My first experience with shrimp scampi pasta was at a restaurant in Pompano Beach, Florida. The maitre d’ was charming and French, the table settings were elegant (with a confusing number of forks—I was 12), and the slippery, butter-bathed noodles alongside the perfectly cooked, briny shrimp tasted amazing.
While it was a special dinner then, shrimp scampi is really an all-occasion dish. It’s an easy dinner recipe that comes together quickly on a weeknight but is elegant enough to serve at a dinner party or for a date night.
Because there are so few ingredients—shrimp and garlic cooked in butter and olive oil, a touch of white wine and lemon, and common herbs and spices like parsley and red pepper flakes—using high-quality items is extra important. And never forget: A recipe may require a certain amount of garlic, but feel free to measure with your heart.
What is shrimp scampi?
In Italy, the word “scampi” refers to a different type of shellfish—langoustines—not the garlicky butter sauce served with shrimp that most Americans identify with the term. Langoustines resemble miniature lobsters and usually are cooked with olive oil, white wine and garlic.
Looking to recreate the dish without access to scampi, Italian Americans learned how to make it with shrimp instead. Although the name technically refers only to the shrimp and its sauce, it’s common to serve the combo over linguine or angel hair pasta slicked with butter and olive oil.
Ingredients for Shrimp Scampi
- Linguine: Linguine’s flat, long shape makes it perfect for this shrimp scampi recipe, although you could make the dish with any pasta shape you prefer. If you want to splurge, check your supermarket shelves for brands of pasta made in Italy, as they are often the highest quality.
- Spices: This recipe for shrimp scampi calls for sliced garlic cloves, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. If you can, use freshly ground black pepper.
- Butter: Either unsalted or salted will work just fine here. Make sure to use the best butter you can since it’s integral to the sauce.
- Olive oil: For this recipe, use extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) instead of olive oil. EVOO has fantastic health benefits and adds a hint of peppery zing to the dish.
- Shrimp: There are many types of shrimp, and just about any type works for this recipe: fresh, frozen, pink, brown or white. Use 16/20 (meaning there are 16 to 20 shrimp in a pound), or large, shrimp. If you need to remove the shell and devein them, here’s how to clean shrimp.
- White wine: For shrimp scampi pasta, use a crisp and dry white wine, like a pinot grigio, a sauvignon blanc or an unoaked chardonnay. Plenty of white wines under $20 are great for cooking and drinking. Don’t want to use wine? You can omit it and use a little extra lemon juice, or try this wine-free scampi recipe instead.
- Lemon: This shrimp scampi recipe uses both lemon zest and lemon juice. The zest contains lemon oil, which is citrusy without being acidic, while the juice brings the zing. Make sure to zest lemons before juicing them.
- Parmesan: If you want to go big, find yourself a piece of authentic Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano. If you can’t find that, seek a nice Parm wedge in your store’s deli section. Pre-grated cheese, particularly unrefrigerated versions, do not have the same flavor.
- Parsley: Flat-leaf parsley is excellent here, but any type of fresh parsley will do. Here are some great ways to use extra parsley.
Directions
Step 1: Cook the pasta
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the package directions. Cook the pasta until al dente, then drain.
Editor’s Tip: Al dente pasta describes the texture of cooked pasta that is tender, firm and chewy when you bite into it.
Step 2: Cook the shrimp
In a large saucepan, cook the garlic and red pepper flakes in butter and oil, stirring constantly, until the garlic is golden, about one to two minutes.
Editor’s Tip: Garlic burns easily, so be watchful when adding it to a pan. And be sure to add the shrimp as soon as the garlic is cooked (see next step).
Add the shrimp, and cook until they turn pink, two to three minutes. Working quickly, using a large slotted spoon, remove the shrimp from the pan to a plate or bowl. Keep the shrimp warm.
Step 3: Make the sauce
Add the wine (if using), lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until reduced and slightly thickened, five to seven minutes.
Editor’s Tip: Not sure how to zest a lemon? Just remove the yellow part of the skin while leaving behind nearly all of the white pith. You can do this delicately with a very sharp vegetable peeler and then mince up the strips or buy a zester, but the best tool for the job is probably a microplane grater.
Step 4: Toss everything together
Add the pasta, shrimp, Parmesan and parsley, and toss to coat. Cook until just heated through, and remove from the heat before serving.
Recipe Variations
- Add herbs: Pasta, shrimp and garlic are natural matches for many fresh herbs. This dish would be wonderful with fresh or dried basil, dill, oregano, sage or thyme. You could even use your favorite pesto!
- Toss in some greens: For an extra healthy scampi, add chopped greens to the pan when you’ve finished cooking the sauce, and let them wilt before adding the pasta and shrimp. Spinach, chard and young kale would all work.
- Make rosy scampi: Add a couple tablespoons tomato paste to the pan with the wine and lemon juice for a bewitching color and a rich flavor. Stir to combine. At the same point in the cooking process, you could also toss in fresh cherry tomatoes.
- Swap your starch: This recipe’s flavorful shrimp and sauce would be perfect on top of creamy polenta or cheesy grits, as a garnish for Parmesan risotto or even over buttery mashed potatoes.
How to Store Shrimp Scampi
Store shrimp scampi pasta in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to three days. You can reheat it briefly in the microwave or in a small saucepan with a lid. Bring a very small amount of water to a simmer, add the leftovers and cover the pan. Heat just until warmed through so as not to overcook the shrimp.
Shrimp Scampi Tips
What type of wine is best for shrimp scampi?
For this recipe, you’ll want a refreshing dry wine with a good amount of acidity. You could use dry vermouth or a dry rosé for an unusual touch.
Do you need to devein the shrimp for shrimp scampi?
Nope, it’s a personal preference! Some shrimp comes already deveined, which makes things easy. However, if you get high-quality shrimp from a fishmonger or the seafood counter at a grocery store, it will most likely come with shells and “veins” (actually, the shrimp’s digestive tracts).
What can you serve with shrimp scampi?
Because a shrimp scampi recipe is so flavorful, it is best served with simple vegetable side dishes. One approach is to harken back to the dish’s Italian roots and offer something like baked broccolini, roasted zucchini or kale. To cut through the fat of the dish, you could also try something with a bit of a bitter edge, such as dandelion greens or a radicchio and spinach salad.
