Easy Shrimp Scampi is a classic but simple dish to prepare, taking less than 10 minutes to cook. Its extraordinary sauce of garlic, white wine, and butter surrounds fresh succulent shrimp that is cooked to perfection. Serve it over pasta with a piece of crusty French bread and a chilled Chardonnay and you have a meal fit for kings.
Preparing the Shrimp:
One of the benefits of living on the Gulf Coast is a ready supply of fresh seafood. My favorite is shrimp. The Gulf Coast shrimp season can start as early as late May, and as late as mid-July. It all depends on the size of the shrimp that have been sampled. From experience, I would say that the bay shrimp are the most tasty. In addition, I almost always buy head-on shrimp because they tend to be the freshest.
The most time-consuming part of making this Shrimp Scampi is cleaning the shrimp. Because I buy head-on shrimp, the cleaning requires me to both remove the heads and then peel the shrimp. Once this is done, I devein them. Some folks would argue the deveining the shrimp is unnecessary. I would suggest that those with this view have never actually seen how gross the veins can be at certain times of the year! When I devein the shrimp, I not only remove the larger top vein, but also the smaller vein on the underside.
Ingredients for Easy Shrimp Scampi:
I used the following ingredients for this classic dish: Fresh peeled and deveined shrimp, Essence or Creole seasoning, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, butter, olive oil, garlic, white wine, and lemon juice. I used spaghetti as the pasta, but could have used angel hair pasta or linguine as well.
Preparing the Easy Shrimp Scampi:
First, I tossed the shrimp with the Essence, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
Then, heated some of the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Next, I added the shrimp to the skillet. and cooked it for 2 minutes. A key to cooking shrimp is to ensure that it is cooked quickly and not over cooked. The reason is that overcooked shrimp becomes tough and unappealing!
After the 2 minutes, I added the garlic for a 30 second sauté. Then, I added the white wine and lemon juice, and cooked the mixture for 3 more minutes.
I added the remaining butter, and made sure that the seasonings were perfect. Then, I immediately served the Easy Shrimp Scampi over pasta that I had cooked according to the package directions. I added a piece of freshly baked crusty French bread and a chilled Chardonnay for a perfect dinner. Yum!
Easy Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds in shell large shrimp, peeled and deveined (See Notes 1 and 2)
- 1 ½ teaspoons Essence or other Creole seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves for garnish
- 8 ounces spaghetti or Linguine prepared according to package directions
Instructions
- Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with the Essence, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper.
- Place the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and spread them evenly in the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes, quickly turning. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds. Add the white wine and lemon juice to the pan and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter; correct the seasonings.
- Serve immediately over prepared pasta; garnish with minced parsley. Yield: 4 servings.
Chula's Expert Tips
- I typically buy 16 to 20 shrimp. This refers to the average number of shrimp per pound.
- If using head on shrimp, increase the amount to 2 pounds. If using already peeled and deveined shrimp, use 12 ounces.
How much of each ingredient?
The quantities are listed in the recipe at the end of the post.
Chula