Active Time
15 minutes
Total Time
45 minutes (includes marinating)
This shrimp scampi recipe makes for an ideal weeknight dinner: It comes together quickly with just a handful of ingredients, many of which you may already have in the house. The key, perhaps unsurprisingly, is good shrimp. Unless you have access to a fishmonger, frozen wild-caught or frozen sustainably farmed shrimp are likely to be fresher than the frozen-then-thawed shrimp sitting on ice at your local supermarket.
We urge you: Don’t skip the marinade step—it really amps up the flavor and sets this buttery garlic shrimp recipe apart. Use the time to make a big green salad or enjoy a glass of wine that you can also use in the recipe (we like a Pinot Grigio, Fiano, or another crisp, dry Italian wine here). Before you add the shrimp to the pan, be sure everything else for your meal is set up. The dish cooks in less than 10 minutes and shrimp can easily overcook and turn rubbery. (Watch Carla make it here.) Serve your shrimp scampi with bread for dipping so none of the lemony garlic-butter sauce goes to waste. Plates are optional.
If you’re looking for a scampi recipe that sees the crustaceans tossed with cooked pasta, this one keeps it classic but adds fettuccine (linguine works too) and a toasted panko topping for crunch, while this one uses spaghetti and an extra punch of heat from fresh jalapeño and canned roasted green chiles.
Ingredients
4 servings
2
1
3
1
¼
¼
1
¼
3
Preparation
Step 1
Whisk 2 garlic cloves, finely grated on a microplane, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. plus ⅛ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided in a medium bowl. Add 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled, deveined, toss to coat, and chill, uncovered, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Step 2
Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium and cook shrimp mixture, being careful not to let shrimp or garlic brown, until shrimp is pink but still slightly underdone, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon, leaving as much oil in pan as possible. Add 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, and ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes to skillet and cook, tossing, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ¼ cup dry white wine and 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter and cook, stirring and swirling pan occasionally, until butter is melted and sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes more.
Step 3
Scrape shrimp along with any accumulated juices into skillet. Toss to coat and cook until shrimp are fully cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter, garnish with 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley and serve with warm crusty bread (if using) for dipping alongside.
Editor’s note: This recipe was first printed in February 2017. Head this way for more of our best shrimp recipes →
Leave a Review
Reviews (216)
Back to TopQuick, easy and delicious! I double the sauce ingredients as the recipe for 4 does not produce enough sauce for dipping the bread or adding pasta. I have used this recipe since finding it in February, 2017. It is definitely a keeper and is great for a quick family dinner or a dressed up dinner with guests.
Anonymous
Brooksville, FL
4/30/2023
I made this exactly as written, served it over a bed of organic whole wheat spaghetti. I tossed the pasta with good olive oil first, as I could tell there wasn’t enough sauce for the pasta. Plenty of flavor, rich and garlicky. Loved it!
Nicole
Carlsbad,CA
3/15/2023
Brilliant recipe. We had them on fettuccine, but then everyone had to polish the plate with bread. Before adding the butter I was afraid it would be too acidic, but it had just the right level of zing. We will definitely make it again.
Andrea Bergamini
Zurich, Switzerland
11/18/2022
Excellent! REALLY though, do NOT omit the marinate step. Served it over olive oil capellini with French bread. Easy and utterly delish! Have made this many times - all successful.
ElenaD3LV
Arizona
10/23/2022
Excellent but I definitely added to the sauce to get enough to accommodate some angelhair and garlic bread. Read the comments below before cooking and also added paprika but used “smoked” paprika. According to my friend who is a shrimp scampi connoisseur, it was the “best damn scamps” she’s had in 37 years on earth. I was also please and I used to work in an Italian place with fantastic scampi so my bar is also pretty high. Will 100% be making again…and again!
Tara M
Roan Mountain, TN
8/5/2022
Sounds delicious, but how can such scant liquid ingredients possibly render enough sauce for a pound of shrimp?
Noelle
California
7/8/2022
The hardest part of this recipe, peeling and deveining the shrimp. Have your mis-en-plas together, seriously. I double the recipe and toss in fettuccine or linguine. A favorite celebration meal.
Rebecca
Auburn, AL
6/20/2022
This is a great recipe, it is garlic-y and goes great with pasta.
Dano
Boise, ID
3/10/2022
Simple and delicious! Made this as a lighter holiday meal with salad and baguette.
Anonymous
12/29/2021
No doubt the best shrimp scampi I’ve ever made. Even better the next day! Delicious.
Anonymous
New jersey
12/28/2021
Quite literally the most delicious, perfect shrimp scampi ever, in restaurants or elsewhere. This recipe was simple enough for an amateur college cook like myself and delicious enough to serve to my parents and extended family. Everyone had seconds and licked the plate! I have made this with and without marinating the shrimp, and I can say it really is worth letting them sit for at least 15-20 minutes and it makes all the difference! The longer the better though!
Skye
Pittsburgh, PA
11/25/2021
Excellent dish - we marinated the shrimp for four hours which really enhanced the flavors. It paired well with a flinty Sancerre.
Regis
McLean, Va
10/29/2021
This is the easiest and tastiest scampi recipe I have ever made. The results are Delicious every time.
Yoly
Florida
10/19/2021
I've made dozens of recipes for Scampi, and I thought I was all set with one I found a couple of years ago. But this one caught my eye because it called for marinating the shrimp. Now I am all set. My family and friends lavish praise any time this is on the menu. One thing I do add is a large pinch of Paprika in the marinade. Something from one of my other recipes, and I think it adds something special to the final dish.
Cooking in Detroit
Detroit
9/12/2021
Didn’t even marinate the shrimp and it turned out delicious. Perfectly tender shrimp and flavorful.
Deja
Gainesville, Fl
9/7/2021