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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!
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.
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
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.
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
I’ve made so many recipes from Julia’s site and they’ve all been great. Unfortunately, this one did not work out for me. I served this on a bed of pasta. I used less lemon, lemon zest and capers than recommended and yet the lemon overpowered all the other flavors and it was too salty for me.
Won’t be making this one again, but as I said, Julia’s recipes are great, so I’ll continue to make many of her other dishes.
Hi Vivian! Thank you for your honest feedback! I’m sorry to hear this one didn’t work out for you, but I’m glad you’ve enjoyed others from the site. I’ll definitely take your comments on the lemon and salt into consideration for future adjustments (especially if I hear more of the similar feedback). 🙂 🙂
Very easy to make but bursting with flavor. This will be a go to recipe for want to make something quick and easy.
Thanks, Bruce, I am so glad this recipe was a success!
I love Shrimp Scampi. Made your recipe which had good favour.
I used frozen shrimp as usual all that is avbl.
Seared shrimp just slightly, but shrimp were tough, too chewy.
Any ideas welcome to correct this problem. This is happening in other revipes so it isnt this recipe being a priblem.
Cheers. Maggie in Ontario
I just made this recipe, and maybe it’s my fault, because I used finely ground cayenne powder rather than red pepper flakes (are they the same?), but the flavor was too hot, and my husband wouldn’t even eat it. Did I goof up?
Thank you for sharing your recipe! Very tasty! I used a brand of frozen shrimp, which is peeled and deveined. I also used both lemon juice and lemon zest, and a minced shallot. I served the shrimp scampi with a side of toasted buttered orzo, garlic toast, and broccoli florets.
I love the addition of a minced shallot to the shrimp and your choice of side dishes is fantastic—thank you for sharing!
I love this recipe. I am always looking for new shrimp recipe to make. I have tried several of your recipes and love them. Some of them are high in calories. I have to skip them, even though they look delicious. I would love it if you could make them less calories and fat.
Hi Mary Beth, I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! I will add your suggestion to my to-do list! 🙂
Gees louise. your Shrimps are over cooked. ingredients are great. but instructions will and have as in photo are over cooked cooking them first makes no sense to me !! shrimps cook very quickly if you want to use this recipe then cook on one side only because they willl continue to cook when out of pan. when adding shrimps to oil just watch center cut area when it starts to turn opaque DONE on one side . then follow rest of recipe finish shrimps on other side last. watch that center line again as it turns opaque yer done serve immediately now yer cooking !!!!!
Great tips, Joseph, thank you! The cooking times will also depend on the size of the shrimp (I used large).
Is it possible to incorporate scallops into this amazing dish?
Darlene, you can definitely make this recipe with scallops or both scallops and shrimp! It would be even more delicious!
Hi Julia, This was amazing! It is the 5th of your recipes I have made and each one has been outstanding. Thank you for showing up in my email and presenting me with such delicious reading.
Elaine, I am so glad to see this kind of feedback - that my e-mails are helpful and that they allow you to discover the recipes you would like to try! ❤️
I have tried many recipes for Shrimp Scampi over the years and this one is undoubtedly the best! It is easy and fast, and most especially delicious!!
Wow, Christina, that's a huge compliment to me! ❤️
Made this last night with no changes to the recipe - really excellent. Great combination of flavors and textures, and the capers and basil really round out the flavor profile. Served it on top of thin spaghetti with some steamed broccoli on the side. Thanx Julia!
Steve, I am so glad this recipe was a success! ❤️ Love that you served it with pasta + broccol! ❤️
My niece Trace got me looking at your amazing delicious meals and you are such a awesome cook
I will definitely be making your meals over the holidays
Keep cooking I will keep trying to save all your recipes and make them
Have a wonderful day
Barbara, your comment made my day! ❤️ So glad your niece discovered my recipes - I am so happy to have both of you here. ❤️
Amazing dish just made this full of favour went down storm with hubby .
Served it with rice noodles and stir fried vegetables. Very healthy dish
Samantha, I am so glad you tried this recipe and that both of you loved it! Thank you for the feedback! 🙂
Very tasty quick and easy to make I had it with basmati rice and purple sprouting broccoli definitely a keeper
Catherine, I love your choice of side dishes!
Looks amazing. I will try it this weekend. Thank you