Shrimp Scampi with Pasta

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 — 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. This recipe can be made in many ways. Everyone has a different version, but scampi usually includes these three ingredients. You can serve shrimp scampi by itself as an appetizer or over pasta as a main dish.

How to Make Shrimp Scampi Pasta

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 buy fresh shrimp and peel and devein it yourself, or buy frozen shrimp. Thaw 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. If you don't have a bottle to use, chicken stock or white whine vinegar make great substitutes.
• 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 with step-by-step 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 using fresh shrimp, you can peel and devein the shrimp early in the day, then chill it in the refrigerator until you're ready cook.
• 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: How to Cook Pasta

Nicole's Top Shrimp Scampi Tips

What does culinary guru and senior producer Nicole McLaughlin (a.k.a. NicoleMcMom) 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.

Other Ways to Serve Shrimp Scampi

While shrimp scampi with pasta is a classic way to serve this dish, there are many ways to show this delicious crustacean off:

• Offer it up as an appetizer before the main course along with some fresh garlic bread.
• Serve over a white rice, fried rice, or your favorite stir fry.
• Do you need a protein for your vibrant summer salad? This is a great option to throw on a plate of fresh vegetables.
  

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

"This was so yummy. I served it at lunch for a friend, and we both absolutely loved it," says Allrecipes community member hurwitchestelle. "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 pamster6451. "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 Nancy Moser Franger. "We had a pound of precooked shrimp and wanted to use it with pasta, so when the onions and garlic were done sautéing, I added the cooked shrimp and mixed enough without overcooking. Turned out perfect."

Editorial contributions by Vanessa Greaves