Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi

Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi is so quick and easy. A garlic buttery scampi sauce with a hint of white wine & lemon in less than 10 minutes!

It can be enjoyed as an appetizer, light meal OR for dinner with your favourite pasta of choice! You can also keep it low carb and serve over zucchini noodles or with steamed cauliflower. Either way it's good and even better than an Italian restaurant Scampi!

Shrimp Recipe

After publishing TWO Scampi recipes on this blog over the years, one being Browned Butter Shrimp Scampi and the other this reader favourite Crispy Baked Shrimp Scampiwe wanted to give you guys an even easier recipe ready in less than 10 minutes.

Actually, we started making our family favourite garlic butter recipe when we realised it was fast turning into a Scampi since we add white wine into our recipe for added flavour. So then, we had to share it.

Tips make a reliable shrimp scampi

• Have all of your ingredients ready on your kitchen bench and close to your cooking area if possible. This recipe cooks FAST. You don't want to be head deep into your refrigerator searching for your wine, for example, while the shrimp is cooking away on the stove. Over-cooked shrimp is rubbery, tough and not pleasant to eat at all.
• The shrimp is cooked in a butter/oil combination prevent the butter from burning. You can use all butter if you wish, just note it will begin to brown while the shrimp are cooking. (Nothing wrong with a little browned butter.) Though, we do prefer the flavour of a butter/oil mixture in this.
• We love extra large or jumbo shrimp (or prawns) in this recipe! They're fat and juicy and good for a shrimp scampi! If you can find wild-caught shrimp, please cook with those. Better flavour, better colour and a lot healthier for you than farm-raised seafood.
• Use a good quality white wine. We use a Sav Blanc when cooking this recipe. You can also use a Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay.

Shrimp Scampi without wine

Wine can be omitted completely OR substitute with chicken broth if you wish. Chicken broth has a much better flavour than fish broth, however, if you have homemade fish broth laying around, you can definitely use that!

On the stove

Other shrimp recipes:

Shrimp Boil

Coconut Shrimp

Shrimp Cakes

What you need

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4-5 cloves garlic large, minced, or 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 1/4 pounds shrimp large prawns, shelled with tails on or off
• 1 pinch salt to taste
• 1 pinch cracked pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup dry white wine or broth
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes crushed, or to taste – optional
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped

Method

1. Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pan or skillet. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds – 1 minute). Then add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper to taste and sauté for 1-2 minutes on one side (until just beginning to turn pink), then flip.
2. Pour in wine (or broth), add red pepper flakes (if using). Bring to a simmer for 1-2 minutes or until wine reduces by about half and the shrimp is cooked through (don't over cook your shrimp).
3. Stir in the remaining butter, lemon juice and parsley and take off heat immediately.
4. Serve over rice, pasta, garlic bread or steamed vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini noodles).