Lemon Garlic Sauce Shrimp Scampi
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An ultra fancy seafood pasta dish that is cooked right before your eyes! Lemon Garlic Sauce Shrimp Scampi features giant shrimp paired with spaghetti in a lemon-garlic wine sauce! This dish is excellent for when you want a date night in or to kick up your typical weeknight pasta!
What is Shrimp Scampi?
Shrimp Scampi is an Italian dish that consists of shrimp and pasta in a lemon and garlic sauce. Scampi is Italian for a type of small crustaceans called langoustine. Scampi are also referred to as Norway lobsters and Dublin Bay brawns. These crustaceans are very large - even larger than jumbo shrimp - and they are sautéed with butter, olive oil, garlic and sometimes white wine. It seems that a direct translation of Shrimp Scampi is “shrimp shrimp!” (reminds me of chai tea meaning “tea tea” in reference to Masala Chai!). Perhaps it means that in North America, where scampi is not found, you cook the shrimp in a similar method as you cook the scampi!
As you’ll see later on in this post, we’re using colossal shrimp to make this divine pasta dish! If working with large shrimp is intimidating to you, then don’t worry! I’ll tell you exactly how cook them to perfection! Try out this potentially pesky protein as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge in this ultra delicious and QUICK pasta recipe! Shrimp Scampi features spaghetti and an aromatic lemon and garlic sauce. I guarantee this Italian favourite looks so fancy but it only takes about 15 minutes to make - most likely you’ll be waiting for your pasta to finish cooking while the shrimp and the sauce are ready!
Be sure to follow along as I prepare our wonderful Lemon Garlic Shrimp Scampi by watching the video at the bottom of this post! If you have not already, I’d love it if you subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the bell button so you’re notified when all my video recipes go live! I love to share videos with the written recipes so you get a tangible view of all the steps so you’re guaranteed success! Let’s get cooking!
Why You’ll Love This Shrimp Scampi recipe!
Quick recipe: This is honestly one of the quickest pasta dishes to make! It looks so fancy and special that you wouldn’t think it’s so speedy, but when I made it multiple times it just blew me away! If you’re hosting a special occasion and need a fantastic meal in a flash, then Shrimp Scampi is the recipe for you! Additionally, this is also perfect to treat your family for a weeknight meal after a long day at work!
Few ingredients: You won’t need much here, as I’ll outline further down in this post! You most likely have most of the basics on hand - you may just need to go out of your way to get great shrimp!
Minimal dishes: In addition to few ingredients, you also won’t require many pieces of equipment for Shrimp Scampi! The less dishes the better, so the cleanup and prep time (or lack thereof!) totally adds up!
DELICIOUS: This is of course the most important reason! It’s so so good! If you choose to use huge shrimp, they are so tender and flavourful! The lemon garlic sauce really seeps into those shrimp and the pasta and it will blow you and your loved ones away!
What’s the best shrimp for Shrimp Scampi?
I’m using colossal shrimp here. They range from 15 or less shrimp per pound. You may see them labeled as U15, where the U means “under” or “less than.” Colossal shrimp are one of the largest shrimp you can find out there, with there being super colossal shrimp having 12 or less shrimp per pound!
Colossal shrimp are excellent to use when it comes to grilling shrimp skewers or making cocktails. I really liked them in this pasta because they really stand out! Some shrimp scampi recipes use smaller shrimp to scatter them across the pasta. That’s fine and feel free to use smaller shrimp if you’d like and/or that’s what you have on hand already (I’m a big proponent of using what you already have in your kitchen, as I discuss in my Make Cooking Fun!! free guide!). However, as mentioned earlier in this post, scampi are quite large crustaceans, so if you want to make this dish as authentic as possible, I recommend the larger shrimp! Furthermore, they are just so juicy and tender, really bursting with the flavour that will come from your lemon garlic sauce!
When shopping for shrimp, keep in mind how many shrimp you want per person to help you gauge which size to choose. If you are using colossal shrimp, you will use 3 shrimp per person. In my experience, the bag of colossal shrimp had 9 shrimp, so I had enough shrimp to make shrimp scampi once for two and another time for myself!
If you can, I would recommend you get fresh shrimp of course. Unfortunately, most of us do not have that luxury, and frozen shrimp are typically more budget-friendly. I used frozen shrimp here and I thawed them under cold water before peeling. You can get peeled shrimp if you want to save some time, but I’m not sure if colossal shrimp is sold already peeled.
What pasta should I use for Shrimp Scampi?
I used simple spaghetti here. Fun fact: This was actually gluten-free corn spaghetti! I notice that it can get stickier than regular durum wheat semolina spaghetti, so if you do want to make this gluten-free and you’re using corn pasta for the first time, be mindful that you will have to stir it occasionally so your noodles don’t stick!
That being said, any long pasta shape will work. I recommend linguine, fettuccine, angel’s hair pasta, spaghettini or even cappellini!
What Wine Should I use for Lemon Garlic Shrimp Scampi?
A white wine that you would actually want to drink is going to be excellent in our Lemon Garlic Shrimp Scampi recipe. I’ve learned first hand that you want to avoid the cheaper wines labeled “cooking wine” that are sold at the grocery stores. It’s worth the investment because the quality of your dish will be at its best! That being said, you don’t have to break the bank to get a solid white wine for cooking. From my restaurant experience, you best believe they do not pay for $40 bottles!
Whenever I’m using wine for cooking, I tend to go for a Sauvignon Blanc. It’s quite budget friendly and it’s super versatile! I use it in my Bolognese Sauce, Indian-Style Bolognese, Spicy One-Pot Chicken & Rice, and Homemade Chicken Gravy! Here are some other wines that work well for your Lemon Garlic Shrimp Scampi:
Pinot Grigio
Chardonnay
Marsala
Dry Sherry
Dry Vermouth
Wine goes so well with pasta, so with whatever you choose, use it in your dish and enjoy a glass at meal time!
