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!
If you peeled the shrimp yourself, you can make some shrimp stock to replace all or some of the chicken stock. Put the shells in the same sauté pan you ar going to use for scampi, maybe with couple drops of oil over med high heat. Let them get blustery and slightly brown stir to get all sides. Add some water and simmer for a while
Hello. Thank you for an awesome recipe. Just made it and my family devoured it. I love and appreciate the ease of making this dish. Definitely making this again and again!
Hello. Thank you for an awesome recipe. Just made it and my family devoured it. I love and appreciate the ease of making this dish. Definitely making this again and again!
Hi Anna! That is so awesome to hear and we are thrilled that you and your family loved the dish. Congrats!! Its’ definitely one of our all-time favorite dishes, too!! And thank you so much for letting us know. That means the world to us!! Stay in touch!! Best, Kris & Wesley
This was delicious! From the ingredients it sounded good, but all together it was incredible, just an explosion of flavors. Instead of shrimp I went with scallops. I did forget one of the post regarding coating the seafood in flour. The sauce was thin, I added a little of some Wonder flour, the sauce thickened perfectly. Thank you so much for the recipe!
That’s awesome to hear, Phillip! So glad you enjoyed it! It’s definitely one of our favorites! Best, Kris & Wesley
Best shrimp recipie ive heried. Added pesto-sauce and asparagus. To die for! Excellent combinatoin. Have fun “adjusting” to your taste. This was easy!!
Hi Keith!!
So glad you liked the recipe and your additions so wonderful!! Best, Kris & Wesley
I’m in Tulsa and THE shrimp truck is coming up from Galveston on Tuesday. The shrimp is fresh and amazing and I know what I’ll be making Tuesday evening! This ain’t Red Lobster shrimp scampi, is it? I’m so excited to try your recipe.
Hi Sherry! Oh, you are SOOOO right! This is definitely NOT Red Lobster shrimp scampi!! Don’t miss that Shrimp Truck! 🙂 Let us know how it turns out once you make it! We’re pretty sure you’re gonna love it!! xoxo Kris & Wesley
Hey Guys! 🙂
Have a lost my mind (please don’t answer) or did this recipe originally call for coating shrimp in flour?
Hi Chris!
You have not lost your mind! And sorry for making you a bit crazy! 🙂 I (Kris) am constantly refining recipes, and I updated this recipe without dredging the shrimp in the flour. You can definitely do that, and I love the crunch it adds, but if overdone, it can affect the sauce at the end. I love the simplicity of a quick sear and then build the sauce from there. So, this updated scampi recipe I believe is even better than the previous one. Hope that makes sense!
It turned out great. I guilded the lily and added lemon zest. Too tart but still great. I like the use of flour to give it texture and flavor.
Used spaghetti squash as pasta. Winner.
Thanks!
Keep up the fun of cooking
Sounds wonderful! I know what you mean, I just love citrus so much, and it’s sometimes easy to go a bit too much, but I bet it was still delicious! Spaghetti squash…YES! Thanks so much for letting us know, and please stay in touch! Much more fun in the kitchen to come!
Decided to make this for New Year Eve dinner. I usually make this dish during the holidays, I have a recipe, but I saw this and it looked so tasty I had to make it. Two Thumbs up from this Italian. My family originated from Calabria, I don’t remember my grandmother making Shrimp Scampi but since my boyfriend’s grandmother was from the northern part, I’m pretty sure this is how I had this dish.
The taste is awesome, the right amount of butter and wine, but it was the chicken broth that made it different, but I really like it. I will be making this again, this was saved in my Everything Italian board so I have it for next time. Thank you gentlemen, a wonderful recipe
Nothing makes us happier than this kind of message. We are so happy and pleased to hear that you and your Italian family enjoyed the recipe. This has been one of our favorite dishes for as long as we can remember.
We hope you and your loved ones have a joyous 2018 and please stay in touch.
All the best,
Kris & Wesley
This looks fabulous! I’m so excited to try it but is there a wine in particular you recommend?
Thank you, Ariana! A nice dry, but light white is nice. I’d go with a good Sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Grigio. Let us know how it turns out! You’re gonna love it! xo Kris & Wesley
I like to pin recipes that looks good, but also look for reviews, which are not many. Well, I made this today, and it … Was… Fabulous!! I made it with oven potatoes fries, also from here. This recipe will be fabulous with jasmine rice, pasta… Very happy girl! (And husband )
Hey there Maggie! Thank you so much! We are thrilled that you liked it. I have to tell you, this is one my all-time favorites. So crunchy, and delicious with the cocktail sauce. Yes! With Jasmine rice, and with pasta! You name it! Thanks again, and stay in touch! Kris (& Wesley)
Made this last night, loved the crunchy shrimp and the sauce was fabulous too. Will be making this again, a new family favorite for sure!
Maureen that is so great to hear! This shrimp scampi has been a favorite of ours for a long time. So glad you and your family like it! Cook on! Stay in touch. Kris & Wesley.
I tried this recipe but with fried tilapia it was awesome.
Wow! Sounds great! Love it! Thanks for sharing. I’ll have to try that sometime. Thanks!!
Absolutely great recipe!! Followed it exactly as written and it turned out as one of the best shrimp recipes I’ve ever made and pleased the whole family of 5!! Which is a rarity that everyone enjoyed it.
Awesome Sarah!! That truly makes me smile. we love schrimp scampi!!!!! So glad the family liked it, too. I know that can sometimes be a challenge! Stay in touch! Kris
This looks fantastic. I can’t wait to try it! Bookmarking your blog so I can follow regularly. 🙂
Hi Kelli,
Please come back often and let us know what you think!
My boyfriend and I made this for his family one night, it turned out excellent! The lemon was amazing in this. Thank you!
Thanks so much for the note, Elizabeth. I am so glad you made this and it was well received by the bf’s family! It’s always nice to keep the extended family happy! This is one of our favorite dishes, for sure. Hope to see you again! Kris
Shrimp, garlic, butter, wine, oh my! Thanks for sharing!!
Yummy, right, Robyn? It’s one of our definite favorites!!
This looks amazing and I’m so in love with our blog. It’s GORGEOUS!
Thanks, Ann! They are so good and so easy! We LOVE http://www.foodandfont.com, by the way!! Great site!! Kris & Wesley (The Loon)