Restaurant Worthy Lemon and Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi

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With only an handful of ingredients, this elegant Lemon and Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi is delicious and easy to prepare.

Scan any Italian restaurant menu and shrimp scampi is always an offering under the seafood options. Luckily, an evening dining out is not necessary to prepare the classic Italian dish. With only a few ingredients and a speedy prep and cooking time, Lemon and Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi is an easy yet elegant entree to make.

For my shrimp-loving personal chef client families, this is one of the most requested recipes. Now you can make it at your home too!

the ingredients in garlic butter shrimp scampi

• salted butter
• garlic
• white wine ~ use it to cook with and serve the rest for dinner 🙂
• lemon
• shrimp
• fresh parsley
• kosher salt and pepper

should I use frozen shrimp in my recipes?

I like to keep a bag of frozen wild caught shrimp on hand in the freezer. There are endless ways to prepare them. A quick thaw (place frozen shrimp in a large bowl of cool water and they will be ready to use in about 15 to 20 minutes) and then get dinner cooking!

If you are lucky enough to live near the shore where fresh shrimp is available, by all means buy it. But for the majority of home cooks, frozen shrimp is the best option. Most shrimp is frozen as soon as it is caught. It is likely that this is shrimp is the freshest shrimp available. The shrimp at the seafood counter is most likely the same shrimp from the freezer aisle. After a quick thaw, it is put on display. And there is no telling how long the thawed shrimp has been sitting in the case.

To thaw the frozen shrimp at home only about 15 to 20 minutes. Place the individually frozen crustaceans in a large bowl of cold water. Give the shrimp a stir ever few minutes and drain when thawed.

chef cooking tips for garlic butter shrimp scampi

• If your shrimp is fresh or thawed, you will want to cook it the day of purchase. After cooking, it will last in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
• Take care to sauté the garlic for only 1 minute at the most. Any longer and it will scorch and add a bitter or burnt taste to the dish.
• Be sure to reduce the wine for a couple minutes. It will intensify the flavor of the sauce.
• Only cook the shrimp until they are just opaque. A lengthier cooking time will make the shrimp tough and rubbery.
• Stirring in a final tablespoon of butter will ensure a velvety smooth sauce.

What are good side dishes for garlic butter shrimp scampi? Add either a side of angel hair pasta or a crusty loaf of bread or both. A simple salad of tender mixed greens with a light olive oil and red wine vinaigrette completes the special meal.

If you make this restaurant worthy garlic butter shrimp scampi recipe, I’d love hearing from you all. Be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ~ I do my best to reply to all your comments. And snap a photo to post to Instagram. I’ll add the photos to my Insta stories as I love seeing all your creations.

more delicious seafood recipes

• Shrimp with Roasted Tomato Sauce and Goat Cheese – fave family recipe!
• Sheet Pan Dinner! Roasted Maple Salmon w/Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts
• Mussels Marinara ~ ready in 20 minutes
• Korean Barbecue Shrimp
• New England Clam Chowder ~ so creamy and loaded with clams.

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This recipe was originally posted in November 2017. Updates in August 2020 include cooking tips and formatting.