Shrimp Scampi (Quick and Easy)

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There is just so comforting about a big bowl of delicious pasta. And this shrimp dish hits all the right notes.

This dish is so flavorful, it truly is restaurant-quality. However, the ingredients are simple and straightforward. Serve with a classic Caesar salad, Italian dinner rolls, and a nice bottle of wine for an amazing Italian-themed feast at home. And it comes together in about 30 minutes!

An overhead view of an oval platter filled with shrimp scampi being flanked by lemon wedges and a large golden serving spoon.

How to Make Shrimp Scampi

As mentioned, this dish comes together in just about 30 minutes

However, you can make it even easier on yourself and sear the shrimp in advance and then finish the sauce off just as guests are arriving.

 

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The Ingredients You Will Need

There truly are just a handful of ingredients in this dish, but they just work beautifully together.

Here’s What You’ll Need to Pick Up

Shrimp – Large, or extra large. Leave the tails on for a pretty presentation.
Salt and Pepper – For the shrimp and for the sauce
Oil – Quality olive oil is best
Garlic – Lots of it!
Wine – Dry and white, such as Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc
Worcestershire sauce – Adds a subtle depth of flavor
Lemon juice – Plenty of it, freshly squeezed is best
Stock – Chicken, vegetable, or seafood will work
Butter – Unsalted, plenty of it!
Parsley – Freshly chopped, for garnish
PastaLinguine is a great choice. Steamed rice is a nice choice, too.

EXPERT TIP: You’ll want to make sure you get your pan/skillet nice and hot. The olive oil should be shimmering before you toss in the garlic. It’s important to stir the garlic constantly. This will lightly brown the garlic, but not burn it. If starting the turn a dark brown, turn off the heat and toss the shrimp in the skillet. The shrimp will be cooked when very pink and curled, about 4 minutes.

An overhead view of pink seared shrimp in a large stainless steel skillet with a wooden spatula off the side.

Tips for Perfect Shrimp Scampi

Mise en Place – Because you’re cooking with shrimp, the dish comes together very quickly. Because it’s important to have all of the ingredients prepped and in their place (aka Mise en Place). You won’t have time to grab anything from the fridge without the danger of overcooking or burning. Plan accordingly for cooking your pasta, too.

Make a Sauce Reduction – You’ll want to make sure you simmer the sauce on fairly high heat for about 7 to 8 minutes. It doesn’t need to be a strong boil, but should be simmering strongly. This will concentrate the flavors and reduce the sauce by about half. There should be enough sauce to coat the pasta, and that’s it. Be sure to save a little sauce on the side for dipping bread slices!

Serve at Once – Though leftovers do heat up perfectly fine (and deliciously), we recommend serving this fresh off the stove just after the shrimp have been added and the butter has melted. Fresh is definitely best with scampi!

EXPERT TIP: After you’ve sautéed the garlic and shrimp, you’ll need to remove it from the pan, and then add the remaining ingredients, except the butter. Simmer on medium-high until the sauce has concentrated, and reduced almost in half. Stir in the butter until melted.

A person using a wooden flat spatula to stir small pallets of butter in a large skillet filled with simmering broth and minced garlic.

How To Serve

As mentioned, we think the sauce and shrimp pair perfectly with pasta cooked al dente (not too mushy!). For an extra special meal, make the pasta from scratch! It’s easier than you might think!

We like to transfer the shrimp and sauce to a large platter with a serving spoon, and then the cooked pasta in a separate bowl. You can toss the pasta with a couple of splashes of olive oil to keep the strands from sticking to each other.

This recipe 3 to people. It can easily be doubled to serve 6 to 8 folks.

EXPERT TIP: Toss in a pinch of red pepper flakes to spice things up a tiny bit. That’s optional, but we find it’s a wonderful contrast to the lemon and butter. But, remember, a little goes a long way. Or, serve it tableside, and let guests add on their own.

An overhead view of a large silver skillet filled with shrimp scampi in a white wine and butter sauce.

Other Classic Italian or American-Itlain Dishes To Try

You just can’t go wrong with classic Italian dishes or those more associated with Italian-American recipes. Here are a collection of our favorites:

Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo
Chicken Marsala
Chicken Francese
Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Pasta Primavera
Chicken Piccata
Classic Bolognese Lasagna
White Chicken and Spinach Lasagna
Baked Ziti
Italian Stuffed Shells
Fettuccine with Creamy Sausage Sauce

Now, in the meantime, aren’t you craving a big serving of this shrimp scampi?

Two pasta bowls each filled with a serving of shrimp scampi both sitting next to a glass of white wine.

This is truly Italian-American cuisine at its very best.

This dish will rival any scampi served at just about any restaurant you try.

And it’s so quick and easy! Double win!

A fork being used to hold up cooked pasta that is twirled on the utensil with a sautéed shrimp also attached.

Ready to make one of the best Italian dishes this side of Little Italy, NYC? Go for it!

And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!

An overhead view of an oval platter filled with shrimp scampi being flanked by lemon wedges and a large golden serving spoon.

