This quick and easy shrimp scampi pasta recipe is an Allrecipes fan-favorite, with more than one thousand ratings and hundreds of reviews. And it's ready to serve in only 40 minutes. Read on to get tips to make the best shrimp scampi with pasta — it's a top-rated recipe that's simple enough for weeknight dinners and fancy enough for a dinner party.
What Is Shrimp Scampi?
Shrimp scampi is a seafood dish made of shrimp cooked in a butter, garlic, and white wine sauce. You can serve shrimp scampi by itself as an appetizer or over pasta as a main dish.
Ingredients for Shrimp Scampi with Pasta
· Shrimp: Choose large shrimp (31 to 35 shrimp per pound) to get best results for this recipe. You can and it yourself, or buy frozen shrimp. before using.
· Pasta: This recipe uses a 16-ounce package of linguine, but you can substitute the pasta of your choice, like angel hair pasta, fettuccine, or spaghetti.
· Butter: Use unsalted butter. You can add salt to taste later in the recipe.
· Extra-virgin olive oil: The flavor of the olive oil comes through in this recipe, so use the best quality.
· Shallots and garlic: These aromatics add flavor and fragrance to shrimp scampi.
· White wine: Use a dry, crisp white wine for shrimp scampi sauce. Pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc are good choices, and you can drink the leftover wine with dinner.
· Lemon juice: Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor.
· Seasonings: Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper amplify the flavors, and a pinch of dried red pepper flakes give shrimp scampi a subtle kick. Use more red pepper flakes if you like things a bit more spicy.
· Parsley: Fresh parsley adds eye-catching color and a bright, peppery flavor.
How to Make Shrimp Scampi Pasta
The full recipe directions are below, but here are top tips for recipe success:
· Prep ahead: Have all of your ingredients prepared and ready to cook before heating your skillet. You don't want to have to pause to cut, chop, squeeze, or measure right in the middle of a fast-moving recipe. If you use fresh shrimp, you can peel and devein the shrimp earlier in the day, then keep it chilled in the refrigerator until you're ready to get cooking.
· Cook the pasta first: Boil the pasta in well-salted water, drain, and hold aside before cooking the shrimp scampi. You'll add the pasta to the hot skillet to warm it before serving. Time your cooking so you're ready to start cooking the shrimp immediately after the pasta is drained; you don't want the pasta to sit for too long.
· Don't overcook the shrimp: It takes just a couple of minutes to cook raw shrimp, and if they cook for too long, shrimp turn tough and rubbery. You'll know the shrimp are close to done when they start to curl into a C shape and turn from translucent gray to opaque pink and white.
Learn more:
Nicole's Top Shrimp Scampi Tips
What does culinary producer Nicole McLaughlin (a.k.a. ) love about this restaurant-worthy shrimp scampi recipe? "Not only is it easy and cheaper to make at home, but it can be on your table in just 30 minutes." Plus, it's made with very few ingredients — so the shrimp can be the star of the show. Here are a few of her favorite tips:
· Nicole uses linguine because she likes a hearty bite. However, if you're craving something more delicate, use angel hair.
· Don't drain all your pasta water! Reserve about one cup, as it might be your secret weapon later. If the finished dish looks a little dry, stir in some of the water. "This will make your shrimp scampi a little saucier," Nicole says.
· Serve the shrimp scampi with a loaf of crusty bread to soak up all that delicious sauce.
Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise
Allrecipes community member says, "This was so yummy. I served it at lunch for a friend, and we both absolutely loved it. Although I often adjust recipes, I made it exactly as listed here, and I added pasta water as others suggested. I prepped everything ahead, even squeezing the lemon and having kosher salt ready. Doing that helped me feel comfortable in cooking this for my friend's lunch. This will now be a favorite company dish!"
"Absolutely amazing," raves . "This was our wedding night dinner at our hotel restaurant in 1979. We both loved it so much we've been trying recipes since. This one nailed it! It's a keeper. I used angel hair in place of linguini and it was a perfect substitute."
"Family really loved this," according to reviewer . "We had a pound of precooked shrimp and wanted to use it with pasta, so when the onions, garlic were done sauteing I added the cooked shrimp and mixed enough without overcooking. Turned out perfect."
Editorial contributions by
Shrimp Scampi with Pasta
![a low angle view of a single serving of shrimp scampi with pasta garnished with fresh chopped parsley](https://www.allrecipes.com/thmb/8561fqJxrK-8QiWc_qOWEBUs788=/120x120/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/229960-shrimp-scampi-with-pasta-DDMFS-4x3-e065ddef4e6d44479d37b4523808cc23.jpg)
Ingredients
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1 (16 ounce) package linguine pasta
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2 tablespoons butter
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2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
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2 shallots, finely diced
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2 cloves garlic, minced
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1 pinch red pepper flakes (Optional)
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1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
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1 pinch kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
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½ cup dry white wine
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1 lemon, juiced
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2 tablespoons butter
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2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
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¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
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1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, or to taste
Directions
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Gather ingredients.
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; cook linguine in boiling water until nearly tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain.
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Melt 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
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Cook and stir shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes in the hot butter and oil until shallots are translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Season shrimp with kosher salt and black pepper; add to the skillet and cook until pink, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove shrimp from skillet and keep warm.
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Pour white wine and lemon juice into skillet and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon.
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Melt 2 tablespoons butter in skillet, stir 2 tablespoons olive oil into butter mixture, and bring to a simmer.
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Toss linguine, shrimp, and parsley in the butter mixture until coated; season with salt and black pepper. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil to serve.
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Serve hot and enjoy!
DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
511 | Calories |
19g | Fat |
58g | Carbs |
22g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings Per Recipe 6 | |
Calories 511 | |
% Daily Value * | |
Total Fat 19g | 25% |
Saturated Fat 7g | 33% |
Cholesterol 135mg | 45% |
Sodium 260mg | 11% |
Total Carbohydrate 58g | 21% |
Dietary Fiber 4g | 13% |
Total Sugars 1g | |
Protein 22g | 44% |
Vitamin C 10mg | 11% |
Calcium 52mg | 4% |
Iron 5mg | 27% |
Potassium 269mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.
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