Shrimp Scampi With Garlic

Shrimp scampi with garlic

The Spruce

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 25 mins
Servings: 4 servings

This shrimp scampi is a very popular recipe, and for good reason. Whether for a party or a family dinner, this shrimp dish is always an instant hit. The Italian scampo (scampi is plural) is actually a prawn or small lobsterIn American cuisine, scampi usually refers to shrimp cooked in garlic, lemon, and butter. 

This version of the popular shrimp scampi is a typical combination of ingredients cooked quickly in the skillet. There are also versions for baked shrimp scampi and a similar garlic shrimp that is cooked in a slow cooker. Here's a recipe for just easy scampi sauce.

Serve this great tasting shrimp scampi as a first course or appetizer or serve it along with hot cooked rice or angel hair pasta and a salad for a complete meal.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds extra-large shrimp, or jumbo shrimp, 16 to 26 per pound

  • 2 green onions

  • 1/3 cup clarified butter, or ghee

  • 4 tablespoons minced garlic

  • 1/4 cup white wine

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • Lemon wedges, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for shrimp scampi
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  2. Peel the shrimp.

    Shrimp
    The Spruce
  3. Run the tip of a small, sharp knife down the back of a shrimp, remove the dark vein—the shrimp's digestive tract—and then rinse with cold water.

    Run a knife down shrimp
    The Spruce 
  4. Repeat with the remaining shrimp. Pat them dry with paper towels.

    Pat the shrimp dry
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  5. Slice the green onions, keeping the white and light green parts separate from the dark green. Set the dark green sliced green onions aside for garnish.

    Slice green onions
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  6. Heat the butter in large skillet over medium heat. Cook the garlic for 1 or 2 minutes or until softened, but not browned.

    Heat the butter
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  7. Add the shrimp to the garlic, along with the green onions (white and light green parts), wine, and lemon juice. Cook, stirring, until shrimp are pink and firm, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. (Don't overcook!) 

    Add shrimp to the garlic
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  8. Add the chopped parsley and salt and pepper before serving.

    Add the parsley
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  9. Garnish with lemon wedges and the sliced dark green onion tops.

    Garnish with lemon
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  10. Serve and enjoy.

How to Clarify Butter

If you don't have a container of clarified butter and need to make your own in a pinch, here's how you can make your own at home:

  1. Melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter in a saucepan over low heat.

    Melt butter
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  2. Simmer until the top is covered with a foam layer.

    Simmer
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  3. Once the butter stops bubbling and splattering and there's no new foam, remove the butter from the heat and skim off the foam.

    Bubbling butter
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  4. To remove the remaining solids, line a metal mesh strainer with cheesecloth and strain the butter into another container.

    Put towel on butter
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  5. Use in your shrimp scampi recipe.

    Butter in bowl
    The Spruce 
  6. Enjoy.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
411 Calories
20g Fat
15g Carbs
40g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 411
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20g 26%
Saturated Fat 11g 57%
Cholesterol 402mg 134%
Sodium 1695mg 74%
Total Carbohydrate 15g 6%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 40g
Vitamin C 39mg 193%
Calcium 193mg 15%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 496mg 11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)