Description
Shrimp scampi is Italian-American cooking at its most efficient — garlicky, buttery, lemony shrimp over linguine in about fifteen minutes. The sauce is little more than butter, garlic, wine, and lemon, but the combination with sweet shrimp and al dente pasta is one of those rare cases where the whole is vastly greater than its parts.
Ingredients
Units
- 1 1/2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 lb linguine
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Cook the linguine in heavily salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water.
- While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Sear in a single layer for 2 minutes per side until pink. Remove and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook 1 minute until the garlic is golden — not browned.
- Pour in the wine and lemon juice. Simmer 3 minutes, scraping up any bits.
- Add the drained linguine, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and 1/2 cup pasta water. Toss until the butter melts and the sauce emulsifies and coats the pasta.
- Return the shrimp and any juices. Toss with parsley and lemon zest. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Slice the garlic thin rather than mincing it — thin slices cook more evenly and give the sauce visible garlicky bits.
- Do not overcook the shrimp. They are done the second they curl into a C shape. If they curl into an O, they are overcooked.
- The pasta water is essential — without it, the sauce will be greasy rather than silky.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 540
- Sugar: 2
- Sodium: 780
- Fat: 20
- Carbohydrates: 56
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 36
- Cholesterol: 215