Easy Shrimp Scampi is a classic! Succulent shrimp swimming in garlic butter sauce is ready in about 20 minutes and will leave you wanting to lick your plate!
Shrimp scampi is one of those dishes I order whenever it’s on the menu. It can be an appetizer or main dish – if it’s available, it’s mine! Scampi is a recipe that’s so perfectly simple it’s hard not to love. I mean come on. Butter, white wine, garlic, and shrimp with a little spice?! This recipe is everything friends! I love to make this easy shrimp scampi when we’re having people over to get those fancy “you cooked!” points. But I’ve also been known to whip it up to munch on a lazy weekend. We tear apart some bread and it in the sauce and yum! But it’s also great served over pasta for dinner. There’s no wrong answer when it comes to choosing how to enjoy your shrimp.
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I have to make a little confession you guys. Normally I would serve my shrimp scampi with spaghetti for the pasta. But I found out, in the middle of cooking, our new microwave wasn’t sealed. How? The vent blew particle board pieces everywhere. I may have lost it for a minute. Long story short, I had to restart the sauce and pasta, but all I had was fettuccine…so here we are. Fettuccine is completely fine to use of course, but I like a thinner pasta for this dish.
What is scampi sauce made of?
The ingredients for this garlic shrimp scampi recipe are crazy simple. Maybe that’s why it’s so darn good!
- Unsalted Butter
- Garlic
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Medium-Sized Shrimp
- Salt and Pepper
- Fresh Lemon Juice
- White Wine
- Fresh Parsley
- Olive Oil (optional)
We’ve been ordering the shrimp scampi at Carrabba’s as an appetizer with toasted/crusty bread for years. It’s amazing! The zing from the lemon in the garlic butter sauce it everything. And you know what? I’d take the Pepsi challenge with this recipe against Carrabba’s any day. Yeah. I said it. I think this is the best shrimp scampi recipe around.
How to Make Shrimp Scampi
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously salt the water and add pasta. Cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain pasta.
- While pasta is cooking, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the garlic and red pepper flakes for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add to the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until they turn pink. Remove the shrimp and set aside in a bowl.
- Add lemon juice and wine to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Add remaining butter and cook until just melted. Turn off the heat.
- Add the shrimp and cooked pasta to the skillet. Toss to coat the pasta in the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and chopped parsley.
How do you thicken shrimp scampi sauce?
The short answer? Cornstarch slurry. If you don’t like the classic shrimp scampi sauce, mix together 1 tablespoon of water and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Add it into the sauce and stir in before returning the shrimp to the skillet.
A word to the wise: shrimp scampi sauce uses melted butter with white wine and lemon juice for the sauce. It’s not supposed to be thick at all. A thin sauce is fine and totally expected. Roll with it.
This recipe is super easy to double up if you’re serving a crowd. Since the shrimp and pasta cook quickly it’s a great meal for busy weeknights too! Take a bite and thank me later.
More crave-able shrimp recipes
- Easy Shrimp Alfredo
- Mango & Shrimp Quesadillas
- Sun-Dried Tomato & Balsamic Shrimp Pasta
- More seafood recipes
More quick and easy dinner ideas
- Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Parmesan Crusted Salmon
- Seasoned Chicken Tacos
- Pizza Muffins
- More dinner recipes
Easy Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients
- 16 ounces long pasta uncooked (spaghetti or linguine)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 4 cloves garlic thin sliced
- ¼ medium shallot minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pound shrimp (16/20 size)
- ¼ cup dry white wine (I like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Fresh parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously salt the water and add pasta. Cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain pasta.
- While pasta is cooking, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the garlic, shallot, and red pepper flakes for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add to the skillet and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until pink, turning once. Remove the shrimp and set aside in a bowl.
- Add lemon juice and wine to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter and cook until just melted. Turn off the heat.
- Add the shrimp and cooked pasta to the skillet. Toss to coat the pasta in sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
Tammy says
Absolutely fantastic!!!!!!
Peggy says
Just made this for my husband. He loved it asked for seconds.
Theresa says
Thanks for sharing!! Really good!!1😊
Michelle says
Quick, easy recipe! Added extra tablespoon of butter, and a splash or two of low sodium chicken broth, after reading reviews. I didn’t use all the pasta, as it was just for my husband. Made two large hungry man servings. He loved it!! He wants the other serving for his lunch tomorrow. Will follow this recipe again.
Melissa Delaney says
Made this tonight and was so good,
Deb says
Really excellent! I think the shallot actually makes a big difference, one of the best scampis we’ve made. Only things I did differently were adding a little extra lemon juice and some lemon peel, and our shrimp were in the 21-25 range, frozen (precooked) so I added them just for a couple of minutes near the end. I also have some lemon olive oil which I put in about a tablespoon at the end and a tablespoon of regular olive oil for tossing. Bumped up the lemon flavor a bit. Delicious!