Classic Shrimp Scampi

By Melissa Clark

Updated December 28, 2025

  • A simple white plate holds a serving of buttery shrimp scampi with a torn hunk of bread for soaking up the briny, winy juices.
    David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(19,099)
Comments
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Scampi are tiny, lobster-like crustaceans with pale pink shells (also called langoustines). Italian cooks in the United States swapped shrimp for scampi, but kept both names. Thus the dish was born, along with inevitable variations. This classic recipe makes a simple garlic, white wine and butter sauce that goes well with a pile of pasta or with a hunk of crusty bread. However you make the dish, once the shrimp are added to the pan, the trick is to cook them just long enough that they turn pink all over, but not until their bodies curl into rounds with the texture of tires. (Watch the video of Melissa Clark making classic shrimp scampi here.)

Featured in: Shrimp Scampi, a Classic Open to Interpretation

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 4 garlic cloves, minced

  • ½ cup dry white wine or broth

  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

  • ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 ¾ pounds large or extra-large shrimp, shelled

  • ⅓ cup chopped parsley

  • Freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon

  • Cooked pasta or crusty bread

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

3 grams carbs; 335 milligrams cholesterol; 314 calories; 7 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 14 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 595 milligrams sodium; 40 grams protein; 1 gram sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large skillet, melt butter with olive oil. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine or broth, salt, red pepper flakes and plenty of black pepper and bring to a simmer. Let wine reduce by half, about 2 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Add shrimp and sauté until they just turn pink, 2 to 4 minutes depending upon their size. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice and serve over pasta or accompanied by crusty bread.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
19,099 user ratings
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Comments

frazeej

Perfect, except.......USE THE SHELLS!!! The shrimp shells are wonderful flavor enhancers and should not be discarded-simmer the shells in the wine (add some extra wine) for ~10 minutes, strain and then discard the shells, and use the enriched wine in the recipe. Double the flavor!

JimF from Sewell

Alfredo

A lot of the "too little sauce" comments I see seem to reflect a missing step in the recipe: you'll notice the sauce doesn't really stick to the pasta so it feels like you have too little sauce.

You'll want to add half a cup of the cooked pasta water to the pan after adding the wine. The starch in the pasta water thickens the sauce a tiny bit and permits it to cling to the pasta. If you do this, you'll want to add 1-2 more tbsp of butter (or olive oil)

David

This is a terrific recipe. If you double the wine you have plenty of sauce. But less to drink.

Peggy Robinson

This recipe is killer. I did simmer the shrimp skins in wine as others have suggested. We always have it with toast.

Len

This is simple and delicious. I thawed frozen peeled medium-sized shrimp because that's what I had on hand. I used fresh oregano and thyme from my herb garden instead of parsley. I thought I had some frozen shrimp stock, but didn't, so I used white wine. The result was an excellent main dish served over pasta with sour dough bread and a simple salad as sides. My only real enhancement was an obvious one: I sprinkled grated parmesan and romano on top before serving.

Todd Hanlon

I love this recipe — quick, easy, and seriously delicious. Definitely worth using the shrimp shells to make a quick stock; it adds so much depth. I threw in some celery and black pepper, then mixed shrimp and scallops into the garlic butter and tossed over fusilli lunghi. Restaurant quality in under 20 minutes. No wine for me anymore, I'm getting too old... but honestly it was still fantastic.

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