This is a classic shrimp scampi pasta dish. It is a simple garlic, white wine and butter sauce. So, so delicious and satisfying.
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. Scampi makes a wonderful appetizer or a fabulous hearty meal if you add the pasta and delicious garlic bread.
love this shrimp scampi pasta.
I love shrimp cooked anyway or cooked in lime juice like ceviche! I made shrimp and grits the other day and I had this shrimp leftover. I’d been wanting scampi, so it worked out well. I usually buy head on-shell on shrimp because I like to use the heads and shells for basic shrimp stock, which is a must in Louisiana style cooking. These were Argentinian shrimp that I found at my local HEB and they were raw, but peeled and deveined. Filling a little lazy I guess, I purchased them, upon the recommendation of the fish monger and they were delicious. Such pretty colors.
You have to make the Shrimp and Grits too. Here’s the recipe for it: these amazing shrimp and grits.
I love to eat in large bowls. Not sure why, but something my late husband and I did for years. We both loved eating in a big bowl. Here’s some of my favorites: https://amzn.to/2UtVzE0. M other favorites are like the ones above in gray. I think I got them at Pier I.
love this shrimp scampi pasta.
If you aren’t serving this with pasta, you could half the sauce. Because I wanted to toss my pasta in the sauce I made more sauce. Who wants bland pasta with this delicious shrimp! Of course, serve with more lemons and delicious bread.
Here’s the recipe! Hope you try this and enjoy!
Shrimp Scampi Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3/4 tsp tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- Fresh ground pepper
- 1 lb large or extra large shrimp shelled
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley
- fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 8 oz pasta of your choice
- crusty bread or garlic bread
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until desired doneness.
- 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.
- Add shrimp and sauté until they just turn pink, 2 to 4 minutes depending upon their size. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice .
- Remove the shrimp from the pan. Remove the pasta from the pan with tongs or similar and add to the sauce. If you get some pasta water, that's good because it will help you thicken the sauce for it to stick to your pasta.
- Cook the pasta in the sauce for a couple of minutes. Add the pasta and sauce to individual serving dishes and top with the shrimp. Serve with crusty bread or like I did, garlic bread. Bon Appetite!