A Classic Italian Favorite Made Simply At Home
Shrimp scampi is a timeless Italian dish that effortless combines tender shrimp with a luscious, garlicky butter sauce, fresh herbs, and lemon juice. Served over linguine, this meal is not only quick-to-make (if you boil the water before you cook the shrimp, it’ll take just 25 minutes total!), but will make you feel like you’re eating at a fancy Italian restaurant. Between this and my crispy shrimp Parmesan, I guess we can enjoy Italian comfort food at home!
Why this recipe works
- Quick cook time makes it a dream for busy weeknights!
- Shrimp are one of the more budget-friendly shellfish, which makes this meal inexpensive on top of delicious!
- Garlic butter lemon sauce. The shrimp are basically swimming in the most slurpable pasta sauce imaginable. Need I say more?!
The perfect balance between comfort and elegance. And it’s delicious year-round. Let’s make it!
Interested in learning how to make more restaurant-worthy pasta dishes at home? Try my quick and easy spicy crab pasta, shrimp fra diavolo, or this lemon garlic pasta with shrimp and scallops (also a 25 minute meal!) next.
What You’ll Need
In addition to fresh or dried pasta (I’m using good ol’ linguine, but of course any shape will work–I recommend something long and thin), you’ll need just a few more ingredients: unsalted butter, extra virgin olives oil, garlic, kosher salt, and crushed red pepper flakes, all of which you likely already have at home. I also recommend finishing all pastas with a pinch of flaky sea salt.
What you may need to buy from the store: raw shrimp (peeled and deveined, but you can choose to leave tails on or off), a lemon, and fresh parsley.
If you love all these ingredients, but want to swap out the shrimp, try the same recipe with chicken or scallops next! Or, for a slight twist, try my spaghetti alle vongole, a pasta with a similar flavor profile that features fresh clams.
Ingredient Substitutions
- You can absolutely use frozen shrimp! Just be sure to thaw them overnight in a fridge until completely defrosted. Another method for thawing is to run the frozen shrimp under cool water for about 15-20 minutes prior to cooking.
- To make gluten-free, simply substitute the pasta with your favorite gluten-free pasta.
- Alcohol-free? The wine can be replaced with chicken or vegetable stock, but know it won’t taste quite the same.
Directions
Full instruction and ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Add linguine, stir well, then cook until al dente. Before draining, reserve at least ½ cup (or more) of pasta water to help make the scampi sauce later.
- Sauté garlic. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes, then cook, stirring often, until the garlic is light golden brown and fragrant.
- Add wine. Increase the heat to medium-high, then pour in white wine. Simmer until reduced by about half. This will take about 2 minutes. (Remember, use a wine that’s good enough to drink, as the flavor will intensify!)
- Cook the shrimp. Add the shrimp to the skillet, season with salt and pepper, then cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. Stir, cook for another minute, then add the drained pasta, lemon zest, lemon juice, and reserved pasta water. Toss to thoroughly coat.
- Finish and serve! Stir in chopped parsley, then divide evenly between bowls. To serve, drizzle each with a little extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with flaky sea salt and black pepper. Enjoy!
The last time I made scampi at home, I drizzled a little chili oil on top before serving and whoa mama was it good! Don’t knock it ’till you try it!
Tips For Making Shrimp Scampi:
- First and foremost, don’t overcook the shrimp! They cook really quickly, but can easily go from tender and plump to rubbery. Remove from the heat as soon as they turn opaque.
- Reserve pasta water: This is the key to achieving a silky sauce consistency.
- Use fresh ingredients. When you have a recipe with so few ingredients, you can tell when the ingredients are high-quality (or not). Don’t skimp on things like fresh lemon juice!
- Tail-on shrimp for presentation. This is totally personal preference, but you can leave the tails on if you like the way it looks. Personally, I find it a pain to remove them while eating (though I insist on leaving tails on for dishes like oven-roasted shrimp with oregano–a stunning presentation!).
Make-Ahead and Store
- To make-ahead: While shrimp scampi is undeniably best served fresh, you can prep ingredients (eg, chop garlic, zest lemon) in advance to streamline cooking.
- Store: Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Reheating: Warm gently in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water or broth to loosen the sauce. Avoid microwaving to prevent overcooking the shrimp.
Unfortunately, scampi doesn’t freeze well due to the delicate texture of the shrimp and the butter-based sauce.
Serving Suggestions
Be sure to grab some crusty bread to soak up every last bit of sauce! Additionally, I like to serve this with a crisp green salad (try my easy romaine salad!) — something with a light vinaigrette. Roasted vegetables would also make a great side dish.
Wine Pairing!
If you’re looking to pair shrimp scampi with a glass of wine, try a cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis, or Pinot Grigio.
An all-around restaurant quality meal at home. And man will your kitchen smell amazing! Give this a try the next time you’re in the mood for a garlicky shrimp pasta!
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25-Minute Shrimp Scampi with Linguine
Ingredients
For the Pasta
- 1 lb (454g) linguine or spaghetti
- ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 5 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ cup (119ml) dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Chablis
- 1 lb extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium lemon zested, about 2 tsp
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, from ½ medium lemon
- ½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
For Serving
- High-quality extra virgin olive oil
- Flaky sea salt
- Crusty bread
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil, then add a tablespoon of kosher salt. Add 1 lb (454g) linguine, then cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 9 minutes. Before draining, reserve about ½ cup of the cooking water.
- Sauté the garlic. Heat ¼ cup (57g) butter and ¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat (no higher or the garlic will burn!). Add 5 cloves of chopped garlic and ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, then cook slowly until light golden brown and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add wine. Increase the heat to medium-high, then pour in ½ cup dry white wine. Allow to simmer and reduce by about half. This should take about 2 minutes.
- Cook the shrimp. Add 1 lb shrimp to the pan, season with 1 tsp kosher salt and ¼ tsp black pepper, then cook undisturbed until opaque on the first side, about 2 minutes. Give them a good stir, cook for 1 more minute, then add the drained pasta to the pan along with 2 tsp lemon zest, 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, and ¼ cup of reserved pasta cooking water (you can add more if you want). Use tongs to thoroughly toss. Stir in ½ cup of chopped parsley.
- Finish, then serve! Divide evenly between bowls, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, then finish with extra black pepper and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Enjoy!
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in a fridge for up to 2 days. I do not recommend freezing.
- To reheat: Warm gently in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water or broth to loosen the sauce. Avoid microwaving to prevent overcooking the shrimp.
Nutrition
Photography by Jo Harding.
Loved the 25 minute Shrimp Scampi tonight! So delicious! Will definitely do again real soon!
I’m such a sucker for a garlic lemon butter sauce! So glad you loved this shrimp scampi, thank you! Cheers, Ari
This is one of my very favorite recipes …among others. I tried many of your recipes and I honestly cannot say which one is the best as there’s so many to choose from.
I specifically love your seafood and also lamb recipes. They’re all a showstopper at my dinner parties!!! And I treat myself and enjoy your various dishes on my own as well!! Thank you very much!!!
Thank you so much, this truly made my day! I love this one too — what’s not to like about a garlic butter sauce with seafood?! I’m so grateful for the support. Cheers, Ari
This is another winner pasta recipe to rotate for dinner or lunch. My family loves it. Thank you Ari 😉
I made this tonight and followed the recipe to a T. Overall very good but we both felt it was really salty. Next time I won’t salt the water and I’ll only make 1/2 lb as the pasta to shrimp ratio was overwhelming. Normally we love red pepper flakes but this added a bit too much heat. I really wanted the lemony garlic flavor to dominate instead. It’ll go into the rotation with a few minor tweaks!