If you are looking for a special dinner for two you really cannot go wrong with shrimp scampi and I figured that it was the perfect time to update my old recipe! Shrimp scampi is a really simple pasta dish consisting of shrimp sauteed in a buttery, garlic, white wine and lemon sauce that is just to die for! Although this recipe is super quick and easy it is perfect for entertaining or for special dinners for two in addition to being a great weeknight meal. Really it takes more time to cook the pasta than it does to make the shrimp and sauce so dinner is on the table in less than 20 minutes! I like to hit the scampi up with some red pepper flakes for a touch of heat along with some lemon zest and parsley for garnish. No matter how you cut it, this dish is sure to impress and they will never know how easy it was to make!
(When I am serving shrimp scampi I normally remove the tails first.)
Shrimp scampi linguine is also great with parmesan!
The original photo:
Shrimp Scampi
Succulent shrimp in a buttery garlic and lemon sauce that’s surprisingly quick and easy to make.
ingredients
- 8 ounces linguine (gluten-free for gluten-free)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp (16-24), shelled, deveined
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/4 cup white wine (or broth*)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (~1 lemon)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
directions
- Start cooking the pasta as directed on package.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil and melt the butter in a pan over medium-high heat until frothing, add the shrimp, cook for 2 minutes, flip, add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 more minute before transferring to a large bowl.
- Add the white wine and lemon juice to the pan, deglaze it, simmer for a minute and remove from heat, season with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley and lemon zest before tossing with the shrimp and pasta.
Option: *Instead of wine use chicken broth or shrimp broth.
Option: Make it a creamy sauce by adding 1/4 cup heavy/whipping cream!
Option: Melt 1/4 cup parmesan into the sauce!
Option: Serve on your favourite pasta such as linguine, spaghetti, fettuccine, angel hair, bow tie (farfalle), or rice, etc.
Option: Serve topped with parmesan!
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HoneyB says
Ok Kevin, this is going on my list of things to make. We like seafood in this household, and anything with seafood and pasta is a hit! Your meal looks delicious!
Elle says
Heavenly!!!!
Gloria says
Aahh.delicious!!! I like so shrimps!!xGloria
Donna says
This looks wonderful! Happy night!
Vicarious Foodie says
That looks really pretty! Love the colors.
Lina says
mmmmm Shrimp scampi!!! Looks delicious! You’re the bomb!
meeso says
This was one of my dad’s favorite dishes and I learned to love it… It looks delicious!
Deborah Dowd says
This looks wonderful,not too complex so the flavors can really stand out!
bagel says
I love shrimp scampi! It’s such a simple dish and the colors are so pretty. I’ll have to try making this myself.
daphne says
Butter, olive oil and lemon! Beautiful!!! That’s going to my “To make” list.
noobcook says
omg I loved this!!! Look at the huge big prawns! :D~
Patsyk says
Shrimp Scampi is a favorite of mine… yours looks delicious!
Ginny says
I’ve been craving this lately! mmm…I really should get on that!
Sharon says
Once we finish all of our leftovers, this is being bumped up to my next dish to make!
javagirlkt's cookin' says
man, this looks good 🙂 i love shrimp too! i wish craig would learn to love it, i never get to cook it!
marye says
this looks great Kevin.
Jan says
That looks really good. I want to eat that now at 7.15am !!
Lori says
Great recipe and explained so simply. Shrimp scampi is pretty popular in Hawaii, I should give it a try at home!
tigerfish says
And I will definitely be making this in future!
Nina's Kitchen (Nina Timm) says
Flippin’ hell, Kevin, I cannot keep up with you. This is one great looking plate of pasta.
cook eat FRET says
kevin, you are a cooking machine
we all want to know
how do you do it?
beautiful dish as usual
Peter M says
A job well done on a classic I never tire of!
Bobby says
I love shrimp scampi… great photo!
Jenny says
How funny Kevin, this is on my menu for this week, hope mine turns out as nice as yours!! Very nice job and it looks scrumptious!
LyB says
Kevin, this is one of my very favorite dishes. You definitely can’t go wrong with those ingredients! It looks absolutely delicious!
diva says
that’s one yummy mama of a dish. u beat my vietnamese prawn noodle salad. 🙂
Deborah says
One of my favorite ways to eat shrimp!!
