This shrimp scampi is a quick and easy weeknight dinner. Juicy shrimp are sautéed until tender in a rich garlic and white wine sauce for a simple but flavorful meal.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Buttery, garlicky, and bright with tender shrimp in a rich white wine sauce.
- Skill Level: Shrimp scampi is fast and easy to make. It’s ready in under 20 minutes, and everything cooks in one pan.
- Prep Note: Use peeled, deveined shrimp to skip messy prep. Defrost frozen shrimp quickly in cold water.
Ingredient Tips
- Shrimp: Buy peeled and deveined shrimp; you can choose tails on or off. Tails are great if served as an appetizer, but I prefer shrimp without tails if served over pasta.
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic adds a lot of flavor to the sauce. No fresh garlic? Use minced garlic from a jar instead.
- Wine: The best wine for shrimp scampi is a crisp, dry white wine. Skip the cooking wines and choose a wine you enjoy drinking. Try Pinot Grigio, Viognier, a dry Riesling, or Sauvignon Blanc. You can substitute chicken or vegetable broth in place of wine.
How to Make Shrimp Scampi
- Cook garlic & butter until fragrant (full recipe below). Add shrimp and cook. Set aside.
- Pour in some wine and reduce for a few minutes.
- Add shrimp back to the pan and toss to heat through.
Save It for Later
Shrimp scampi can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It’s best not to freeze it to preserve texture.
To reheat, warm it up briefly in a skillet on the stovetop just until hot, being careful not to recook the shrimp.
Shrimp Favorites
Did you enjoy this Shrimp Scampi? Leave a rating and comment below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the shrimp to the pan and toss to coat. Cook the shrimp until bright pink and no longer translucent, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a plate and keep warm.
- Add the wine to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Return the shrimp to the pan and toss to coat in the sauce. Sprinkle with the parsley. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Buy peeled and deveined shrimp to save prep.
- The shrimp look pretty with the tails on, perfect if serving as an appetizer. If serving over pasta, serve without tails. Add some lemon wedges or slices as a garnish.
- The ingredients (including the garlic) can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance. The dish takes just minutes to come together in the pan.
- If serving as an appetizer, include crusty bread or crostini for sopping up the scampi sauce.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It is not recommended to freeze because it will alter the texture of the shrimp.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Dinner, Entree, Lunch, Main Course, Seafood
Cuisine American, Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
what can I use instead of wine
Hi Marie, other readers have used chicken broth instead of wine with great results. Let us know if you decide to try it!
The shrimp scampi is absolutely delicious, I just added more garlic and had it with rice
The receipe never mentions the pasta?
Pasta is an optional serving suggestion. This shrimp is also great served as an appetizer with crusty bread for dipping.
Made this tonight on a whim. It was delicious and quick.
FANTASTIC! Thanks.
This was super easy and so delicious. It’s my new favorite Italian recipe.
Just like another commenter said, this recipe is quick, easy and delicious! I only used one pan and one pot (for the pasta) so clean up was also so quick. Perfect weeknight meal. Will definitely make again!
Quick, easy and delicious. I added 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice.
Best I have ever made.
I have made this twice before for our Anniversary, this time I wanted to make it Valentines Day but everything has been so crazy here! So, I am making this tonight. I found Gulf Shrimp (pealed & devained) at Aldi’s in the frozen section for around $5-$7.00 that comes with approximately 50 Shrimp per bag… Win Win! Absolutely DELICIOUS, thank you for sharing!
That is a win! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Noel!
Easy and delicious!
It has been a crazy day and I was running late with dinner. This recipe came together so quick we still got the little ones in bed on time. Thank you for sharing it.
Tried this recipe, followed it exactly and it came out very delicious. My son loved it.
Prepared as written; just doubled all ingredients to insure leftovers. Yum Yum! Husband commented “DELICIOUS” yesterday when first eaten and again today after he had leftovers. It’s a definite repeat!!
Stellar, delicious! Sweet, spicy, flavorful. Definitely want some crusty bread for soaking.
Does this make alot of sauce? My family and I love our pasta drowning in sauce
It does make a fair amount of sauce Donna, but if you prefer more this sauce can easily be doubled!
Wow! This one is a keeper, for sure. I’m not known for my culinary skills, but this came out tasting restaurant quality. So much flavor – which I was worried about because I’ve ended up with bland white wine sauces following other recipes. Fresh parsley is important here I think. And the red pepper flakes. I was hesitant, but they added the most subtle warmth on your tongue to contrast the brightness of the wine and parsley. I did add a squeeze of fresh lemon because I had it handy. I also reserved a bit of the butter, chilled it, and added at the very end to thicken the sauce and stirred stirred stirred til it was melted in and the pasta had a chance to absorb some of the liquid. Easily top 5 best things I’ve cooked.
Quantities?????
Hi JB, you will find the full recipe with quantities and cook instructions towards the bottom of the post, you can also use the jump to recipe button at the top to take you directly there. Enjoy!
So simple and delicious!!! Just the right amount of heat from the red pepper :)
Perfect summer light dinner.
Made this for my husband. He said it wasn’t bad but it was very soupy. I followed the recipe exact but didn’t achieve a thick sauce at all.
Hi Isabelle, this recipe makes a thinner buttery sauce for the pasta. We have never tried thickening this sauce but you could try slowly adding a slurry to help it thicken to your preferred consistency.