Garlicky Shrimp Scampi with Pasta
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: serves 4 1x
- Category: Seafood
Description
For me, scampi is one of the best ways to enjoy shrimp. The garlic-butter-lemon sauce perfectly complements succulent shrimp, and when you toss it all with angel hair pasta, it’s scampi nirvana! I always keep a bag of peeled and deveined wild-caught Gulf shrimp in the freezer so a dinner like this can come together in just 20 minutes! All you’ll need to do is defrost the shrimp under cold running water and remove the tails. And shrimp, unlike chicken or steak, can take on flavors in minutes, so don’t skip the quick garlic marinade step—it really imparts a lot of flavor!
Ingredients
1 lb. uncooked large shrimp (20 to 25 count; preferably wild-caught Gulf), thawed if frozen, peeled and deveined
4 cloves garlic, 2 grated and 2 thinly sliced
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more as needed
3 Tbs. butter
1 (2-inch) strip fresh lemon peel
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
Fresh ground black pepper
8 oz. dried angle hair pasta
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
Combine the shrimp, grated garlic, 2 Tbs. of the olive oil, and 1 tsp. kosher salt in a large bowl and toss to combine; set aside.
Add the pasta to the boiling water, stir well and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water and drain the pasta.
In a large skillet, melt 2 Tbs. of the butter with the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic, red pepper flakes, and lemon peel and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer, and let reduce by half, about 2 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the remaining 2 Tbs. butter until blended. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring often until they just turn pink, 2 to 4 minutes depending upon their size.
Add the pasta, parsley, and more reserved pasta cooking water if needed, to the pan. Toss it all together and serve right away.
Keywords: shrimp scampi pasta