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!
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
Pasta – Linguine 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.
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.
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.
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?
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!
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!
(Quick and Easy) Shrimp Scampi
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
Nutrition
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!
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Hubby and I loved this recipe. Wish Hubby hadn’t liked it so much so I could have it all for myself. Will definitely have this many times more.
Hi Deb! We are so so happy to hear that you and your hubby loved shrimp scampi so much! Next time you may need to double the recipe! LOL! Thanks so much for letting us know and especially for the GREAT review! All the best, Kris & Wesley
This is the best scampi recipe I’ve ever tasted! The instructions are incredibly easy to follow. Served over roasted spaghetti squash and added some scallops to the shrimp just for fun. This is definitely going to the top of the seafood recipe list! Thanks so much!
Wendy, thank you SO MUCH!! We are so so thrilled to hear you had such success with the scampi recipe! That’s one of our all-time favorites for sure! Thank you for letting us know and for the GREAT review! Take care and stay in touch! Best, Kris & Wesley
Quick, easy, and delicious! Directions are clear enough that I used it for entertaining on my first go at it, which I almost NEVER do.
Would certainly recommend this to my friends
AWESOME, JR!! Thank you so much and we are so glad you loved the scampi. It’s definitely one of our favorite dishes of all time! Stay in touch! Best, Kris & Wesley
This was Delicious! We will be making this again and sharing it with family and friends. Thanks!
AWESOME!! So glad you enjoyed the shrimp scampi! That’s been one of our favorite dishes for years!! And thank you for letting us know!! Stay in touch! Best, Kris & Wesley