Garlic Shrimp Scampi Recipe

Our shrimp scampi recipe made with garlic, butter, white wine, and lemon feels fancy but is actually super quick and easy. It’s basically the best garlic butter shrimp you’ll ever make.

Shrimp scampi is a true classic, and it comes together in minutes at home. That’s why it’s one of my go-to weeknight dinners. Even if you are starting with frozen shrimp, you’ll have dinner on the table in no time (see my tips for quickly thawing them below).

We love this garlicky shrimp with toasted bread, but it’s just as good piled over pasta for dinner. For more easy shrimp recipes, try our cilantro lime butter shrimp for a fun twist!

Key Ingredients

• Shrimp: Choose fresh, high-quality jumbo or large shrimp for the best texture and flavor. Keep the tails on for presentation or remove them for easier eating. If you have frozen shrimp, see my tip below for quickly thawing them (I do this all the time).
• Shallots, Garlic, and Red Pepper Flakes: Sautéed in olive oil, these aromatics build the base of our sauce.
• Fresh Lemon Juice and White Wine: These deglaze the pan to create the classic scampi sauce. The best wine for this is a dry, crisp white such as Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or an unoaked Chardonnay. Since our recipe calls for ½ cup, use a wine you’ll enjoy sipping with the finished dish. A light vegetable broth is a good substitute.
• Butter and Parsley: You’ll stir these in at the end. They create a silky, garlicky butter sauce that clings to every shrimp.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make the Best Shrimp Scampi

Tip 1: How to quickly thaw frozen shrimp. If you have fresh or thawed shrimp, skip to the next tip, but if you are like me, you probably have a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer. This is how we quickly thaw them:

• Option 1 (the quickest): Add your frozen shrimp to a bowl without a bag, then cover them with cold water (cold is important, don’t use warm or hot). They should take 15 to 20 minutes to thaw. Make sure you change the water a few times (keep it cold) and move the shrimp around occasionally to help them thaw. Note: Don’t leave your shrimp in water for much longer than 30 minutes, as their texture may start to degrade.
• Option 2: Place the shrimp into a sealed plastic bag (like a ziplock bag), but squeeze out as much air as you can. Fully submerge the bag of shrimp in a large bowl of cold water, flipping the bag a few times, and changing the water every 30 minutes until the shrimp have thawed.

Tip 2: Pat the shrimp dry. Whether you are starting with fresh or thawed shrimp, make sure you pat them dry with paper towels so they brown in the skillet rather than steam.

Tip 3: Cook the aromatics. Before cooking the shrimp, add your shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes to olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook them until the shallots turn soft and smell sweet.

Tip 4: Cook the shrimp in a single layer. Add your shrimp to the skillet with the aromatics, making sure they are in a single layer (or as close to one as you can manage). This way, every shrimp gets a chance to hit the hot skillet. They will take about 2 minutes per side. Shrimp cook quickly, so keep a close eye on them. Just as they finish, remove them from the pan and set aside so they don’t overcook while you finish the sauce.

Tip 5: Make scampi sauce. Now your skillet will have the aromatics, little bits of shrimp that were left from cooking them, and some liquid (also left over from cooking the shrimp). Let’s build on all that flavor with white wine and lemon juice. Let the sauce simmer and reduce a little, then turn off the heat and swirl in butter to make it a little creamy. Add the shrimp back to the skillet, toss well in the sauce, and enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

You can serve this in so many different ways. The first (and probably one of the most loved) is shrimp scampi pasta. To turn our recipe below into a pasta dish, cook about 8 ounces of spaghetti, fresh pasta, or linguini in salted boiling water until al dente, then use tongs to transfer the pasta to the skillet with shrimp and sauce. Toss really well, adding a little starchy pasta cooking water to help it along. If you think it needs it, add a bit more butter and serve! For a lower-carb option, add the shrimp to our garlic zucchini noodles.

Beyond pasta, I love spooning some of the shrimp and sauce over toasted or grilled bread. Sourdough is perfect, as is focaccia. Or, serve it as is with other light Italian dishes like Caprese salad, Caesar salad, bruschetta, polenta, or our olive oil bread dip.

More of Our Favorite Shrimp Recipes