(Quick and Easy) Shrimp Scampi

This shrimp scampi is definitely quick and easy, but the results are without a doubt restaurant-quality. The sauce, alone, is worth writing home about. Serve over linguine or rice, and with plenty of fresh, crusty bread for soaking. So good!
5 from 17 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Italian, Italian / American
Keyword: easy Italian seafood dish, now to make shrimp scampi
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 599kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Large skillet/saucepan

Ingredients

  • 1 lb large shrimp peeled and deveined - leave the tails on (if desired)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp garlic minced
  • 1 cup quality dry white wine don't use cooking wine!
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 5 tbsp fresh lemon juice about 2 lemons
  • ¼ cup chicken stock
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter ½ stick
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes optional
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
  • 1 lb linguine cooked, if desired

Instructions

  • Lightly season the shrimp all over with salt and pepper.
  • Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat.
  • Add the garlic and cook until translucent and lightly browned, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add the shrimp and sauté until pink and fully cooked, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Transfer cooked shrimp to a platter or plate.
  • In the same pan, over medium-high heat, add the wine, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and stock. Bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat to medium and cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 6 - 7 minutes.
  • Whisk in butter and season to taste with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper.
  • Add shrimp to re-heat, tossing to coat well with sauce, for about 1 minute.
  • Sprinkle with parsley, just before serving. Serve directly over pasta or rice, or separately. Serve at once.

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. 
You can leave the tails on the shrimp if desired. Just be sure to remove as much of the shell as possible. 
There should be enough sauce to coat the pasta, however, if you like extra sauce, then double the sauce ingredients (wine, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, chicken stock, and butter). You'll need to let the sauce reduce for about 15 minutes. 
Leftovers will keep covered in the fridge for up 3 days. Gently reheat on the stove, adding a little more stock, as needed. 

Nutrition

Calories: 599kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 91mg | Potassium: 338mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 597IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe? Take a Picture!Mention @HowToFeedALoon or tag #HowToFeedALoon!

POST UPDATE: This recipe was originally published in April 2018, but was updated with improved tweaks to the recipe with new tips and photography and a fabulous new video in February 2023!

60 Comments

  • Oh my gosh, guys! Made this for our special Valentine’s Day dinner, and it was amazing. And to quote Wesley, “The SAUCE!” Added a bit of Aleppo pepper for the chili flakes. I think this may be our ‘special occasion’ meal from now on. Thanks, Kris & Wesley!

    • Hi Kate! Yay! Happy Valentine’s Day!! We are so so happy you made our shrimp scampi for the special meal and you had such great success. And the addition of aleppo sounds GREAT! Thank you so much for letting us know! Stay in touch! xoxo Kris & Wesley

  • 5 stars
    Incredible! I love your recipes, and this one did not let me down. I will admit, I did not have shrimp, but did have scallops on hand and aside from that one change, every other detail was followed step by step.

    My daughter took one bite and asked for the recipe, as she wants to impress her boyfriend. Thank you for your humor, love of food and willingness to share with all of us how to recreate your delicious meals!

    • Hi Abby! Scallops are AMAZING in this dish! BRAVO!! We are thrilled you and your daughter enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for sharing and thank you so so much for the GREAT review! That means the world to us! Kris & Wesley

  • 5 stars
    Thank you for another amazing dinner! I added the shrimp shells to my freezer bag and used the fork tine trick to devein the shrimp. It was a long day and this was a super simple, fabulous meal to end the day! I made 2 stock pots of beef stock today as well. Any takers for cleaning up? :))

    • Wow Wow Wow! Claire! You’ve been busy in the kitchen and being a culinary rock star! We are so so impressed! And we are thrilled you loved shrimp scampi! And you are a pro! Freezing those shrimp shells will come in really handy someday! Thanks so much for sharing and for the GREAT review! That truly means the world to us!! All the best, Kris & Wesley

  • 5 stars
    This was spectacular!! I have been making my own variation of Shrimp Scampi for years but this added a little bit of something extra. The flavors just work so well together. I was a bit skeptical about the Worstishire sauce but I admit it was delicious. I will be sure to save this one!!!

    • Hi AnnMarie!! YAY!!! We are so so happy you loved our shrimp scampi recipe! That has been a favorite of ours for many years so it just fills our hearts with joy to hear you had such great success with the dish. Thank you so much for letting us know and for the GREAT review. That honestly means so much to us!! Please stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley

    • 5 stars
      THIS SAUCE. I’ve made your recipe six times now, and it’s one of the most sublime things I’ve ever tasted. We have a German intern living with us, and I made this tonight. That very proper German *drank* the sauce from his plate. I mean, I did too, but I do it every time.

      Thanks so much for putting this recipe out into the ether and into my life. It’s perfect.

      • Alicia!! You have no idea how happy you have just made us! This shrimp scampi recipe has been one of our all-time favorites for many, many years. It fills our hearts with joy when other home cooks have such great success with it, too!! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing and for the wonderful review. That honestly means the world to us!! All the very best, Kris & Wesley

  • Best scampi sauce ever! My husband and I are of the “crusty bread accompaniment” so sauce is paramount!

    Will make this again with double the sauce!

    • HI Sheila! Woo hoo!! We are so so happy you and your husband enjoyed our shrimp scampi recipe. That has been one our all-time favorites for years! And you are so right…THE SAUCE!!!! Made for delicious crusty bread! YUM! Thanks for letting us know and please stay in touch! Best, Kris & Wesley

  • 5 stars
    Far and away the best shrimp scampi I’ve ever had! My partner and I served it with polenta. He will not stop talking about it!

    • Jim!!! Yay!!! That is SO AWESOME! We are THRILLED you and your partner loved our scampi recipe! That has been one of our favorites for many, many years. So so so glad you had such great success with it! And THANK YOU SO MUCH for letting us know and for the wonderful review! That means the world to us!! All the best, Kris & Wesley

  • 5 stars
    Made this for dinner tonight. Absolutely delicious! This will go into our regular rotation especially when we have shrimp loving company. If you love shrimp and great sauce make sure you try this! Thanks guys!!!

    • Hi Margaret! Woo hoo!! That is awesome to hear! So glad you enjoyed the shrimp and grits! That has been one of our most favorite recipes for a long time. Thank you for letting us know about your success with the dish and for the wonderful review! That means the world to us! Thanks so much! All the very best, Kris & Wesley

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