Shrimp scampi is simple, fresh, and flavorful. When making this recipe, your top priority as a chef is to avoid overcooking the shrimp.
This tasty dish is ready in just 20 minutes. You can serve it as is or with spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles.
This recipe is ready fast, and its flavor combination is magnificent. Butter, garlic, white wine, and lemon juice combine into a delicate sauce that perfectly complements the shrimp.
This is one of my most requested weeknight dinners and one of my favorite ways to prepare shrimp. Other shrimp recipes I often make include baked shrimp, sauteed shrimp, grilled shrimp, and boiled shrimp.
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Ingredients
Here's an overview of the ingredients needed to make shrimp scampi. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below:
- Butter: I like to use creamy European butter, but any butter will be great.
- Minced garlic: Mince it yourself or use the stuff that comes in a jar. Both work, although freshly minced tastes better.
- Red pepper flakes: They don't make the dish spicy - they merely add a layer of flavor.
- Extra-large shrimp: Peeled and deveined. I like to use tail-on shrimp simply for aesthetic reasons, but it's fine to use tail-off shrimp.
- White wine: You can make the dish with or without it. It does enhance the flavor of the sauce.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Fresh lemon juice: Do use freshly squeezed lemon juice. It makes a difference.
- Chopped parsley: Adds a splash of color and another layer of fresh flavor.
Variations
- Sometimes, I use good olive oil instead of butter. I still prefer the taste of butter, but olive oil is excellent, too.
- If you don't have lemon juice, use ½ tablespoon of white wine vinegar.
- You can use cilantro instead of parsley. It has a stronger flavor, but if you like cilantro, I think you'll enjoy it in this dish.
Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
You start by briefly sautéing the garlic and red pepper flakes in butter.
Add the shrimp, wine, and kosher salt. Cook until the shrimp are fully cooked - this takes about 5 minutes.
Off heat, stir in lemon juice and black pepper.
Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.
Expert Tips
Don't Overcook the Shrimp
As with most shrimp recipes, the most important thing is to avoid overcooking the shrimp. Once you add them to the saucepan, cook them just until they turn pink and opaque, then remove them immediately from the heat and serve. When overcooked, they become dry and rubbery.
See the closeup photo below - you can tell how nice and juicy those shrimp are!
The Best Shrimp to Use
The best shrimp size for this recipe is extra-large (21-25 pieces per pound). They are plump and juicy. However, if all you have is large shrimp (31-40 pieces per pound), that works too.
Whether the shrimp should be tail-on or off is entirely up to you. I usually use tail-on shrimp because they are prettier, but on occasion, as shown in the photo below, I use tail-off shrimp.
The shrimp photographed below are also smaller, so I only cooked them for about four minutes. The dish turned out fabulous, so you do have some flexibility here.
Recipe FAQs
It's an Italian-American dish of shrimp tossed in a simple yet exquisite sauce of butter or olive oil, garlic, and white wine. The original Italian dish is simply called "Scampi."
Scampi are langoustines, a smaller relative of lobsters.  In Italy, they are traditionally prepared by sautéing them with olive oil, garlic, onion, and white wine. Italian immigrants in the U.S. used what was available, which was shrimp, and added "shrimp" to the name of the dish.
Since it's a variation of the traditional Italian recipe, there are quite a few ways of making this sauce. All of them are excellent!
In my version, the sauce is made from butter, garlic, white wine, and lemon juice. I season it with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and parsley.
This delicately flavored sauce is ideal for shrimp. It highlights their mild flavor rather than overpowering it.
Yes. The small amount of wine I use adds a nice flavor, and my husband and I enjoy drinking it with the meal. But if you're not a fan of wine, you can simply omit the wine and leave the rest of the recipe as is.
Serving Suggestions
This saucy dish is often served on top of pasta or with crusty bread. I like to serve it on any of the following:
- Cauliflower rice
- Microwave spaghetti squash
- Shirataki noodles
- Zucchini noodles
- Mashed butternut squash
- Mashed cauliflower
- Sauteed spinach
- Hearts of Palm pasta
- Roasted green beans
Sometimes, I serve shrimp scampi with its marvelous sauce on a bed of raw baby spinach leaves. The warm sauce wilts the spinach leaves just enough to cook them perfectly. The whole dish is sublime.
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to three days. Reheat them gently in the microwave, covered, at 50% power.
More Shrimp Recipes
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Recipe Card
Easy Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic - minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 pounds extra-large shrimp - peeled and deveined (21-25 pieces per pound)
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ½ teaspoon of any other salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice - freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoons parsley - finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon black pepper - freshly ground
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, for one minute, until they are fragrant.
- Add the shrimp, wine, and kosher salt. Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat, until the shrimp are pink and opaque, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the shrimp from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and black pepper.
- Transfer the shrimp to a serving platter. Pour the pan juices on top. Sprinkle the dish with chopped parsley and serve.
Video
Notes
- As with most shrimp recipes, the most important thing is to avoid overcooking the shrimp. Once you add them to the saucepan, cook them just until they turn pink and opaque, then remove them immediately from the heat and serve. When overcooked, shrimp become dry and rubbery.
- The best shrimp size for this recipe is extra-large (21-25 pieces per pound). They are plump and juicy. However, if all you have is large shrimp (31-40 pieces per pound), that works too.
- Whether the shrimp should be tail-on or off is entirely up to you. I usually use tail-on shrimp because they are prettier, but on occasion, as shown in the photo below, I use tail-off shrimp.
- The small amount of wine I use adds a nice flavor, and my husband and I enjoy drinking it with the meal. But if you're not a fan of wine, you can simply omit the wine and leave the rest of the recipe as is.
- You can store the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to three days. Reheat them very gently to avoid drying them out. If you use the microwave, reheat them covered and use the microwave at 50% power.
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
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