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Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi is so quick and easy. A garlic buttery scampi sauce with a hint of white wine & lemon in less than 10 minutes!
It can be enjoyed as an appetizer, light meal OR for dinner with your favourite pasta of choice! You can also keep it low carb and serve over zucchini noodles or with steamed cauliflower. Either way it’s delicious and even better than an Italian restaurant Scampi!
Shrimp Recipe
After publishing TWO Scampi recipes on this blog over the years, one being Browned Butter Shrimp Scampi and the other this reader favourite Crispy Baked Shrimp Scampi, I wanted to give you guys an even easier recipe ready in less than 10 minutes.
Actually, I started making our family favourite garlic butter recipe when we realised it was fast turning into a Scampi since we add white wine into our recipe for added flavour. So then, I had to share it.
Tips make the best shrimp scampi
- Have all of your ingredients ready on your kitchen bench and close to your cooking area if possible. This recipe cooks FAST. You don’t want to be head deep into your refrigerator searching for your wine, for example, while the shrimp is cooking away on the stove. Over-cooked shrimp is rubbery, tough and not pleasant to eat at all.
- The shrimp is cooked in a butter/oil combination prevent the butter from burning. You can use all butter if you wish, just note it will begin to brown while the shrimp are cooking. (Nothing wrong with a little browned butter.) Though, I do prefer the flavour of a butter/oil mixture in this.
- I love extra large or jumbo shrimp (or prawns) in this recipe! They’re fat and juicy and perfect for a shrimp scampi! If you can find wild-caught shrimp, please cook with those. Better flavour, better colour and a lot healthier for you than farm-raised seafood.
- Use a good quality white wine. I use a Sav Blanc when cooking this recipe. You can also use a Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay.
Shrimp Scampi without wine
Wine can be omitted completely OR substitute with chicken broth if you wish. Chicken broth has a much better flavour than fish broth, however, if you have homemade fish broth laying around, you can definitely use that!
How To Make Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi
Other shrimp recipes:
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Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4-5 cloves garlic large, minced, or 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 1/4 pounds shrimp large prawns, shelled with tails on or off
- 1 pinch salt to taste
- 1 pinch cracked pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup dry white wine or broth
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes crushed, or to taste – optional
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pan or skillet. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds – 1 minute). Then add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper to taste and sauté for 1-2 minutes on one side (until just beginning to turn pink), then flip.
- Pour in wine (or broth), add red pepper flakes (if using). Bring to a simmer for 1-2 minutes or until wine reduces by about half and the shrimp is cooked through (don’t over cook your shrimp).
- Stir in the remaining butter, lemon juice and parsley and take off heat immediately.
- Serve over rice, pasta, garlic bread or steamed vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini noodles).
Notes
- Use a good quality white wine. I use a Sav Blanc when cooking this recipe. You can also use a Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay.
- Have all of your ingredients ready on your kitchen bench and close to your cooking area if possible. This recipe cooks FAST.
- The shrimp is cooked in a butter/oil combination prevent the butter from burning. You can use all butter if you wish, just note it will begin to brown while the shrimp are cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was amazing. I used white wine and mixed it with some clam juice along with the other ingredients and it was sooo good. Definitely recommend.
Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi Recipe is great! This is my family’s favorite food. It’s great now that I can make it myself at home for everyone to enjoy. Thanks for your detailed instructions
Ditto! This recipe was so simple and quick! My family loved it and I’ll be making it again soon!
This sounds so good!! Am making it for my girlfriends for Valentines day,
This was by far the greatest recipe ever for Shrimp Scampi!!! It was so tasty!!! My husband was in heaven!! Thank you!!
Absolutely the best!! My husband and his employees loved loved loved it!! They ask for it all the time!! The only thing I added was halved cherry tomatoes. Delish!!
I LOVE this recipe and have made it many times. I add a little extra lemon juice but that’s the only alteration. I like to use pinot grigio for the sauce. I buy a small bottle and it’s just enough for the sauce and a glass of wine for my husband and I. We love this recipe so much that there are never leftovers!!
Thanks so much for mentioning buying the wine in the small bottles! I don’t like to open a regular bottle of wine for just myself. My daughter won’t eat shrimp so I’ll be eating this by myself. Thanks again for the great tip!
If I want more liquid which ingredients would I double?
The liquid
?
I doubled everything but the shrimp in order to have enough sauce for my pasta.
So perfect and delicious!!
I hAve frozen shrimp, will that work for this recipe?
DEfrost the shrimp!
I used frozen, precooked shrimp. Thawed them in a bowl of cold water for about an hour, removed the tails and added them to the sauce with the lemon juice and parsley, tossed it all together, then removed the pan from the heat and covered it for a minute or so, until the shrimp were heated through. It was very good! I used a cast iron skillet. Great recipe!
I’ve made scampi for years, I love it but had a recipe that called for a lot of butter so it can be poured over the pasta. But it was too much. I like the more chicken broth and wine idea, will try that this time. Last thing I add is Italian Bread Crumbs sprinkled on top of the shrimp, this too makes a nice addition. But my son has to have more sauce. Thanks for the recipe, I’ll be making it for Christmas Eve. No more seven fishes, too much work. Will do scallops too. Can’t wait.
Made this tonight with my best friend and it turned out amazing!! The instructions were super easy to follow. My mom also tried the shrimp and loved it! Thank you for this awesome recipe!!!