Classic Shrimp Scampi

By Melissa Clark

Updated Feb. 3, 2025

Classic Shrimp Scampi
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(16,476)
Comments
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Scampi are tiny, lobster-like crustaceans with pale pink shells (also called langoustines). Italian cooks in the United States swapped shrimp for scampi, but kept both names. Thus the dish was born, along with inevitable variations.

This classic recipe makes a simple garlic, white wine and butter sauce that goes well with a pile of pasta or with a hunk of crusty bread. However you make the dish, once the shrimp are added to the pan, the trick is to cook them just long enough that they turn pink all over, but not until their bodies curl into rounds with the texture of tires. (Watch the video of Melissa Clark making classic shrimp scampi here.)

Featured in: A GOOD APPETITE; Shrimp Scampi, A Classic Open to Interpretation

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2tablespoons butter
  • 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4garlic cloves, minced
  • ½cup dry white wine or broth
  • ¾teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
  • ⅛teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1¾pounds large or extra-large shrimp, shelled
  • ⅓cup chopped parsley
  • Freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon
  • Cooked pasta or crusty bread
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

314 calories; 14 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 40 grams protein; 595 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large skillet, melt butter with olive oil. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine or broth, salt, red pepper flakes and plenty of black pepper and bring to a simmer. Let wine reduce by half, about 2 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Add shrimp and sauté until they just turn pink, 2 to 4 minutes depending upon their size. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice and serve over pasta or accompanied by crusty bread.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
16,476 user ratings
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Comments

frazeej

Perfect, except.......USE THE SHELLS!!! The shrimp shells are wonderful flavor enhancers and should not be discarded-simmer the shells in the wine (add some extra wine) for ~10 minutes, strain and then discard the shells, and use the enriched wine in the recipe. Double the flavor!

JimF from Sewell

Alfredo

A lot of the "too little sauce" comments I see seem to reflect a missing step in the recipe: you'll notice the sauce doesn't really stick to the pasta so it feels like you have too little sauce.

You'll want to add half a cup of the cooked pasta water to the pan after adding the wine. The starch in the pasta water thickens the sauce a tiny bit and permits it to cling to the pasta. If you do this, you'll want to add 1-2 more tbsp of butter (or olive oil)

David

This is a terrific recipe. If you double the wine you have plenty of sauce. But less to drink.

Cookin in Nyack

This was very good! We skipped the pasta because my husband is going no carbs and instead did a quick sauté in the broth with baby spinach and arugula. Delicious!

Robin

Excellent basic recipe! As others have said, steeping the shells in the mixture of garlic and wine is chef's kiss! I also added scallops, extra wine and butter, and Old Bay to the shrimp.

Francy

Best recipe for shrimp scampi I've ever tried and is now the only one I will use! I second frazeej's comments to use the shells, though if you're pressed for time, not using them will still result in a delicious dish.

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