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This shrimp scampi is a great delicious and easy meal that is ready to serve in just 15 minutes. Full of fresh flavors, this garlic butter shrimp comes together so easily in one pan.
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This shrimp scampi recipe is a must for you to have in your cooking arsenal. It’s a total lifesaver after a busy day as it comes together so quickly and easily.
Juicy shrimp are cooked in a delicious and fresh lemon garlic sauce, and I reckon you will have most ingredients for this already on hand.
If you are after more dinners that you can get on the table quickly, be sure to check out my mahi mahi recipe and my baked chicken and potatoes is a great hands-off sheet pan meal.
Why This Recipe Works
- Cooking the shrimp quickly keeps them from getting overcooked.
- Adding lemon juice and lemon zest at the end gives this dish a nice and bright taste.
- Using dry wine (like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Sémillon, and dry sparkling wines) brings out the lively fruit notes of the wine and adds the best flavor to the dish.
Shrimp Scampi Ingredients
To make this simple shrimp scampi recipe, you will need:
- Olive oil and butter
- Shrimp – use fresh or frozen shrimp (completely thawed), peeled and deveined with tail on or off. Make sure your shrimp is ready before you heat the oil in the skillet because this recipe goes very fast.
- Salt and pepper
- Garlic cloves
- White wine – If you want to make shrimp scampi without wine, you can substitute the wine with chicken or vegetable stock.
- Lemon juice and zest – Adds so much fresh and delicious flavor to the meal
- Red pepper flakes
- Fresh parsley
The garlic butter shrimp scampi sauce is made without cream so this is a great healthier option that also happens to be low carb.
How To Make Shrimp Scampi
- Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Add shrimp to the hot skillet and cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side.
- Before the shrimp is cooked through, add the minced garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Add the white wine and cook for about 1-2 minutes until it is reduced by about half. In the meantime, turn the shrimp and cook on the other side.
- Add the remaining butter, lemon juice, and zest. Take the skillet off the heat and add the chopped fresh parsley.
What To Serve With It?
This shrimp recipe is low carb and if you want to keep it that way, you can serve the shrimp over zoodles, spaghetti squash, or cauliflower rice. If you aren’t following a low carb diet then you can serve shrimp scampi with rice or pasta. If you like, you can also serve it with a veggie side like green beans with bacon, cucumber salad, roasted garlic cauliflower, or honey glazed carrots.
Can you use fresh or frozen shrimp?
I prefer to use fresh shrimp, but if you have frozen, you can use frozen if that’s what you have. If you use frozen, be sure to thaw them all the way through before you add them to the pan.
Make sure that the shrimp are deveined and shelled. I prefer to leave the tails on, they add more flavor to the finished dish.
Can you make garlic butter shrimp ahead of time?
You can prep the ingredients up to 24 hours in advance which means that you can cook this meal literally in just few short minutes.
This easy shrimp scampi recipe is best served as soon as it is made, the shrimp will be perfectly juicy and delicious. If you do have leftovers, they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat the garlic butter shrimp on the stovetop on a low heat and take care not to overcook them.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Buy peeled and deveined shrimp.
- The shrimp only take a few minutes to cook, so take care not to overcook them. When cooked too much they can become rubbery in texture.
- Use a dry white wine for this dish, a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc will work well.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor. Bottled juice is less zingy.
More Easy Shrimp Recipes
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Shrimp Scampi
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Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 4 Tablespoon butter, divided (2 tbsp & 2 tbsp)
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined with tail on or off
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup dry white wine, i.e. Pinot Grigio *
- 2 Tablespoon lemon juice
- lemon zest of 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil and 2 Tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Add shrimp to the hot skillet and sear for about 1 minutes on each side.
- Before the shrimp is cooked through, add the minced garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Add the white wine and cook for about 1-2 minutes until it is reduced by about half. In the meantime, turn the shrimp and cook on the other side.
- Add the remaining butter, lemon juice and zest. Take the skillet off the heat and add the chopped fresh parsley. Serve over rice, pasta, zoodles, or spaghetti squash.
Video
Notes
- Buy peeled and deveined shrimp.
- The shrimp only take a few minutes to cook, so take care not to overcook them. When cooked too much they can become rubbery in texture.
- Use a dry white wine for this dish, a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc will work well.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor. Bottled juice is less zingy.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer: Nutritional values are estimates and may vary with ingredients, brands, and portion sizes. For accuracy, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this recipe is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical or nutritional advice. I am not a doctor or a dietitian. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized guidance regarding your diet or health. For more details, please read my full disclosure page.
I didn’t expect much since it was a 15 minute recipe, but I was wrong. It is very yummy. I doubled the sauce and used a pound of shrimp- we like sauce. We put it over rice.
This is now my go to scampi recipe. Thanks for posting it
I am so glad to hear you liked it, Donna!
I love that this shrimp scampi comes together in only 15 minutes! Such a great pick for weeknights. Those flavors sound amazing.
I honestly have to say I thought I made the best scampi until I tried this recipe, this is the best ever and I will always use this recipe thank you
I love shrimp scampi! It’s always been a fave pasta dish of mine because it’s so quick and simple you can make an elevated quick lunch! I didn’t know you could make it ahead of time so thanks for the tip!
Save this recipe! You are going to want to make it again and again. It is simple yet feels like a fancy dish. Perfect for a mid week pick me up.