Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp Scampi is a restaurant-quality one-pan dinner ready in just 20 minutes! This classic Italian dish features traditional ingredients: olive oil, butter, garlic, lemon juice, and white wine. It's low-carb, keto, gluten-free, and packed with protein. Serve shrimp scampi with crusty Italian bread, over pasta, or with risotto. This simple dish is sure to become a family favorite.

Quick and easy weeknight dinner

Classic shrimp scampi features lemon garlic butter sauce and makes a stunning presentation without much effort on the part of the cook. All you need is to have all the ingredients ready, one cooking pan, and 20 minutes of your time. The ingredients list is short. This is one of my go-to recipes when I want to make an impressive yet quick weeknight meal for my family and friends, without spending hours in the kitchen. It's a restaurant-quality dinner - perfect for entertaining guests when you have company over. Serve easy shrimp scampi over basil pasta or on top of creamy sun-dried tomato risotto. Or, simply add it as a topping to salads, such as mango avocado salad or a simple spinach salad.

Why make it

• 20-minute-one pan dinner. The recipe takes only 20 minutes and is done in one pan on the stovetop - a perfect dinner for a busy weeknight or when you're in a hurry. The cleanup is minimal.
• Nutrition. It's a healthy, low-carb, keto-friendly, gluten-free main course rich in lean protein.
• Goes with everything. Serve shrimp scampi over spaghetti, rice, risotto, and roasted veggies. Add it to the store-bought ravioli or tortellini. You can even toss it together with your favorite fresh salad to turn any salad into dinner!

4.70 from 46 votes

Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp Scampi is a restaurant-quality one-pan dinner ready in just 20 minutes! This classic Italian dish features traditional ingredients: olive oil, butter, garlic, lemon juice, and white wine. It's low-carb, keto, gluten-free, and packed with protein. Serve shrimp scampi with crusty Italian bread, over pasta, or with risotto. This simple dish is sure to become a family favorite.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4 people

Calories per serving 321 kcal

Author: Julia

Ingredients

Shrimp

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1.5 lb raw shrimp peeled, deveined, tails off (large - about 15-20 count per pound)
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ¼ teaspoon salt to taste
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Sauce

• 5 cloves garlic minced
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 large lemon
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons salted butter

Garnish

• 3 tablespoons capers
• 3 tablespoons lemon zest
• ½ cup fresh basil chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions 

Cook shrimp

• Heat a large, high-sided, skillet until hot on medium heat. Add olive oil - it should run easily but not sizzle or burn. Add shrimp without overcrowding (you might have to cook in 2 batches). Sprinkle shrimp with seasonings (Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper).
• Cook shrimp, flipping it once or twice, on medium heat, about 3-4 minutes total, until pink in color. Do not overcook.
• Remove shrimp from the skillet.

Make sauce

• Add minced garlic, lemon juice, and white wine to the same (now empty) skillet where you cooked the shrimp and deglaze the pan. Reduce heat, and cook until the sauce reduces just a bit and the garlic is softened - about 2 or 3 minutes. Remove from heat and fold in butter, off heat, letting it melt in the sauce.

Assembly

• Add cooked shrimp and 2 tablespoons of capers to the skillet with the lemon garlic butter sauce and stir it to reheat on low heat.
• When serving, top with the remaining 1 tablespoon (or more) of capers, chopped fresh basil, and lemon zest. Squeeze a little bit of lemon juice over the shrimp if you like.

Nutrition

Nutrition Information

Shrimp Scampi

Amount per Serving

Calories

321

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

17

g

26

%

Saturated Fat

 

7

g

44

%

Trans Fat

 

0.4

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

7

g

Cholesterol

 

296

mg

99

%

Sodium

 

588

mg

26

%

Potassium

 

532

mg

15

%

Carbohydrates

 

5

g

2

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

1

g

1

%

Protein

 

35

g

70

%

Vitamin A

 

511

IU

10

%

Vitamin C

 

14

mg

17

%

Calcium

 

141

mg

14

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition Disclaimer:

The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Keyword shrimp scampi

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Cooking tips

• When using raw shrimp, make sure it's peeled and deveined.
• Do not overcrowd shrimp. Make sure to space out the shrimp in the skillet when searing. This will ensure that shrimp actually gets seared and not steamed. You might have to work in batches.  Also, watch the cooking times closely not to overcook the shrimp.
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice (as opposed to the bottled kind) is highly recommended.

Substitutions

• Seasonings. Keep seasoning simple. Use a mix of dry herbs, such as Italian seasoning or Herbs from Provance. Or, season the shrimp with dried basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, and oregano.
• Lemon juice can be replaced with lime juice if you're in a pinch.
• Don't want to use white wine? Use vegetable stock or chicken stock instead.
• Make it dairy-free by omitting the butter and replacing it with extra virgin olive oil or your favorite dairy-free butter alternative.

Variations and add-ins

• Add capers. They are a perfect pairing with shrimp scampi.
• Add veggies. Cherry or grape tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, arugula, asparagus, and bell peppers, just to name a few.
• Add a splash of cream to the lemon garlic butter sauce to create a luscious and delicious cream sauce texture. Use heavy cream or half-and-half.
• Add pasta, such as spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine. The shrimp scampi with lemon garlic butter sauce is meant to be served over pasta with a slice of crusty bread!
• Add cheese. You can sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan, Asiago, or Romano cheese on top of the shrimp scampi.
• Add heat by sprinkling adding red pepper flakes.
• Pine nuts add amazing flavor. I recommend briefly toasting them in the preheated oven at 350 F for just 5 minutes until lightly browned. They taste so much better when toasted! But watch them carefully, as these nuts can burn quickly. Sprinkle them over the lemon garlic butter shrimp when serving to keep them nice and crunchy!

Storage and reheating tips

• Refrigerate the leftover cooked shrimp scampi in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• Reheat it in the microwave in 30 seconds increments until completely heated through.
• Reheat it in the preheated oven at 350 F for about 20 minutes or until heated through.
• I do not recommend freezing this dish.

What to serve with shrimp scampi

• Pasta. The classic Italian way to serve shrimp scampi is over pasta. I recommend spaghetti, fettuccine, pappardelle, or bucatini. You can also use short pasta, such as fusilli, farfalle (bow-tie pasta), or penne. Cook the pasta al dente for the best texture.
• Bread. Serve this delicious lemon garlic butter shrimp with a crusty slice of warm Italian bread, garlic bread, or olive bread loaf.
• Rice is a perfect side to soak in the richness of lemon garlic butter sauce.
• Roasted vegetables. Make a side of roasted veggies, such as asparagus, green beans, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts.
• Fresh salad. I would suggest a basic spinach or arugula salad, sprinkled with toasted nuts (pecans or pine nuts), a small amount of shredded Parmesan or crumbled goat cheese, and dressed with your favorite salad dressing! Or, take a look at my salad recommendations here:
• Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad with Mozzarella and Basil Pesto
• Mediterranean Chickpea Salad with Avocado, Tomato, and Cucumber
• Greek Tortellini Salad with Tomatoes, Avocados, Cucumbers

Other shrimp recipes you might like

• Shrimp Pesto Pasta
• Shrimp Risotto
• Creamy Shrimp Orzo with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach
• Garlic Butter Shrimp
• Pesto Shrimp with Mushrooms
• Creamy Mushroom Shrimp Pasta
• Cilantro-Lime and Black Bean Shrimp and Rice Skillet