Jules says
sounds and looks great…must put this on the “what’s for dinner” rotation;)
nicisme says
My husband will love me forever if I make this for him! Great photos kevin!
We Are Never Full says
next time try adding a bit of the pasta water – the added starch will allow the sauce to really stick more to the pasta instead of totally draining to the bottom. of course you’ll still have a nice puddle of sauce at the bottom, but the starch really thickens it a bit and allows it to cling to the pasta. bravo!
Pam says
I bookmarked this from the picture only! Didn’t even have to scroll down and read the recipe!
giz says
I so shouldn’t be looking at good food when I’m really hungry – honestly – I’m pathetic – sitting at my computer whining and wishing someone would make me some shrimp scampi. Too bad my dogs don’t cook.
canarygirl.com says
Deeeeeelicious! Scampi is one of our favorites, Kevin! 🙂
Ruth Daniels says
Kevin, I think this one is the best yet! I love, love, love shrimp, garlic and wine so this is one of my fave combos ever! Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Nights.
Parker says
This sounds delicious – I love shrimp also and have always wanted to make a shrimp scampi.
Proud Italian Cook says
one word…..Wonderful!!
Mochachocolata Rita says
look at the colors on this dish, loving it!
Sylvie says
That looks like the perfect shrimp pasta dish to me. Fresh, simple and vibrant!
Bellini Valli says
Good call Kevin on this pasta dish:D
Hillary says
You did a super nice job on this! That, or you photoshopped your picture quite nicely. Just kidding – it looks delicious!
Fabulously Broke says
That looks.. HEAVENLY..
I’m going to link this in my next round of link love 🙂
petite fleur says
Saw this on Tastespotting (RIP) & knew I wanted to make this. I just did & it’s delicious. Will be posting it up on my blog soon. Thanks for sharing.
Francine Jacobson says
Kevin !
I have always wonder what is lemon juice does in recipe ? what does it add ? what is the bebefit ?
THANK YOU!
StephenC says
I’m new to blogging but not to cooking. I’ll enjoy perusing your recipes. Maybe you’d like to have a look at mine at theobsessivechef.blogspot.com
All best,
Stephen
Street Foodie says
Looks great. I wasn’t aware that scampi in North America referred to prawns cooked in lemon juice and white wine. Scampi in Ireland is prawn or fish coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried, also delicious.
Prawn are definitely one of my favourite foods as well!
fitty's pinky rose cottage says
Kevin, I came across your blog tru Foodgawker and was amazed at all your decilious food photos.. one of the recipe I've tried from you is this Scampi. This was good.. my kids eat it all! they love it..
Thanks for sharing.
Terri-Lynn says
I was visiting my parents over Christmas and was assigned kitchen duty for most of the time I was there (not really a punishment for me, I love to cook).
I made this dish for a group of fairly picky eaters, and it was a hit. Thanks for the recipe.
I'm slowly working my way through your archives. 🙂
Photogirl says
Hi Kevin.. great recipe but I have a question.. what kind of wine do you use?
Kevin says
Photogirl: Any dry white wine will work. I like to go with a Pinot Gris.
Anonymous says
I was craving Shrimp and I knew you would have the perfect recipe!! Made this t'nite with huge de-veined shrimp that I peeled and it was delicious!! Will def make again and again!I make a ton of your recipes and they always work out and get eaten up!!
Anastasia says
It looks delicious!
Nikki says
What can I use in place of wine? Any ideas?
Nikki says
What can I use in place of wine? Any ideas?
Kevin says
Nikki: You can use chicken broth to replace the wine in this recipe.
Jill says
This looks fantastic! Love shrimps and have tried to make something similar after having a gorgeous meal out but it wasn't that great, so really looking forward to giving this one a try.
LoveAffair says
Love it! simple, quick and delicioso!!
Jeanette | Jeanettes Healthy Living says
The perfect elegant but simple dish for Valentine's Day – can't beat it!
Heather Christo says
this is just so, so beautiful- I want to chow down that entire bowl!!
Maria says
I am always up for pasta!
Jenny says
Perfect pasta dish! Need for lunch today!!
Rosa's Yummy Yums says
Great flavors! This dish is fabulous.
