Delicious Shrimp Scampi for Two (or a Crowd)

There's No Need for Takeout or Expensive Seafood Restaurants

Shellfish is a favorite in our house, and shrimp is pretty high up on that list given our close proximity to the sea, and because it cooks quickly.

There are endless ways to cook shrimp, but making shrimp scampi at home is super easy and always yields consistently great-tasting results.

This shrimp scampi recipe can be made using all types of shrimp, including royal reds, tiger prawns, langoustine (the real and actual scampi of Italy), blue, brown, and white shrimps.

You can even use frozen shrimp in this recipe, which makes it a pretty budget-friendly option. 

The Difference Between Prawns, Scampi (Langoustine), and Regular Shrimp

The difference between scampi (langoustine) and shrimp or prawns is that scampi are tiny lobster-like crustaceans with orange or pink shells, and they even have cute baby claws.

Scampi is often called Norway Lobster, and the tail meat is eaten while the heads, pincers, and shells are typically used to enhance the flavor of the sauce and/or to make seafood stock.

Scampi actually belong to the lobster family, whereas prawns belong to the shrimp family (see photos above to compare).

Prawns and shrimp have more meat than scampi and can complement scampi recipes, especially when added to pasta dishes.  Below are Other Tasty Shrimp Varieties to Use in Homemade Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp Scampi Ingredients

You only need a handful of ingredients to make the most delicious shrimp scampi (and most of them are probably already in your kitchen). 

We skip adding bread crumbs and white wine to this scampi recipe but you can totally add those if you want!

Just be sure to buy the highest quality shrimp, prawns, or Italian scampi (langoustine crustaceans) you can find, and get ready for a delicious meal the whole family is going to love.

• shrimp (or langoustines or prawns)
• garlic cloves
• unsalted butter
• extra virgin olive oil
• onion powder (optional but recommended)
• crushed red pepper flakes (optional but recommended)
• grated Parmigiano cheese (or parmesan or Grana Padano)
• sea salt
• sliced scallions (for garnish)
• chopped parsley (for garnish)

How to Make Perfect Shrimp Scampi in Just 15 Minutes

1. Preheat the oven and clean the shrimp. Preheat the oven by turning on the broiler setting to the highest setting. Remove the shells from the shrimp, leaving only the tail attached, and devein. Lay the shrimp in a single layer in a shallow baking dish with sides. Set aside while you make the scampi sauce.
2. Make the scampi sauce. In a skillet on medium heat, add olive oil, butter, and smashed garlic, and sprinkle with a little sea salt to taste. Sauté the garlic until just barely golden brown and fragrant (about 8 minutes). Add the onion powder, crushed red pepper, and a sprig of parsley and cook for 2 more minutes.
3. Assemble the shrimp scampi and broil. Pour the garlic mixture evenly over the shrimp, sprinkle with grated cheese, sliced scallions, and chopped parsley. Place the shrimp into the oven about 2 inches from the broiler and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink and opaque. Serve hot right out of the oven and, Enjoy!

Shrimp Scampi step-by-step recipe photos

Alternate Way to Broil Shrimp Scampi

If you don't want to dirty up a skillet to first make the scampi sauce, use this simple and easy trick instead (see photos below):

1. Add all of the scampi sauce ingredients (EXCEPT the shrimp + grated cheese) to an oven-proof shallow dish and whisk to combine. Place the dish into the preheated oven with broiler function about 3-4 inches from the broiler. Broil the mixture until garlic is golden brown and fragrant (about 7-8 minutes).
2. Remove the scampi sauce from the oven, add the shrimp on top in a single layer, toss quickly to cover with sauce, sprinkle with cheese, and place under the broiler until shrimp are pink, opaque, and just cooked through (about 5 minutes).

What texture should cooked shrimp be?

The shrimp in this scampi recipe should be tender and springy. In order to avoid rubbery or chewy shrimp, don't overcook them.

It's essential to cook shrimp just until they're opaque and turn pink (about 3-4 minutes total for small to medium-sized shrimp and just a bit longer for jumbo shrimp or larger prawns).

Also, the quality of shrimp matters a lot. Sometimes frozen shrimp (or defrosted frozen shrimp) sold as "fresh" can actually be old or "off".

If it is, it will have an ammonia smell (similar to the smell of cat urine), and it can look "shredded" or leathery. Old shrimp can also have a mushy, unpleasant texture.  Follow these rules to avoid buying old or outdated shrimp.

• Buy shrimp from a reputable source like a local fishmonger or mom-and-pop seafood shop.
• Buy fresh (never frozen) shrimp when available and always ask the employee which shrimp is the freshest and how old it is.
• Check all the dates of frozen or fresh shrimp, and don't buy shrimp with very old dates or you risk getting an inferior product that may even be inedible.
• Smell the shrimp if they'll let you, and if it smells clean and fresh, that's a good sign, but if it smells like ammonia, take a pass and buy something else.
• Check the texture and do not buy shrimp that looks leathery or "shreddy," which indicates it's been frozen too long, stored improperly, or just old.

What Should I Serve with Shrimp Scampi?

Now that you've decided to make this easy shrimp scampi recipe, you'll need some other tasty things to eat with it. Here are a few of our favorites to inspire a few tasty pairings.

• toasted garlic bread with mozzarella-parm butter
• 5-minute quick-blanched butter broccoli (recipe coming soon)
• Diver Scallops au Gratin (Capesante Gratinate)
• Perfect Pan-Seared Zucchini
• simple tomato salad with freshly squeezed lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and sea salt
• homemade crispy french fries
• shrimp scampi pasta  (recipe coming soon)
• rice pilaf

Shrimp Scampi tips + tricks + FAQ's

What is shrimp scampi? Shrimp scampi is an Italian-American dish created by immigrants who came to America during the great migration after World War II. Italian cooks substituted langoustines (aka scampi), which is where this dish is derived from, for readily available shrimp.

This is why most Americans (and the world) think of "shrimp scampi " as a dish made with butter, garlic, olive oil, and prawns or regular shrimp. As time went on, these immigrants and their families added pasta to the mix, creating an entirely new riff on a classic Italian dish.

And we're really glad they did! However, in Italy, if you order "Scampi", it will not come with shrimp or prawns, but rather with real scampi (aka langoustines), which are small crustaceans that are part of the lobster family, and they even have cute baby claws. 

Check out the photos above to see the differences between shrimp, scampi (langoustine), and prawns. Scampi (langoustines) are incredibly delicious and a treat you should order when you visit Italy. 

Who invented shrimp scampi? This is debatable with some saying shrimp scampi originated in England as early as the 1700s. A version of a scampi recipe was first recorded by Hannah Glasse, who is one of England's most well-known women of culinary history. Dubbed the "mother of the modern-day dinner party," her recipe, written in 1747, sounds a lot like our scampi today (but it gets cooked for 1 hour, which seems a crazy thing to do to shrimp!).

But Italian Americans also lay claim to the dish, which was a riff off of their Italian homeland's "Scampi" dish made from actual scampi (langoustines from the lobster family and not shrimp at all), garlic, butter, and extra virgin olive oil. This dish is delicious no matter where it comes from. 

Where does the name scampi come from? The plural of "scampo" in the Italian language is "scampi" and is used to refer to Nephrops norvegicus, or the small crustacean that is part of the lobster family (not the shrimp family), and is what the Italian scampi dish is made with.

In other parts of the world, these langoustines are also called Dublin Bay Prawns and Norway Lobsters. These delicacies are found everywhere from the Mediterranean and northeastern Atlantic to North Africa, Norway, and Iceland.