Shrimp Scampi – A Couple Cooks

This shrimp scampi recipe is pure bliss and made in minutes! Sauté shrimp and toss with an expensive lemony garlic butter sauce.

Shrimp, butter, garlic, lemon, and white wine: what may very well be higher? Sure, it’s the Italian American shrimp scampi, a basic that’s been stealing hearts and minds for many years. There’s no proper solution to make a scampi: it’s a factor of elusive magnificence that’s as much as the chef to outline. However we expect this model is fairly stellar: juicy, garlicky shrimp swimming in a wealthy, tangy butter sauce. Sop it up with crusty bread, or pour it over pasta: both means, it’s divine.

What’s shrimp scampi, anyway?

The dish shrimp scampi is an Italian American creation, a riff on a basic Italian preparation of scampi by cooking them with olive oil, onion, garlic and white wine. Scampi are additionally known as langoustines: they’re a small, pink crustacean that appears like a big shrimp, however is definitely a part of the lobster household. People swapped in shrimp for the lobster however stored each names within the dish, making a non-sensical title that’s extra like “shrimp lobster” or “shrimp shrimp.”

As with every well-liked dish, there are numerous interpretations of what elements a basic shrimp scampi contains. Most dishes have shrimp, garlic, butter, lemon and white wine; others add in onions, tomatoes, or breadcrumbs. The serving additionally varies: it’s popularly served with pasta, nevertheless it’s not required. Shrimp scampi merely refers back to the shrimp and garlic butter sauce, not the pasta.

Substances on this shrimp scampi recipe

The nice half about shrimp scampi: it comes collectively in minutes! You may make the complete recipe in about quarter-hour. We like utilizing recent shrimp right here to make it quick and straightforward, however you should utilize frozen too: simply ensure that to thaw the shrimp prematurely. Listed below are the elements for this basic spin on shrimp scampi (or soar to the recipe beneath):

• Medium shrimp: recent or frozen, tail on or peeled
• White onion
• Garlic
• Parsley
• Olive oil
• Salted butter
• White wine or vegetable or rooster broth, as a non-alcoholic choice
• Lemon zest
• Salt and pepper

How one can make shrimp scampi: primary steps

Right here’s a quick define on learn how to make this shrimp scampi recipe! A number of vital suggestions are listed beneath, then when you’ve learn them head to the recipe beneath:

• Sauté onion and garlic, then the shrimp in olive oil. You’ll wish to use your largest skillet for this and hold the shrimp in a single layer in order that they’re all touching the pan.
• Simply prepare dinner the shrimp, then take away them. You’ll need them simply practically cooked, since you’re going to take them out of the pan after which add them again in after you make the sauce.
• Make the butter sauce. In the identical skillet, sauté the butter, white wine, lemon zest and parsley to make a sauce.
• Return the shrimp to the pan and toss with the butter sauce. Serve with pasta or crusty bread (see beneath!).

A be aware on serving dimension

This shrimp scampi recipe makes use of 1 pound of shrimp for 4 servings. However should you’re feeding 4 very hungry eaters, it’s possible you’ll wish to improve the quantity of shrimp to 1.5 kilos. You need to use all the identical quantities of elements for the sauce: simply improve the salt to ¾ teaspoon kosher salt.

You can even use 16 ounces pasta as a substitute of 8 ounces, and add different facet dishes to the meal like a inexperienced salad or sautéed greens.

Serving with angel hair pasta

Shrimp scampi is usually served with angel hair pasta. After making this recipe a number of instances, we discovered some greatest practices on working with this distinctive kind of pasta:

• Serve the pasta on the facet! Attempting to combine the shrimp and pasta in a pan is troublesome as a result of the pasta can clump up. Much more importantly, angel hair pasta absorbs a considerable amount of liquid. So it can take up the complete butter sauce should you let it! A greater apply is serving it on the facet of the shrimp, and spooning the butter sauce over the shrimp and the pasta.
• 8 ounces is sufficient for 4 servings. Typically we’ll make 12 to 16 ounces pasta for 4, however angel hair expands when cooked. It feels such as you’re getting greater than with 8 ounces of spaghetti or linguine.
• Rinsing the pasta helps. Rinse the pasta in lukewarm water additionally helps hold it from absorbing an excessive amount of liquid. Then toss it with 1 tablespoon olive oil and ¾ teaspoon kosher salt to season earlier than serving as a facet. Or use our Straightforward Angel Hair Pasta recipe for seasoning concepts.

Extra serving solutions

Shrimp scampi is good for a feast or particular romantic meal, nevertheless it additionally works for fast weeknight meals, too! It doesn’t all the time must be served with pasta, although it could possibly! Listed below are our serving solutions for this dish:

• Serve with 8 ounces pasta. See the notes on angel hair pasta above! You can even use any form of pasta and season nevertheless you’d like. We like maintaining it pretty primary with olive oil and salt, then spooning a bit additional butter sauce excessive.
• Add crusty bread. As an alternative of pasta, crusty bread is even simpler! Toast it up and add a bit butter, then use it for dipping.
• Or, serve with rice. A non-traditional pairing is serving with rice as a gluten-free choice. It could be particularly tasty with Spinach Rice.
• Add a inexperienced salad. Salads that pair effectively: Straightforward Arugula Salad, Chopped Salad, Fennel Orange Salad, Pear Salad, Kale Salad or Goat Cheese Arugula Salad.

Extra shrimp recipes

Shrimp scampi is one in a protracted checklist of nice shrimp recipes! Listed below are a number of extra methods to eat this tasty protein: