive, garlic, kosher salt, and red pepper flakes. Let it hang out for about 20 minutes to give the flavors time to penetrate the shrimp.
- Cook the shrimp. Shrimp cooks quickly, so don’t walk away from the skillet. Give them about 1 minute to 90 second on either side and remove to a plate to prevent them from overcooking.
Heidi’s Tip: If your shrimp taste tough or rubbery, you overcooked them. I suggest setting a timer as soon as the shrimp hit the hot pan so you know when to flip them. You’ll know they’re cooked when they’re opaque in color and the tails have curled in on the heads.
- Make the garlic butter scampi sauce. To the now-empty skillet, melt the butter and garlic, cooking just until fragrant. Stir in the wine and lemon juice, letting the sauce simmer gently until thickend.
- Whisk in additional COLD butter. This is the secret to creating a rich and creamy scampi sauce.
- Toss it all together. Return the shrimp to the pan and cook just long enough to reheat. Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.
Heidi’s Tip: Whisking the cold butter into the warm sauce emulsifies the sauce and thickens it as the butter melts. It’s a French technique similar to the classic beurre blanc, and creates a satiny-smooth, velvety textured garlic butter sauce you’ll be licking with a spoon.
FAQs
Never set frozen shrimp on the counter to thaw; you’re just asking for trouble when you do that.
Frozen shrimp thaws in about 10 minutes when submerged in COLD tap water. You might have to change out the water once or twice if you’re thawing a lot of shrimp.
Choose a drinkable wine that’s on the drier side such as a sauvignon blanc or even a chardonnay.
If you prefer skipping the wine, substitute half chicken broth and half water in lieu of the wine.
If your sauce is at all watery, there might be too much moisture in the pan from the shrimp. After thawing the frozen shrimp in cold water, pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel, taking care to remove all excess moisture.
This also ensures a golden sear on the shrimp. If they’re damp, the shrimp will steam when they touch the hot pan rather than sear.
“Scampi” is the Italian plural for “Scampo,” which is a larger type of langoustine (a shrimp-like crustacean native to Scotland that’s actually in the lobster family.)
Most American versions of garlic shrimp scampi just use shrimp, as I do here.
Storage and Reheating Tips
Shrimp is generally best eaten right away as it tends to dry out or become rubbery when reheated.
If you have leftovers, add them to sun-dried tomato pasta or buttered noodles (add the shrimp last and heat just until warmed through). Or, enjoy them cold in this Mediterranean salad or grilled vegetable sandwich.
What to Serve With Shrimp Scampi
- Carbs — creamy polenta, lemon rice, steamed white rice, lemon fettuccine, lemon asparagus risotto (or make shrimp scampi with zucchini noodles)
- Salad — Caesar salad, shaved parmesan arugula salad, Italian salad
- Bread — garlic bread or garlic rolls
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a 
rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound wild caught large shrimp with shells
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil , divided
- 4 cloves garlic , pressed or minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup white wine or chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice , or ½ lemon
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley
Instructions
- Prep the shrimp: Thaw the shrimp in cool water and remove the shells then devein the shrimp. Discard the shells, rinse and drain the shrimp then transfer to a small bowl.
- Marinate the shrimp: Drizzle the shrimp 2 tablespoons olive oil, half of the garlic, ½ teaspoon kosher salt and the red pepper flakes. Toss to coat and set let sit for 20 minutes for flavors to build.
- Cook the shrimp: In a large skillet, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the shrimp and garlic mixture to the skillet, spacing evenly in the pan. Cook for 1 to 1 ½ minutes then flip the shrimps over when they begin to become opaque. Cook for 1 more minute or so, watching so the shrimp turn golden but don't brown too much and the garlic doesn't burn. Transfer the shrimp to a small bowl or plate. If you have browned bits of garlic, move the skillet from the heat and remove the browned garlic as it will be bitter.
- Make the sauce: Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in the skillet over medium heat and add the remaining garlic. Cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant then stir in the white wine and lemon juice. Cook for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens and reduces by half, stirring occasionally.
- Finish the dish: Add the shrimp with any juices back to the pan and stir in the last tablespoon of butter and ½ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste. Sprinkle with the minced parsley, stir, and cook for 1 more minute. Serve warm with sourdough bread for dipping, or over pasta or rice.
Nutrition
More Shrimp Recipes to Try Next
- Easy Shrimp Cocktail
- Fried Shrimp Po Boys
- Peel ‘N Eat Beer Steamed Shrimp
- Crispy Baked Garlic Shrimp
- Saucy Greek Baked Shrimp
- Pan-Seared Citrus Shrimp Recipe
- Shrimp In Thai Coconut Sauce
- Grilled Garlic Shrimp
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