This easy shrimp scampi recipe is weekday friendly and ready in 15 minutes! Sauté shrimp and garlic in butter and olive oil, then add wine and red pepper flakes for the best shrimp and scampi sauce ever. Everyone will want seconds!
Do you have a favorite meal for those days when you need something quick and don’t have to plan or work? I keep a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer only when I’m too busy to plan but want a quick and easy meal.
Shrimp Scampi: Easy and quick
I put some frozen shrimp in a bowl of ice water. If I serve them with pasta, by the time the pasta water boils, the shrimp will be thawed ready to cook.
Shrimp Scampi has to be one of the easiest ways to cook shrimp quickly!
How to make Shrimp Scampi
We simply sauté the shrimp with garlic in butter and olive oil, spritz them with some white wine, let the wine reduce while the shrimp cook, then toss with fresh parsley, lemon juice, and black pepper.
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Check out this Shrimp Scampi recipe
Choose shrimp for shrimp scampi
- Fresh or frozen? It’s really up to you.
- When buying fresh shrimp, look for shrimp that smell clean of the sea. If the shrimp smells fishy, it’s not fresh.
- When buying frozen shrimp, look for individually frozen shrimp. For this recipe you will need uncooked.
- Peeled or unpeeled? Again, it’s a matter of personal preference. It’s easier to eat shelled, but it tastes better unpeeled (and you can use the shells to make shrimp broth).
- All sizes? We prefer to use large or jumbo shrimp for this recipe, but that’s entirely up to you.
- Do you want sustainable shrimp? Check Seafood Watch.
Alternatives to wine in shrimp and scampi sauce
If you want a non-alcoholic version of the scampi sauce, you can substitute chicken stock for the white wine. You might want to up the lemon juice a bit, but try the sauce first.
You can also make a shrimp broth by simmering the shrimp shells in about 3/4 cup water for a few minutes. Strain and add the shrimp broth to the scampi sauce instead.
More Shrimp Recipes You’ll Love!
- crab cocktail
- Pan-fried shrimp fajitas
- Spicy garlic shrimp with coconut rice
- Bang bang shrimp tacos
- Shrimp ceviche
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Shrimp, scampi
If using frozen raw shrimp, quickly and safely defrost them by placing the shrimp in a large bowl of lightly salted ice water (1 1/2 teaspoons salt per quart of water).
We cook the shrimp scampi in butter and olive oil so we can cook over a relatively high heat without burning the butter but still impart the buttery flavor.
shell on? or peel off? It’s really up to you. Shrimp cooked with their shells are tastier because the shells add more flavor to the shrimp as they cook. But Shell-On is pickier to eat. If you remove the shells before cooking the shrimp, you can save them for making shellfish broth.
ingredients
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1 lb (count 16 to 20) large raw shrimppeeled and deveined (leave the tail on for an attractive presentation if you wish)
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2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
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2 to 3 tablespoon butter
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Salt
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3 to 4 cloves garliccrushed or 1 tablespoon minced garlic
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1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (less or more to taste)
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1/2 Cup White wine (we recommend a dry white wine, e.g. a Sauvignon Blanc)
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2 tablespoon finely chopped Parsely
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Fresh ground black pepper, taste
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1 tablespoon lemon juice
method
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Sauté the garlic and red pepper flakes in butter and olive oil:
Heat a skillet over high heat, then reduce heat to medium. Toss the butter and olive oil in the pan. After the butter has melted, it foams up a bit, then subsides. If using unsalted butter, sprinkle a little salt on the pan. Stir in the garlic cloves and paprika flakes.
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Add the shrimp and white wine:
Sauté the garlic for just a minute, until lightly browned around the edges, then add the shrimp.
Add the wine and stir to coat the shrimp.
Move the shrimp so they’re in an even layer in the pan. Increase the heat to high and simmer the wine for about two minutes.
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Flip the shrimp to cook the other side:
Stir the shrimp and arrange to flip them over to cook the other side. Cook on high heat for another minute.
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Season with parsley, lemon juice and pepper:
Remove the pan from the stove. Sprinkle the shrimp with the parsley, lemon juice and black pepper and toss to combine.
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Serve hot with bread, pasta or rice:
Serve as is or with crusty bread, over pasta or rice (for a gluten-free version).
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 248 | calories |
| 17g | Fat |
| 3g | carbohydrates |
| 16g | protein |
