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    Meals » Recipes » Main Dishes

    Easy Shrimp Scampi Recipe

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure for more information. Published: Jan 14, 2021 · Modified: Feb 25, 2021 by Dee

    This Easy Shrimp Scampi Recipe with garlic, butter, lemon and wine takes just minutes to make from scratch. Serve with pasta for a delicious quick dinner! via @meamel

    This Easy Shrimp Scampi Recipe with garlic, butter, lemon and wine takes just minutes to make from scratch. Serve with pasta for a delicious quick dinner!

    Jump to Recipe -
    shrimp scampi in a pan with lemons and parsley

    If you're looking for an easy shrimp recipe, you're going to love this one! My recipe for shrimp scampi is basically shrimp cooked in a savory lemony garlic butter sauce, and it's on the table in under 30 minutes.

    I hate to admit this, but I used to make frozen shrimp scampi from a box until I realized how quick (and better) it is to make from scratch. This super easy dinner takes just a few minutes to make, and it tastes absolutely amazing!

    Even my picky eaters like this! The lemon flavor is similar to Lemon Chicken Piccata or Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Pasta, which they all love!

    Simple Ingredients

    You only need a few basic ingredients to make shrimp scampi at home:

    • Shrimp or prawns
    • Lemon juice and zest
    • Olive oil
    • White wine or broth
    • Butter
    • Garlic, salt and pepper
    • Parsley and Parmesan cheese -- not required but so flavorful!

    This recipe comes together fast. I recommend prepping the shrimp and measuring out your ingredients beforehand to make cooking it even easier.

    How to Make Shrimp Scampi

    First, you'll need to clean, shell and devein the shrimp if that hasn't been done for you. You can leave the tails on for presentation or cut them off.

    Heat the olive oil and butter on medium heat in a large skillet, and add your chopped garlic. Garlic cooks fast and can easily burn, so cook it just until it starts to soften and becomes fragrant.

    sauté garlic in butter and olive oil in skillet

    Now, add the shrimp, and spread them out so that they don't overlap. Season the shrimp with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Yes, you use both chopped garlic and powder for extra flavor!

    You only need to cook shrimp for a couple of minutes per side, or until they turn pink. When they're pink and they start to curl up, they're done!

    Now, you can remove the shrimp to a platter and keep warm while you finish the sauce. Or, just make the sauce with the shrimp still in the pan.

    cooking raw shrimp in garlic butter sauce

    Next, add the wine, lemon juice, half of the zest and parsley. Allow the ingredients to simmer until the liquid heats up and reduces slightly. The alcohol will burn off as the sauce cooks.

    Note that if you want to make scampi without wine, use chicken or vegetable broth. Or, you can also just leave it out if you don't want extra sauce for pasta.

    I like to garnish the shrimp with the remaining zest and parsley, plus a few lemon slices before serving. Grating some fresh Parmesan cheese over the top definitely takes this recipe to the next level!

    cooked shrimp in garlic butter sauce with lemon and parsley

    Serve Scampi with Pasta

    The garlic butter sauce is perfect for pasta. You can cook your favorite pasta on the stove, remove it from the water and just add it directly to the scampi.

    Or, make the pasta beforehand and add it when the shrimp is ready. You can even cook pasta in your Instant Pot if you want! Linguine, spaghetti, thin spaghetti or fettuccine are all good with scampi.

    shrimp scampi with lemon slices in garlic butter sauce in skillet
    shrimp scampi with lemon and parsley in a skillet

    Easy Shrimp Scampi Recipe

    Published by Dee
    This Easy Shrimp Scampi Recipe with garlic, butter, lemon and wine takes just minutes to make from scratch. Serve with pasta for a delicious quick dinner!
    5 from 7 votes
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    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 5 mins
    Total Time 20 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American, Italian
    Servings 6
    Calories 265 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 4 tablespoons butter
    • 4 cloves garlic chopped
    • 1.5 pounds shrimp cleaned, shelled and deveined
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1 large lemon - juice of and zest about ¼ cup
    • ½ cup dry white wine I used pinot grigio
    • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
    • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese optional

    Instructions
     

    • In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat
    • Add garlic, and sauté until just soft, being careful not to let it burn
    • Add the shrimp, spread it out evenly, and season with sea salt, garlic powder and pepper
    • Cook for about 2 minutes per side or until pink and starting to curl. Remove to a platter, cover and keep warm
    • Stir in the white wine, lemon juice, most of the zest and parsley, and bring to a simmer. Add the shrimp back in the pan, spoon sauce over shrimp, and top with remaining lemon zest, parsley and Parmesan cheese, if desired

    Notes

    Serve scampi with your favorite pasta.
    To make scampi without wine, use chicken or vegetable broth in place of wine or leave out if not serving as a sauce for pasta.

    Nutrition information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 265kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 25gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 309mgSodium: 1401mgPotassium: 138mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 269IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 223mgIron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe? Please comment and rate it! Show me your dish on Instagram!Mention @meatloafandmelodrama or tag #meatloafandmelodrama!
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    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Kevin says

      June 06, 2021 at 9:59 am

      Shrimp sales this weekend! Made this on Friday and it was a huge hit. Can't wait to make it again.5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        June 08, 2021 at 11:29 am

        Awesome! So glad you enjoyed the shrimp!

    2. Joy Conway says

      April 07, 2021 at 3:23 pm

      Made this tonight. Very good thank you for sharing!

      Reply
      • Dee says

        April 07, 2021 at 6:39 pm

        So glad you liked the shrimp! Thanks, Joy!

    3. Jim says

      February 03, 2021 at 8:34 pm

      Made this tonight and it was fabulous. Super easy and the kids loved it too.5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        February 04, 2021 at 6:34 pm

        That's wonderful, Jim. Thank you so much!

    4. Sandra says

      January 18, 2021 at 10:50 am

      This is so tasty!! I seriously loved it!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        January 20, 2021 at 9:11 pm

        Thanks, Sandra! I'm glad you liked the shrimp scampi!

    5. Toni says

      January 18, 2021 at 6:54 am

      This is so good and delish! Love how tasty it is!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        January 20, 2021 at 9:13 pm

        Thanks so much, Toni! Glad you enjoyed it!

    6. Amanda Livesay says

      January 15, 2021 at 11:20 am

      One of our favorites! It's so delicious and so easy!5 stars

      Reply
    7. Catalina says

      January 15, 2021 at 6:00 am

      This will be for sure my favorite recipe! I love scampi!5 stars

      Reply
    8. Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says

      January 14, 2021 at 7:59 pm

      This Shrimp Scampi looks totally awesome!5 stars

      Reply
    9. Amanda says

      January 14, 2021 at 5:01 pm

      Thank you so much for sharing, I cannot wait to make this at home!

      Reply
    10. Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says

      January 14, 2021 at 4:50 pm

      I always forget how fast and easy shrimp is. It's perfect for a weeknight!

      Reply

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    I’m the blogger, chief cook, recipe developer and photographer behind Meatloaf and Melodrama. I absolutely love to create easy, budget-friendly, homemade meals and treats for my family. I also love to think of new ways to repurpose leftovers so that my family will actually eat them!

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