Shrimp Scampi with Pasta
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Shrimp scampi with pasta — fast, flavorful, and irresistibly garlicky. The perfect weeknight dinner for seafood lovers.
Succulent shrimp bathed in a garlicky, white wine and lemon-infused butter sauce—shrimp scampi makes an excellent sauce for pasta. However, in many recipes, the pasta is more of an afterthought, left in need of more flavor and sauce. In this version, both the pasta and the shrimp share the spotlight equally. While you could certainly use any long pasta, my preference is for angel hair or capellini. The thin, delicate strands have a knack for soaking up the garlicky sauce, packing maximum flavor into every bite.
Making shrimp scampi with pasta is fairly simple, but it’s important to watch the shrimp’s cooking time. If you cook them for too long, they can become rubbery. The trick is to take the shrimp off the heat as soon as they turn opaque and pink. Pair shrimp scampi with an arugula salad and dinner is served!
Table of Contents
“Have made this delicious recipe a couple of times and am now training my hubby how to make it! We both love it!”
What You’ll Need To Make Shrimp Scampi with Pasta
- Angel hair, spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccini: While any long pasta will work, angel hair or capellini is ideal for soaking up the sauce. You’ll need to reserve some pasta water before draining, as the starchy, salty water serves as an excellent thickener for the sauce. To remember to save this water, place a measuring cup in your colander as a visual reminder.
- Extra-virgin olive oil: Used to sauté shallots, garlic, and shrimp, adding flavor and preventing sticking.
- Shallots and garlic: These aromatics form the fundamental flavor base for shrimp scampi. The recipe calls for six cloves of garlic, so if your garlic press has been gathering dust, now’s the time to break it out and put it to work!
- Red pepper flakes: Offer a hint of heat. Feel free to adjust to taste.
- Extra-large shrimp: The star of the dish. Unless you live near the coast, using thawed frozen shrimp is ideal as they are flash-frozen at peak freshness, and they can be quickly defrosted before cooking.
- Dry white wine: Adds depth and acidity to the sauce. When cooking with wine, always select an inexpensive bottle that’s still good enough to drink. Avoid “cooking wines” due to their salt and additives.
- Butter: Brings richness and flavor, creating a silky sauce texture.
- Lemon juice and zest: Add brightness and tanginess, balancing the buttery sauce.
- Fresh parsley: Provides a fresh, herby finish and looks pretty, too.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook to al dente according to the package instructions.
Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute.
Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are pink and just cooked through, about 3 minutes.
Transfer the shrimp to a plate.
Add the wine to the skillet and simmer until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest, ½ cup of the reserved cooking water, and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir until the butter is melted.
Add the drained pasta and continue to cook, tossing, until the pasta is warmed through, adding more of the reserved cooking water as needed if the pasta seems dry. Return the shrimp and any juices from the plate to the skillet and toss with the pasta.
Stir in the parsley, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve with lemon wedges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make shrimp scampi without wine. As an alternative, you can use chicken or vegetable broth with a squeeze of lemon, or just leave it out.
No, pre-cooked shrimp will not work for making shrimp scampi. They have already been cooked and will become tough and overcooked when heated again, which can ruin the texture and flavor of your dish. Use fresh or thawed frozen raw shrimp for best results.
To avoid rubbery shrimp, be careful not to overcook them. In this recipe, they take only a few minutes to cook. It important to take them off the heat as soon as they turn pink and opaque to prevent further cooking.
Video Tutorial
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Shrimp Scampi with Pasta
Shrimp scampi with pasta — fast, flavorful, and irresistibly garlicky. The perfect weeknight dinner for seafood lovers.
Ingredients
- Salt
- 1 pound (16 oz) angel hair, spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccini
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup thinly sliced shallots, from 2 to 3 shallots
- 6 large cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1¼ pounds extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined, thawed if frozen
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice plus 1 teaspoon lemon zest, from 1 to 2 lemons, plus wedges for serving
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook to al dente according to the package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, shrimp, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a plate. Add the wine to the skillet and simmer until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the butter, lemon juice and lemon zest, ½ cup of the reserved cooking water, and ½ teaspoon salt; stir until the butter is melted. Add the drained pasta and continue to cook, tossing, until the pasta is warmed through, adding more of the reserved cooking water as needed if the pasta seems dry. Return the shrimp and any juices from the plate to the skillet and toss with the pasta. Stir in the parsley, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve with lemon wedges.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 925
- Fat: 38 g
- Saturated fat: 14 g
- Carbohydrates: 94 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 45 g
- Sodium: 187 mg
- Cholesterol: 274 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made this for Father’s Day and it was delicious! I used a little less than a pound (maybe 3/4 pound) of pasta but no other changes! I can see how this delicious sauce would work with other proteins…next time I’m going to serve it with seared scallops!
Thanks Jenn, your recipes never disappoint!!!
I have yet to try a recipe of yours that isn’t absolutely wonderful–from Sloppy Joes and Leek Parmesan Quiche to your dry rub for baby back ribs and Morroccan Grilled Chicken with Couscous and Apricot Vinaigrette–your recipes are easy to follow, realistic for the busy everywoman home cook and truly delicious. Look out, Ina! (And yes, I’m an Ina fan, too!)
💗
Absolutely delicious I have made this a few times and it’s never a disappointment 👍😊
Is there any way this can be prepared ahead?
Hi Bobbie, I really think this is a dish that’s best right after it’s prepared. Sorry!
Have made this delicious recipe a couple of times and now training my hubby how to make it! We both love it!
HaHa, I need to train my hubby to cook. Right before I started to make this dish I was telling him how tired I was of cooking! He piped right up and said show me how. I must say I have the most wonderful hubby. Always willing to help.
My son and his family invited us over for dinner tomorrow night. Thank goodness!!! I get a free night. LOL
Hi Jenn,
Would it be okay if I halved the amount of butter? Love all of your recipes!
Hi Doreen, you could, but it could make the finished dish a little dry.
I originally made this as written, with the shrimp and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Tonight, I made the lemony sauce with rigatoni and a spinach/arugula mix. Once again, it was a hit! I did not have shallots so I used a bit of red onion but otherwise made the sauce as written. This is such a great lemony sauce for pasta!!!
I am planning on making this recipe for my daughter’s birthday. She loves shrimp and pasta…sounds like the perfect marriage!
So delicious!
I made this tonight and it was a big hit! I added 2 roma tomatoes (seeded and diced) to the shallots etc sautee step. I used 1/2 pound of Pici Dritti for the pasta. The Pici has a rough texture and really grabbed the sauce. This is truly the best scampi I’ve ever made!
Thanks for another excellent recipe.
This recipe was one of the best my mom and I have made not only from Jenn but out of many of the recipes we’ve previously made. We doubled the sauce and used a little less than a pound of pasta and really enjoyed that combination. The sauce was perfectly balanced and unlike any shrimp scampi I’ve had before.
I made this dish today for my gourmet daughter and my husband, and to my NO surprise they said the best shrimp pasta they ever had/I ever cooked! It was so wonderful. Thank you Jenn! Your recipes are so great and reliable!