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Garlicky, buttery, and totally irresistible, this shrimp scampi dish is light, bright, and perfect when paired with a simple starchy side and veggies!
Shrimp is actually one of my very favorite proteins to cook. It’s delicious, quick, and is a great source of not only protein but also vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants. Some shrimp recipes that make it onto my kitchen table often include shrimp tacos, jambalaya, shrimp and veggie stir-fry, and a really delicious (seriously, it’s *so* good!) Cajun shrimp sheet pan dinner.
Easy Shrimp Scampi
This shrimp scampi is delicious, y’all! It’s buttery, garlicky, and (truly) just absolutely divine. Typical shrimp scampi dishes combine 4 iconic ingredients: garlic, butter, white wine, and shrimp, and ours does too! We use only the freshest ingredients here, and because of that, each one shines beautifully to create a simple yet delightful finished product.
Shrimp Scampi Ingredients
This recipe includes only the freshest, most delicious of ingredients! Here’s exactly what you’ll need:
- Butter – to start, you’ll need 2 tablespoons of butter. Butter adds a delicious richness and depth of flavor to this dish.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – in addition to the butter, you’ll also need 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil.
- Garlic – to add to the delicious flavor of this dish, you’ll also need 4 cloves-worth of slivered garlic.
- White Wine – another iconic ingredient in shrimp scampi! For our recipe, you’ll need ¾ cup of white wine. Don’t worry about the alcohol content in the wine. It will cook out, so you’ll be left with delicious flavor but no alcohol.
- Fresh Parsley – parsley is the herb of choice in shrimp scampi. You’ll need about a ¼ cup of packed fresh chopped parsley.
- Shrimp – what is shrimp scampi without shrimp?! You’ll want to grab 1 pound of peeled and deveined shrimp.
- Sea Salt + Black Pepper – to further season the dish, you’ll need 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt and a ½ teaspoon of cracked black pepper.
- Lemon Juice – fresh lemon juice adds a really beautiful brightness to the dish. You’ll need 2 tablespoons here.
How to Make Shrimp Scampi
The process is very simple, so don’t be intimidated! Here’s how you’ll bring this dish together:
- Add the butter, olive oil, and garlic to a skillet – to start, you’ll want to add the butter and olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant and beginning to brown and the butter begins to foam.
- Add the wine + simmer – pour the wine into the skillet, decrease the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 7-10 minutes, until the volume is reduced by half.
- Prepare the shrimp – while the wine is reducing, season the shrimp with the salt and pepper and toss to coat. Then, increase the heat on the skillet to medium-high heat.
- Sear the shrimp – working in batches, add the seasoned shrimp to the skillet, making sure it doesn’t overlap, and sear for 2-3 minutes per side, until the shrimp turn pink and curl in on themselves. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and set aside, then add the next batch of shrimp to the pan to cook.
- Combine everything + serve – once all of the shrimp is cooked, turn off the heat, then add all of the shrimp back to the pan along with the lemon juice and parsley, toss to combine, and serve!
What to Serve with Shrimp Scampi?
If you’re looking for a really yummy addition to your shrimp scampi, consider…
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Shrimp Scampi Frequently Asked Questions
There are so many options when it comes to buying shrimp! For this recipe, you’ll want to grab large shrimp that have either been peeled and deveined by the folks at the seafood counter at your local grocery store or buy them shell-on and peel and devein them yourselves. We’re pretty fuss-free around here, so really, just grab what you can find — don’t stress too much on the size of the shrimp (just grab what you can find + what fits into your budget!). If you buy frozen shrimp, be sure to thaw them in the fridge before making this recipe. Do be sure to get raw shrimp, though, because it’s likely that your store sells bags of precooked shrimp also.
We start this dish by simmering together butter, olive oil, garlic, and white wine. We let it reduce and thicken slightly, and it becomes a really delicious, simple sauce for the shrimp!
