Easy Creamy Shrimp Scampi

Name: Shrimp Scampi
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons of olive oil; 4 tablespoons of butter; 5 cloves of minced garlic; 1 1/4 pound of large shrimp; 1/4 cup of dry white wine; 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper; 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice; 1/4 cup of chopped parsley; 1 pinch of salt; 1 pinch of black pepper

This incredibly easy shrimp scampi recipe takes only ten minutes to make from start to finish and is so delicious that it can even beat the restaurant version!

American Cuisine

June 26, 2021

Difficulty Easy

Servings 4 people

Preparation 5 mins

Cooking 5 mins

Total 10 mins

Recipe Contents

Ingredients Directions Nutrition Equipments Tips

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil
4 tablespoons of butter
5 cloves of minced garlic
1 1/4 pound of large shrimp
1/4 cup of dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup of chopped parsley
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of black pepper

Directions

Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pan or skillet. Add garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds to a minute or until fragrant.
Add the shrimp and season with salt and pepper to taste before sautéing for 1 to 2 minutes on each side.
Pour in the dry white wine and add red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer for 1-2 minutes, or until the wine reduces by about half and the shrimp is cooked through.
Add the remaining butter, lemon juice, and parsley, take off the heat, and enjoy your easy shrimp scampi.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 Shrimp Scampi

Serves 4

Amount Per Serving

Calories291

% Daily Value*

Protein 35 g70%

Total Fat 13 g16.7%

Cholesterol 458 mg152.7%

Sodium 1427 mg62%

Potassium 186 mg4%

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Tips

Have all your ingredients ready and on hand. Shrimp scampi cooks super-fast and can easily over-cook if left unsupervised.
This recipe calls for cooking the shrimp in a butter/oil combination to prevent the butter from burning. You can use only butter if you want to, but the butter will likely begin to brown while the shrimp is still cooking.
Peel and devein your shrimp before cooking, and either remove the tails or leave them on as per your preference.
Only cook your shrimp until they turn pink. Be careful not to overcook, as overcooking shrimp ruins their texture and makes them tough and rubbery.
When cooking shrimp in the sauce, do it so there’s an even layer of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes on the shrimp.
Cook your pasta so it's ready at about the same time as the hot shrimp scampi sauce and keep it from sticking by tossing it with a little olive oil. Do not rinse the pasta with water to avoid washing away the starch that will allow the sauce to stick.
Use fatty and juicy extra-large or jumbo shrimp for best results. If you want something more bite-sized that doesn’t need to be cut, then use the same amount by weight of a smaller shrimp size, like medium shrimp.
Wild-caught and fresh shrimp give the best results, but it is also completely fine to use frozen shrimp from your local grocery store. When using frozen shrimp, use it immediately after thawing.
Since minced garlic is such a key ingredient in this recipe, avoid substituting it with garlic powder or paste. Use fresh garlic for best results.
Red pepper flakes are optional for this recipe but if you use them, be sure to do so sparingly.
While you can use bottled lemon juice for this recipe, prefer to use freshly squeezed lemon juice for best results.

Rate This Recipe

Never made shrimp scampi before? No worries. This easy shrimp scampi recipe is so simple, even a complete beginner can use it to make fancy-looking shrimp scampi that will impress even the most critical of houseguests. With guaranteed buttery and creamy shrimp scampi every time, this recipe is reliable yet insanely versatile. It can be served with a side as dinner or on its own as a scrumptious appetizer. And it takes only 10 minutes to make it from scratch.

Equipment for this recipe

Frying Pan

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What Is Shrimp Scampi?

Shrimp scampi is an Italian-American dish consisting of juicy, perfectly cooked shrimp and a garlic butter shrimp scampi sauce. It originated in Italy and was first made using just scampi. But when the dish came to America, scampi was replaced with shrimp, and both names were kept.

How to Make Shrimp Scampi from Scratch?

To make this easy shrimp scampi from scratch, heat up a mixture of oil and butter in a large pan and sauté some garlic. Cook the shrimp in the same pan and add the white wine. Simmer for a couple of minutes before adding the remaining butter, lemon juice, and parsley, and then take off the heat.

What Is Scampi Sauce Made Of?

Shrimp scampi sauce has three main ingredients, lemon, butter, and garlic, but some recipes also call for red pepper flakes, lemon juice, concentrated shrimp stock, cherry tomatoes, and mustard. You can also use a combination of oil and butter instead of just butter.

How Do You Thicken Shrimp Scampi Sauce?

To thicken your shrimp scampi sauce, whisk in some cold butter, a little at a time, into the warm sauce. This will emulsify the sauce and thicken it as the butter melts, resulting in a considerably richer consistency and deeper flavor.

The Best Wine for Shrimp Scampi?

When making this shrimp scampi recipe with wine, use a high-quality crisp dry white wine like Sav Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or Chardonnay. Avoid using sweet wines as they are likely to take away from the savory flavor of the scampi.

How To Make Shrimp Scampi Without Wine?

To make this easy shrimp scampi without wine, substitute white wine with homemade or store-bought chicken broth. You can also use homemade fish broth or just omit wine from the recipe altogether.

What to Serve with Shrimp Scampi?

Serve shrimp scampi with rice, pasta, garlic bread, and steamed vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli. Any long pasta noodle like linguine, fettuccine, angel hair, or spaghetti will work well, and you can also use zucchini noodles (either mixed with pasta or without) for some low-carb, healthy shrimp scampi.

How To Store Shrimp Scampi?

Shrimp scampi, when properly stored in airtight containers and refrigerated, remains fresh for about 2 days. Scampi can also be frozen for up to 2 months in airtight containers or freezer bags and thawed overnight in the refrigerator before use.

Recipe byPetite Gourmets