Shrimp Scampi

About This Recipe

Shrimp scampi is the Italian-American weeknight masterpiece: large shrimp seared briefly, then bathed in a sauce of garlic, white wine, butter, lemon, and parsley that comes together in the same skillet in under ten minutes. The name is a tautology, scampi being the Italian langoustines the dish originally featured before American cooks substituted shrimp. This version works because the shrimp are cooked in two stages, seared and removed before the sauce reduces, so they never rubberize; because the garlic is sliced rather than minced so it cannot scorch into bitterness; and because the butter is whisked in off the boil, emulsifying the sauce into a glossy coat for pasta or crusty bread.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1.5 lbslarge shrimp (16–20 count)(peeled and deveined, tails optional)
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 6 clovesgarlic(thinly sliced)
• 0.25 tspcrushed red pepper flakes
• 0.5 cupdry white wine (such as pinot grigio)
• 1 wholelemon(juiced; plus zest for finishing)
• 4 tbspcold unsalted butter(cut into pieces)
• 0.5 tspkosher salt
• 0.25 cupfresh flat-leaf parsley(roughly chopped)
• 1 lblinguine(cooked al dente; reserve 0.5 cup pasta water)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare

   Pat a pound of large peeled, deveined shrimp very dry, season with salt and pepper, and sear in olive oil over medium-high heat for 1 minute per side until just pink at the edges. Remove to a plate; they will finish later.

   Dry shrimp sear; wet shrimp steam. Press them between paper towels before they hit the pan.

2. 2

   Cook

   Lower the heat to medium, add sliced garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan, and cook 60 to 90 seconds until the garlic is fragrant and barely golden. Sliced garlic browns slowly and evenly where minced garlic burns.

3. 3

   Combine

   Pour in a half cup of dry white wine and the juice of a lemon, scraping the pan, and simmer 2 to 3 minutes until reduced by half. The wine should lose its raw alcohol smell and taste concentrated.

   Use a wine you would drink, like a pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc; cooking wine adds salt and little else.

4. 4

   Serve

   Off the heat, whisk in 4 tablespoons of cold butter one piece at a time until the sauce is glossy, return the shrimp with their juices for 1 minute to warm through, and finish with chopped parsley and lemon zest.

Variations

• •

  Toss with a pound of linguine and a splash of pasta water for classic scampi pasta.

• •

  Make it without wine by substituting chicken stock plus an extra squeeze of lemon.

• •

  Add halved cherry tomatoes with the wine for a brighter, summery pan sauce.

• •

  Broil the assembly with seasoned breadcrumbs on top for a baked scampi casserole, the old red-sauce-restaurant style.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers up to 2 days and reheat gently in a covered skillet over low heat with a splash of water; a microwave or hard boil turns the shrimp rubbery. Scampi does not freeze well once sauced, though raw prepped shrimp freeze for 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions