This Shrimp Scampi recipe is the one that made me a shrimp lover! Every bite is tender. I’ve had too much rubbery shrimp in my life to not be sensitive to this! There is a special brining step that helps achieve perfectly cooked shrimp with a slight crisp on the edge. The tender, juicy shrimp is paired with a buttery, garlicky, lemony sauce that comes together in just a few minutes. Ideal for serving over linguine or just going wild with crusty bread to scoop up every last drop!
The other day Edison, my 5-year-old, said “Ouch!” after banging his head on something. I asked, “Are you okay?”
He said, “Yes. Of course. I’m Edison.”
This is officially going on my short list of pick-me-ups for bad days. I’ll be hiding in my car in the garage, not ready to face the responsibilities of parenthood (while possibly cramming chocolate chips into my mouth) and this moment will come to my mind. “Are you ok??” “Yes. Of course. I’m Karen.”
Old Karen couldn’t do stuff. NEW Karen has a mantra and she’s ready to take on the world. Everything I’ve ever feared will cower before my shiny newfound confidence! Starting with…shrimp. (Yes, really!)
I’ve NEVER posted anything with shrimp, in 14 years of sharing recipes.
Here’s me and Eric, as the Swedish Chef and the popcorn shrimp on Halloween last year. This costume was the closest I’d ever come to cookin with shrimp…until now! It’s a whole new world!!
Shrimp scampi like never before
Shrimp can go SO wrong, so fast. Ever accidentally chomped down on that plastic-y lil shrimp tail and felt like a dolphin trapped in a six-pack ring? Or wrapped your mouth around a shrimp taco, only to find out the shrimp have been cooked so long they’re straight up rubber? Instant buzzkill. But THIS shrimp. Guys, it’s so good.
If shrimp has given you the side-eye before and you’ve been too scared to cook it at home, take my hand. I’ve faced my worst nightmare and come out a new woman: a woman who is totally ready to teach you how to show that shrimp who’s boss.
Why you should make this TONIGHT
Do you see all that buttery, garlicky, pasta-nestled shrimp? Looks like something only a master chef prepares for your anniversary dinner at a nice Italian place, right?
WRONG. This is a shockingly fast weeknight meal that takes very little skill (remember, I’m a chocolate-cramming know-nothing), and even less time. Pasta’s ready in 15 minutes, start to finish, and you’ve never seen protein cook so quickly. I mean, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, don’t walk away from the stove quickly.
Even if you forgot to set them out ahead of time, shrimp thaw out super fast. They’re an ideal solution to that I forgot-about-dinner-and-now-it’s-5pm-moment. (This happens to me almost nightly, I feel like 🤣)
What is shrimp scampi?
Shrimp scampi is an Italian-American restaurant staple. It’s simple to make: you toss tender, just-turned-pink shrimp in a buttery, garlicky, lemony wine sauce. You can serve the shrimp all by themselves, maybe next to a big green salad, or with linguine or a baguette (or both?? yolo.) It’s luxurious without being a huge pain to make, which means it’s elegant enough for a romantic dinner but totally doable for the whole family on a weeknight.
My recipe insists on getting the most important part right: making DARN SURE those shrimp are tender, juicy, and sweet, with not even a hint of eraser-texture. I am not eating anything that someone pulled out of the ocean unless each bite is pleasant and tender.
The lineup for shrimp scampi
Shrimp scampi has a short ingredient list. Big fan of those! This list is just a quick overview, so be sure to jump to the recipe card for full ingredient amounts and instructions.
- raw shrimp, tail off, peeled and deveined
- Kosher salt
- baking soda: this is the magical ingredient that brines our shrimp and softens the edges
- olive oil
- garlic
- crushed red pepper flakes
- sherry (or white wine of your choice, but the flavor of sherry is really nice here. If you don’t want to use wine, chicken broth is fine! Add an extra squeeze of lemon.)
- butter
- lemons (fresh squeezed! NOT juice from a bottle. We need that acid!)
- parsley and/or chives (optional, for garnish)
Handy tools I use to make this
These are my favorite kitchen tools to use when I’m making shrimp scampi. The microplane is my favorite!! You just can’t zest a lemon properly without a microplane.
How to make shrimp scampi
Start with your defrosted shrimp. Just run them under cold water for a couple minutes and they are done in no time. If you have shrimp with tails on, get those suckers off. It looks pretty to serve with tails on, but let’s be real, nobody wants to go digging with their fingers in their plate of pasta to get the tails off!
See? It’s not hard. This takes like 2 minutes.
Now it’s brine-time. Do not skip this step!!! This is where the magic happens! Salt and baking soda help the shrimp stay plump and juicy when you cook them, making them irresistibly tender when cooked. Toss the shrimp-o’s aside while you get the rest of your dinner ready.