Cheers,
Rosa
Julie @ Table for Two says
Looks absolutely comforting and delicious!
marla says
Beautiful pasta! Wish I had for lunch 🙂
Gaby says
Absolutely stunning! The scampi sauce sounds so delicious!
Curiouser and Curiouser says
This looks soooo good! I love prawns! 🙂
http://www.curiouser-and-curiouser.co.uk
Anonymous says
Scallop Scampi is also delicious and we will be enjoying that for Valentine's Day this year. Thanks for the recipe Kevin. The pictures look good and I wish I had a plate to eat now 🙂
kevin says
Anonymous: Scallop scampi does sound good! Great idea!
Gül mutfağı says
Süper çok severim
Charmaine (The Party DIY) says
There isn't a dish I love more than shrimp scampi thanks for sharing this recipe!
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says
Valentine's Day is over but Jason and I both have birthdays coming up in the next couple of weeks so you know this will be making an appearance on our table soon!
Mary W says
I would love to try your recipes. Do you offer an actual book for sale?
Anonymous says
I tried this exact recipe tonight and wasn't impressed. I won't be making it again, I'm not trying to discourage others from making this, but I think this recipe needs to be more specific about what kind of white need needs to be added, and for some reason my shrimp turned out a little rubbery and I cooked them for the recommended time….for beginners, i need a recipe that is more specific.
-Andrea
kevin says
Andrea: The cooking time will vary based on the size of the shrimp. If you used the 16-24 size shrimp as requested in the recipe they should have come out perfectly. When the shrimp just turns from 'translucent' to opaque/white it is done so you want to flip the shrimp just a little before the white gets to the centre and the remove it from the pan.
kevin says
Mary W: I have a few small cookbooks available in softcover from Lulu. Click through this link https://www.closetcooking.com/p/cookbooks.html, select the book you want and then choose the Lulu link.
Nicole says
This pasta looks amazing
Sophie says
just made this super delicious dish. It was quick, easy und yummy – what else can you ask for?
Epin E. says
Your … "flower fork" is … SO BEAUTIFUL ! =D
Arthur in the Garden! says
One of my favourites!
Recipe Share says
OMG Kevin! Thank you so much for this recipe. It was very easy and so very very delish!
MomHomeGuide.com says
This looks great! Today I am sharing and linking to your recipe at Mom Home Guide.
Anonymous says
Kevin, just made this for Valentine's day. It was very good. I wanted a little more of that sauce. I always boil the shrimp shells for shrimp stock, and added some to the sauce so I could lap up more sauce. Do you think if I upped the white wine and lemon juice to 1/3 cup each, I could get more sauce without ruining the wonderful recipe ?
Gillyflower says
It was quick and easy to prepare. The taste was pleasant, but that's about it, nothing special. I am rather perplexed about the title……I don't know what 'scampi' means in Canada, but in much of the English speaking world it means very large prawns. So the title is strange.
MttaLeslie says
Unlike most of the comments above, before leaving this review, I actually made this recipe tonight (that it looks like it might be good isn’t helpful). In a nutshell, it was very easy and I may make it again one day, but it’ll have several revisions. As written, it was fairly tasteless, except the tart from the lemon (expecting tart, I only used 3T of juice) and dry, even though I added at least 1/2 cup of pasta water with the pasta. Also added @ cup fresh chopped asparagus, which didn’t add to the flavor, but helped my day’s veggie intake. If there’s a next time, I’ll add some more crushed pepper and salt, some fresh tomato, basil and/or spinach, more wine. Compared to the several divine chicken dishes I’ve made from this site, this was a “meh.”
Nick says
I made this and it’s even better than Olive Garden’s shrimp scampi!
Shari Karanas says
I made this dish tonight and it was easy and fabulous!! I kept thinking I needed to add something to it because it was so simple, but the flavors were wonderful!! Thank you Kevin! You are amazing!!
Shari says
Hi Kevin, I have made this twice and absolutely love it!! Even my 7 year old granddaughter loved it. She had seconds 😋. Tomorrow we’re going to try the shrimp scampi pizza. It’s going to be amazing!!
sara chan says
Deliciously tangy shrimp scampi with perfect garlic and lemon balance. A quick and satisfying dish!
sara chan says
Delicious shrimp scampi with a perfect blend of garlic, butter, and lemon. A burst of flavors in every bite! 🍤🍋 #Foodie #ShrimpScampi #Yummy