Y’all have to try this easy shrimp scampi recipe. It’s quick, simple, and has restaurant flavor without the restaurant bill! You just sauté some shrimp in a buttery, garlicky sauce, then let them simmer with a splash of white wine and a few spices. I’ve made this shrimp scampi with pasta recipe for almost two decades, and I can confidently say it’s slap yo mama good!
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How to Make This Easy Shrimp Scampi Recipe
Step 1: Add ¼ cup butter to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Once the butter melts, add the shrimp.
Step 2: Sprinkle with salt and pepper to season and sauté until they turn pink. Then remove and place to the side
Step 3: Add minced garlic and cook.
Next, pour in the wine and lemon juice. Lower heat to medium-low and reduce the sauce by about half.
Step 4: Season with red pepper flakes, 2 tablespoons of parsley, and garlic powder. Stir together, and toss back in the shrimp.
Step 5: Turn off heat and swirl in butter.
Step 6: Top with parsley as garnish and serve over linguine noodles (or your favorite pairing!).
PRO TIP: Serving this with pasta? Boil your noodles first. Shrimp wait for no one, and scampi is best served HOT right out the skillet!
Easy Shrimp Scampi Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
For the Shrimp Scampi:
- 6 tablespoons Butter
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined, fresh or thawed frozen
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup white wine or broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pound linguine or pasta of choice
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, until just al dente.
For the Shrimp Scampi:
- Add Butter to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once melted, add shrimp. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté for about 1 or 2 minutes on each side until the shrimp turn pink. Remove and set to the side
- Add minced garlic and cook for just about 30 seconds.
- Next pour in wine and lemon juice then season with red pepper flakes, 2 tablespoons of parsley and garlic powder. Stir together, lower heat to medium low and reduce sauce by about half. Then toss back in shrimp.
- Turn off heat and swirl in butter. Top with parsley as garnish once plated over pasta.
Notes
- Get everything prepped ahead of time. This garlic butter shrimp scampi moves fast, so make sure your ingredients are chopped, measured, and ready to go.
- Use large peeled and deveined shrimp if you can. Small ones cook in a flash and can get rubbery real quick. I like to go with 16/20 count for this recipe.
- If your shrimp ain’t cleaned, clean em up right. Use a paring knife or kitchen shears to cut along the back, then pull out that dark vein with a toothpick or the knife tip and rinse under cold water.
- Shrimp cook super fast, boos. You’ll know they’re ready when they curl into a loose “C” and turn a nice pink.
- Fridge: Let your shrimp scampi cool to room temp, then transfer it to an airtight container and pop it in the fridge. It’ll stay fresh for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: Warm it gently in a skillet over low heat with a splash of broth or a little extra butter to loosen the sauce. Don’t crank the heat or you’ll dry out the shrimp! Just heat it until warmed through.
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Prep everything first. This garlic butter shrimp scampi comes together real quick, so have your ingredients chopped, measured, and close.
- Go with large peeled and deveined shrimp. Small shrimp cook in seconds and can turn chewy fast. For this easy shrimp scampi recipe, I like using 16/20 count shrimp.
- If your shrimp aren’t clean, clean em good. Take a paring knife or kitchen shears and slice along the back. Pull out that vein with a toothpick or the tip of the knife, then rinse under cold water.
- Shrimp really don’t take long, boos. You’ll know they’re done when they curl into a loose “C” and turn pink with a little pop.
Serving Suggestions
- Pasta: You can serve this garlicky shrimp scampi with angel hair pasta (aka capellini) for a classic shrimp scampi pasta vibe, but it’s also amazing tossed with linguine, spaghetti, fettuccine, or even penne.
- Rice or Mash: Spoon it over a bed of fluffy white rice or mashed potatoes. They both soak up all that buttery sauce!
- Grits: Go Southern-style and pile your shrimp scampi over creamy grits, cheese grits, or cauliflower grits.
- Salads and Veggies: Whip up a crisp Caesar salad, cucumber and onion salad, or a batch of balsamic Brussels sprouts and steamed veggies.
- Bread: Don’t forget the bread, boos! Garlic bread, cheesy garlic breadsticks, or a warm crusty baguette to mop up every drop of that buttery scampi sauce.
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I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Recipe Help
It’s up to you, boo. Leaving the tails on can add a lil more flavor to the sauce, but I usually take them off so it’s easier to eat.
If you really wanna make the best shrimp scampi recipe, go for a dry and crisp white wine. Skip the sweet wines!
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Amazing. I loved every bite.
Wonderful!! My boyfriend kept getting more until it was all gone! It’s full of flavor and grits are super creamy. I used instant but doctored then with lots of milk + cream and it was perfect! Super quick + easy!! Will definitely make this again! Thank you!
This recipe is fun and so incredibly delicious! I cooked this meal with my husband and four daughters as a family in home date night and it was such a blast to make and even more fun to eat. There were ZERO leftovers by the time dinner was over. Amazing!
Looks and sounds wonderful. I am a huge shrimp and grits fan. Will be trying this soon. I have a concern about leaving the shrimp in while reducing sauce, won’t the shrimp over cook?
I tried this recipe last night for a birthday dinner with the family. We live in New Orleans and know good food. This dish was so good, and it was easy to make. I think my favorite part was the grits. I’ve never cooked them like that, but i loved the touch of sweetness and the consistency. Thank you so much for a keeper recipe!
I always look forward to seeing the most beautiful baby on earth! 🙂
This I’m sure is a super tasty recipe, but I suppose I have to find lower saturated fat version, I have diabetes & high cholesterol.
I will definitely be making these shrimp and grits. It sounds wonderful.
Thanks so much! Super delish!
This recipe looks almost too good to eat!! Thanks for sharing!!!
My grandsons love fish and grits, so this recipe was a winner .
Hooray!