Grab your microplane grater (if you don’t have one, get one!! one of my fav kitchen tools of all time!) Zest up those lemons. Set the zest aside. Squeeze the juice into a separate bowl.
The photo below shows adding lemon juice to the zest, but I actually like to keep them separate. Adding lemon juice to the sauce infuses the shrimp with bright flavor, and waiting to add the zest into the end creates an extra pop of citrus goodness. I was just having one of those days when I photographed this 🤣 But I didn’t toss the photo because I want you to see my full QUARTER CUP of garlic, and my chopped up butter ready to go. I swear, it’s not too much garlic! It mellows beautifully as it cooks.
Now heat up a large skillet and get some oil in there! It’s go time. Have a clean plate ready to put your cooked shrimp on. Grab your tongs. Place the shrimp into your skillet in a single layer and let them cook for just long enough to begin curling and turning opaque on each side. Pretend you’re playing minute to win it, guys. Let no shrimp get overcooked!! No Shrimp Left Behind!
See these guys?? ↓ They’re perfect. Opaque, light pink, lightly curled but NOT tightly curled. I pulled these off the heat and set them on my plate right after this photo. I promise they’re fully cooked!
Grab your minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook them for less than a minute, just until they smell insanely delicious and your mouth is watering.
Add the sherry or any dry white wine and let it reduce for a few minutes.
Whisk in the butter until it’s combined with the rest of the sauce.
Add the lemon juice and whisk it in too.
Your butter sauce is ready, see how easy that was?? Add your shrimp back in, then sprinkle on the lemon zest and chopped fresh parsley (or other fresh herbs. Tarragon would be amazing!)
Voila! How fast was that?? Toss your shrimp scampi with pasta, or plate ’em up and set out the crusty bread for the best dipping situation ever.
What to serve it with
At a minimum, you need either linguine or a crusty baguette (or both). Honestly stopping there is great. But if you want more ideas for what to serve with this scampi, I gotchu.
- French Bread >> ready in ONE hour! One I tell you!
- Garlic Bread >> this is the garlic bread to end all garlic bread
- Garlic and Rosemary Skillet Bread >> this would be even more amazing dipped in scampi sauce
- Green Goddess Salad >> creamy green dressing AND a topping of salt and vinegar chips?? yes please
- Grilled Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Salad >> so fun for making in the summertime
- Apple Gorgonzola Salad >> sweet and crunchy flavors, a great contrast to all the garlic and lemon
- Green Salad with Feta and Beets >> no chopping required for this salad?? yes it’s true
- Perfect Caesar Salad from Inspired Taste
- Garlic Breadsticks from The Floral Apron
Storing and reheating details
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. If you made your scampi from fresh, never frozen shrimp, you can freeze the fully cooked, fully cooled leftovers for 2-3 months. Chances are that you used frozen shrimp though, and it’s better not to refreeze those to enjoy the best shrimp texture.
Shrimp is best on day 1, when it’s been cooked until it’s juuust right. Reheating it naturally means you’re going to overcook it a little. Heating it in a pan over medium low heat for 3-5 minutes, just until warm, will do less damage than the microwave. If you’re microwaving, do 10-20 seconds at a time. Either way it’s still perfectly safe to eat, you’re just not getting the ideal shrimp texture.
Shrimp scampi FAQ
Shrimp (duh), garlic, lemon juice, butter, and salt are absolutely essential. We’re also adding some olive oil, a little sherry (for amazing flavor), and a bit of parsley. Some people would say that either crusty bread or freshly cooked pasta are essential (and I’m some people) but technically these are optional sides. If you serve your shrimp scampi with steamed veggies or a salad instead of bread or pasta, you get extra points. It’s would definitely be a healthy low-carb meal!
Yes! Shrimp have a bad reputation for being tough and rubbery, but marinate (brine them, really) in a little baking soda and salt, and they’ll be tender, perfectly plump, and juicy. Most marinades improve texture as well as flavor, and perfectly textured shrimp are essential to the best shrimp scampi.
More seafood recipes!
Seafood was NOT a common food in my house growing up. Thank goodness for trying new things as you grow up, because now I know what I was missing! Check out some of my favorite recipes in this list, and if you have a favorite seafood dish you think I should try let me know in the comments!
- Creamy Tuscan Salmon >> love this easy weeknight dinner, the sauce is sooo good
- Beer Battered Fish Tacos >> totally worth all the work and the frying oil!
- Pan Seared Scallops with Creamy Wine Sauce >> nothing says romance like scallops
- Honey Sriracha Salmon Bowls >> I’m obsessed with these, so many great topping options!