How to substitute wine in shrimp scampi?
Simply use any kind of broth you have on hand. You can use vegetable broth, chicken broth, or seafood broth if you want an even more potent seafood flavour going on in the pasta!
How do I thicken the Shrimp Scampi sauce?
The sauce should thicken on its own as it starts to cool down slightly and combines with the starchy pasta water and molten parmesan. You can always add more parmesan to thicken the sauce or add less pasta water to start with. Simmering the pasta and shrimp for too long might result in them being overcooked.
I think the best part of this dish is that thin(ish) creamy sauce.
Tips For amazing Lemon Garlic Shrimp Scampi
Make sure to check your shrimps spine for the vein and remove it promptly, even if you get peeled shrimps. There might be parts of it still lurking and then rinse the shrimp.
The cook time of the shrimp would need to be adjusted based on the size of the shrimps you are using. Look for the level of curl or springiness in your shrimp to judge its doneness. Your shrimps should not feel too firm and once ready, the inside should still be moist.
The sauce for the scampi is usually thinner than other sauces. You can always adjust this to your preference by thinning it out with more pasta water as needed or by add extra parmesan to thicken it. Simmer the pasta for too long will result in both the pasta and shrimp becoming overcooked.
Ingredients for Lemon Garlic Sauce Shrimp Scampi
Check out the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card at the bottom of this post or click the “Jump to Recipe” button to see all ingredient quantities, the recipe instructions and to save the recipe for later. You can also scale the recipe based on how much you want to make.
Colossal shrimp: Or jumbo as a close second.
Spaghetti: Or any long pasta shape.
Butter
Lemon: We’ll want the juice of one lemon.
White wine: Or broth of choice.
Garlic: Minced garlic will be added to the sauce for great flavour!
Chilli flakes: To taste. You can omit them if you don’t want any added heat to the lemon garlic sauce.
Parmesan cheese: Please get a block and grate it yourself for best results!
Parsley: Freshly chopped parsley mixed into the pasta.
How to Make Easy Shrimp Scampi
Bring a pot of water up to a rolling boil for your pasta and once boiling, season the water with salt. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente.
While the water is coming up to boil, peel the shrimp and leave a bit of its shell at the tail end. Check the shrimps to ensure they are deveined.
Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter on a pan on medium heat and once hot add the chopped garlic and chilli flakes. Saute until the garlic is fragrant and the chili flakes are lightly roasted.
Then add in the shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Stir well to coat the shrimp with the sauteed chillies and garlic and once the shrimp is about 80% of the way done, deglaze the pan with white wine.
Add the juice from 1 lemon as well. Simmer for 1-2 minutes as you lower the heat to medium-low.
Then add in the cooked spaghetti and stir well. If you find the sauce has simmered too much, add a splash of water. Add the rest of the butter and olive oil and mix well to combine.
Season with more salt and pepper as needed.
Add the chopped parsley. Turn off the heat and then added the finely grated parmesan cheese.
Mix well and add more as needed. The parmesan will combine with the sauce to thicken it.
Mix well and then serve right away!
Serving Suggestions for shrimp scampi
The only greens we have on this plate come from the parsley. If you want some more greens to add to your meal, I recommend my Chicken Caesar Salad as a side dish! The dressing here will be a light Homemade Greek Yogurt Caesar Dressing so it won’t make the meal too heavy.
However, some garlic bread, crusty bread like a baguette, or dinner rolls will pair very nicely with Shrimp Scampi! You’ll probably have some leftover lemon garlic sauce, so use that bread to scoop it all up!
Other Tasty Shrimp Recipes!
WATCH HOW TO Make Lemon Garlic SHrimp Scampi HERE:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!
Lemon Garlic Sauce Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- 6 oz spaghetti
- 6 colossal shrimp, peeled, deveined and defrosted if frozen
- 5-6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- Chilli flakes to taste
- 1/4 Cup white wine (I used Sauvignon blanc)
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 Cup Parmesan + more to taste
- 1/4 Cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water up to a rolling boil for your pasta and once boiling, season the water with salt. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente.
- While the water is coming up to boil, peel the shrimp and leave a bit of its shell at the tail end. Check the shrimps to ensure they are deveined.
- Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter on a pan on medium heat and once hot add the chopped garlic and chilli flakes. Saute until the garlic is fragrant and the chili flakes are lightly roasted.
- Then add in the shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Stir well to coat the shrimp with the sauteed chillies and garlic and once the shrimp is about 80% of the way done, deglaze the pan with white wine. Add the juice from 1 lemon as well.
- Simmer for 1-2 minutes as you lower the heat to medium-low. Then add in the cooked spaghetti and stir well. If you find the sauce has simmered too much, add a splash of water. Add the rest of the butter and olive oil and mix well to combine.
- Season with more salt and pepper as needed and then add the chopped parsley. Turn off the heat and then added the finely grated parmesan cheese. Mix well and add more as needed. The parmesan will combine with the sauce to thicken it. Serve right away!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
751.92Fat (grams)
33.76 gSat. Fat (grams)
15.46 gCarbs (grams)
70.64 gFiber (grams)
3.54 gNet carbs
67.09 gSugar (grams)
3.56 gProtein (grams)
36.04 gSodium (milligrams)
934.16 mgCholesterol (grams)
105.19 mgNutrition info is an estimate.
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Welcome to Cooking With Anadi. This platform is all about making cooking exciting and finding new ways to bring classic flavours and recipes at your service. Join me in my personal journey in the world of cooking. Hope you have a great ride!
