Even on a busy weeknight, it’s easy to enjoy this restaurant quality spicy, shrimp scampi with linguini. This recipe seriously tastes like fine dining, minus the big bill at the end.
Shrimp scampi is a culinary creation that Italian immigrant cooks adapted with North American ingredients. “Scampi” is the Italian word for “prawns” which are actually small lobster common in Italy. Prawns are similar to shrimp in both look and taste but are much larger. They can be used interchangeably.
The most popular way for Italians to cook scampi (prawns) would be in a garlic lemon sauce. This is how the term “shrimp scampi” was adopted when the prawns were replaced with shrimp and cooked in a garlic, lemon and wine sauce. Typically the shrimp is served tossed with pasta, but sometimes over rice or even just with crusty bread.
Growing up in a traditional Italian family, shrimp scampi was always a popular meal on Friday nights. Fridays were market day (since it was payday) and that included a visit to the local fishmonger. It was a quick and easy meal for my mother to whip up with the fresh shrimp she picked up that day. The shrimp scampi would be garnished with cheese shavings from a chunk of imported Italian Parmesan cheese that came fresh from the Italian grocer. None of that fake powdery white cheese stuff ever existed in our house!
Now with my own family, we’ll take this dish any day of the week! I typically keep a bag of frozen shrimp in my freezer and the rest of the ingredients are common pantry ingredients that I typically have on hand. That means even if company calls unexpectedly, I can be ready for a quick delicious meal. It’s perfectly acceptable to serve the shrimp scampi right out of the skillet it’s made it! Hooray, less to clean up!
If you can find peeled uncooked shrimp with tails removed, they’re ideal for this recipe, otherwise, peel and remove the tails yourself. Either way, thaw the shrimp first; in the refrigerator overnight, or in cold water for 30 – 45 minutes before preparing the meal.
Get the water boiling and begin cooking the pasta before you get started as once you start cooking the shrimp the process goes fast!
This great tasting shrimp scampi comes together quickly and delivers a punch of fresh taste! It’s guaranteed to be a big hit!
Shrimp Scampi with Linguini
Ingredients
- 450 g linguini
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 garlic cloves sliced into thin chips
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes use more or less as desired
- 400 g bag frozen raw zipperback deveined shrimp medium size, thawed, shells and tails removed (Thaw shrimp in refrigerator overnight or in a large bowl of cold water for about 30 - 45 minutes. Once thawed, remove the shells and tails and discard them. Pat the shrimp dry.)
- ¼ cup white wine
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice plus the zest of the lemon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving
- Lemon slices for garnish
Instructions
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Start boiling a large pot of lightly salted water. Cook linguini just until al dente for 9 – 10 minutes or as package directs. Reserve ½ cup starchy pasta water before draining.
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Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium-high heat in a large 12” saucepan. Add garlic chips, red pepper flakes and shrimp. Cook while stirring occasionally until the shrimp turn pink and are cooked through, about 2 – 3 minutes.
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Stir in wine, lemon juice and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a light simmer. Add linguini and parsley and toss to combine, cook for 1 minute then remove from heat. Add tablespoons of the starchy pasta water to loosen, if necessary.
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4. Garnish with lemon slices and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan; set aside and keep warm. Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil. When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley and cooked pasta. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over a bit more olive oil and serve immediately.