Good question! We actually wondered this too. The combination of butter and olive oil adds a really delicious depth of flavor here. Olive oil also has a higher smoke point than butter, so with a combination of the two you get all of the delicious taste of butter, without having to worry about burning it.Â
While the sauce isn’t *thick* by any means, we do let it reduce and thicken just slightly. To do this, you’ll just let the ingredients simmer in the pan – easy-peasy!
The classic answer here: noodles. If you order shrimp scampi at a restaurant, it’s very likely that it’ll be served alongside some sort of pasta, and for good reason – the noodles soak up the garlicky, buttery sauce beautifully! Other starchy options that would be really yummy: roasted baby gold potatoes, white or brown rice, or orzo.Â
The butter, garlic, white wine, and lemon pretty much guarantee fresh, really delicious flavor here, but if you’re still looking for something more, try adding some red pepper flakes to the finished dish!Â
If you’re shrimp ends up chewy, that probably means that you’re cooking it for too long! Remember, shrimp only takes 2-3 minutes per side to cook.
Sure! You can substitute an equal amount of chicken broth in place of the white wine. Do know, though, that the alcohol cooks off of the wine, so it’s a completely safe, family-friendly meal!Â
No problem! Finish the recipe off with an herb that you do love. Fresh thyme or rosemary would both be really delicious here!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup packed chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and de-veined
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice from about 1 lemon
- Lemon wedges for garnish (optional)
- Noodles for serving, if desired
Instructions
- Add the butter and olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant and beginning to brown and the butter begins to foam.
- Pour the wine into the skillet, then decrease the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 7-10 minutes, until the volume is reduced by half.
- While the wine is reducing, season the shrimp with the salt and pepper and toss to coat. Then, increase the heat on the skillet to medium-high heat.
- Working in batches, add the seasoned shrimp to the skillet, making sure it doesn’t overlap, and sear for 2-3 minutes per side, until the shrimp turn pink and curl in on themselves. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and set aside, then add the next batch of shrimp to the pan to cook.
- Once all of the shrimp is cooked, turn off the heat, then add all of the shrimp back to the pan along with the lemon juice and parsley and toss to combine. Serve over noodles, or alongside rice, orzo, or roasted potatoes.
Nutrition Information
Recipe Notes
- For Dairy-Free and Paleo – Omit the butter and use 2 additional tablespoons of olive oil in its place
- For Alcohol-Free – Replace the wine with an equal amount of chicken broth
Lyn says
Is the protein value per serving really only 0.4g? Seems like it should be higher…
Brandi Schilhab says
Whoops, we forgot to add the shrimp into the nutrition facts. Great catch – thanks for letting us know that something was off! It should be fixed now.
Amy says
Wait…where are you finding the nutrition info? I don’t see if anywhere.
Clarissa says
I love Shrimp Scampi and this recipe was EXCELLENT! Super easy and tasted amazing. Full of flavor. Perfect over linguine. Thanks for such a delicious recipe. Will definitely save this one!
Brandi Schilhab says
That’s so awesome, Clarissa! We’re so glad you loved this one. Thank you for sharing this with us!
Koteuni says
I just wanted to say no alcohol is wrong. There is a study saying alcohol takes 3 hours to cook out of a meal.
Brandi Schilhab says
Thanks for the feedback!
Kiara says
Loved this. I used chicken broth instead of wine and it was delicious.
Melissa Guevara says
What a great sub! Glad you enjoyed. Thank you for taking the time to share with us! -Team F&F
Thais says
This Shrimp Scamp is delicious! I LOVE the lemon flavor on F & F recipes. However, When I was cooking the shrimp (medium heat with covered pan), I few like my sauce reduced too much and did not have a good amount of sauce to serve offer the pasta. Did I do something wrong?
Melissa Guevara says
Oh no! We are sorry to hear this was your experience, Thais. Glad to hear that you enjoyed the flavor. The sauce is definitely meant to be lighter on this dish since it is such a rich sauce, but we want you to feel like you have an adequate amount. We’re not sure why the sauce reduced in volume so much, especially since you used a lid, so not sure what happened! -Team FF