- Sheet Pan Asian Salmon with Broccoli, Carrots, and Rice Noodles >> one pan and DONE
- Crispy Fish Parmesan (like Chicken Parmesan) >> super kid-friendly way to serve fish
- Spaghetti with Mussels a la Tarantina from The Pasta Project
- Simple Crab Curry from Tamarind and Thyme
Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram
Shrimp Scampi Recipe
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, (use 1/2 teaspoon table salt)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more, for cooking shrimp
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, for making the sauce
- 1/4 cup minced garlic, about 10 cloves
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 cup sherry wine
- 6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, from 2 large lemons
- 2 tablespoons parsley, and/or chives
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest, from the same 2 large lemons
For serving
- 12 ounces linguine pasta, optional, for serving
- crusty french bread, optional, for serving
Instructions
- Thaw your frozen shrimp. Place 1 pound frozen shrimp in a colander and run it under tap water for a couple minutes. Let sit for another 5 minutes. You will know they are thawed out when you can easily bend them, they are nice and soft, and becoming translucent.
- Marinate your shrimp. Add the thawed shrimp to a medium bowl, drying them a bit with paper towels if you have time. Sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. Toss to coat. Let them sit for 15 minutes (or up to one hour). This brine ensures moist shrimp with a nice firm bite: no mushiness, no rubberiness.
- Prep the garlic. While the shrimp brines, smash and peel 10 cloves of garlic. Yes, 10!! Garlic shines in this recipe, but I promise, once it's sautéed properly it melts into sweet nuttiness. Chop the garlic finely, and you will end up with about 1/4 cup of minced garlic.
- Prep the lemons. Use a microplane grater to zest 2 lemons into a small bowl, you should end up with over a tablespoon of zest. Set it aside. Halve the lemons and squeeze the juice into a different small bowl. (I did this over a stainer, to keep out the lemon seeds.)
- Prepare your pasta and/or bread. If you're serving your shrimp with pasta, put well-salted water on to boil at the same time you're ready to start cooking the shrimp. Cook according to package instructions, until al dente. Drain and add oil so it doesn't stick. Keep warm. If serving shrimp scampi with bread, make sure the bread is sliced and warm. when you start cooking your shrimp.
- Cook the marinated shrimp. Heat a stainless steel skillet over medium high heat. Let it preheat for 1-2 minutes, until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and swirl to coat the pan; it should shimmer immediately.
- Add as many shrimp as will fit in a single layer, without touching each other. Get ready for speed flipping! As the shrimp turn opaque pink, use tongs to flip them over. They should curl, but not tightly. As soon as they're opaque on both sides, remove them to a plate. This is a search and destroy mission to identify cooked shrimp and get them outta there before they get chewy. You'll be done in like, 2-3 minutes TOPS. Continue with another batch of shrimp in a single layer, adding another tablespoon oil if necessary, until all the shrimp are cooked.
- Once all shrimp have been removed, lower the heat to medium. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet, and wait until it shimmers. When it's hot, add 1/4 cup minced garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Saute for 30 seconds to 60 seconds, until the garlic just barley starts to turn golden.
- Add 1 cup of sherry wine* and bring to a low simmer over medium heat. Once it bubbles, continue cooking for about 3 minutes. The sherry will reduce somewhat.
- Add butter. Cut 6 tablespoons butter into a few pieces. Add butter to the sherry mixture and use a whisk to stir it in. Whisk it well to make sure it's fully incorporated.
- Add lemon juice. Add the bowl of lemon juice and continue whisking to incorporate. Taste the sauce and season with more Kosher salt if needed.
- Simmer. Continue whisking the sauce for about 1-2 minutes at a low simmer.**
- Add the shrimp back to the skillet. Stir to coat with the lemon sauce. Turn off the heat.
- Add garnishes and lemon zest. Top with 2 tablespoons minced parsley and/or chives. Add in all the lemon zest.
- Serve over pasta or with crusty bread for soaking up the sauce (or BOTH! treat yoself right)
- Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. If you made your scampi from fresh, never frozen shrimp, you can freeze the fully cooked, fully cooled leftovers for 2-3 months. Chances are that you used frozen shrimp though, and it's best not to refreeze previously frozen shrimp. Enjoy the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
- Reheating: Shrimp is best on day 1, when it's been cooked until it's juuust right. Reheating it naturally means you're going to overcook it a little. Heating it in a pan over medium low heat for 3-5 minutes, just until warm, will do less damage than the microwave. If you're microwaving, do 10-20 seconds at a time and hover. I recommend adding a bit of melted butter and an extra squeeze of lemon juice to any leftovers, especially if there is leftover pasta.
