Shrimp Scampi Recipe – Garlic Butter Shrimp Served Over Pasta

Shrimp scampi is a beautiful, elegant meal that is super easy to prepare.

In fact, this delicious dinner can be on the table in under 30 minutes. The most time consuming part of this meal is making your own shrimp stock, which of course, could be done ahead of time.

Important Tip — Do not purchase peeled shrimp for this shrimp scampi recipe.

You will be using the shells of the shrimp to flavor the liquid. Of course you could skip out on this step, however, the shells add an depth of flavor that you don’t want to miss!

After peeling the shrimp, simply add the shells to the wine and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and you now have the most amazing shrimp ‘stock’!

Of course, this will also require you to devein the shrimp. Most individuals know that you must pull out the ‘vein’ on the back side of the shrimp.

But did you also know that there is a smaller ‘vein’ on the underside also? Remove both and the shrimp are ready to be cooked.

And no, they aren’t actually true veins. The top one is part of the shrimp’s digestive tract, and the one underneath is actually a nerve.

Regardless, it is best to remove them so you don’t end up with a weird taste when eating the shrimp.

The best part about cooking shrimp: it is easy to tell when the shrimp are done.

Their dull gray color turns pink, indicating that they are cooked.

Although, be careful to not over cook the shrimp as the meat will turn tough and chewy. Once they turn pink, immediately remove them from the heat.

This makes a terrific special occasion meal and one that gets served frequently during Lent.

Shrimp Scampi

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds large shrimp in shells

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 shallots, finely diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup dry white wine

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

⅓ cup chopped parsley

Freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Peel and devein the shrimp. Save the shells to make stock.

2. In a medium saucepan add the wine and shells and bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain liquid.

3. In a large stockpot prepare pasta to al dente per box instructions, reserving ¼ cup of the pasta water liquid.

4. In a large skillet, melt butter with olive oil. Add shallots, garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until shallots become translucent, 3-4 minutes.

5. To the skillet, add strained wine, salt, and black pepper and bring to a simmer. Let mixture reduce by half.

6. Add shrimp and sauté until they just turn pink. Stir in pasta, pasta water, parsley and lemon juice.

Top with additional parsley leaves and/or lemon zest if desired.

Enjoy!

Mary and Jim

To receive our 3 Home, Garden, Recipe and Simple Life articles each week, sign up below for our free email list. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. This article may contain affiliate links.