Scampi is a dish commonly made with garlic and lemon, usually with shrimp and pasta, my favorite version. I created this recipe based on the one from Serious Eats, who taught me the baking soda trick. It involves allowing fresh peeled shrimp sit with a coating of baking soda to increase the “snap.” I followed their recipe the first time I made this, but have since changed up some of the ingredients, techniques, and volumes.
Two special ingredients are fresh, locally caught shrimp and fresh pasta (from the grocery store!). I chose to butterfly my shrimp while in the Serious Eats version they slice the shrimp completely in half. That way definitely works too, especially to stretch the shrimp, but I prefer the greedier bites for this recipe.
One super important step in the recipe it to make sure you don’t overcrowd the shrimp in the pan so you can get a nice sear on them.
This recipe can feel a bit hectic with the multitasking of making the pasta at the same time as the sauce, but it’s pretty forgiving. So, if you make the sauce and then put it off to the side, you can then make the pasta and reheat the sauce.
This recipe is a bit more difficult to pull off than most of my usual ones, but when you do it’s worth it. It really feels like fine dining restaurant quality, even amidst the usual weeknight dinner chaos. I highly suggest it as one to add to your repertoire for special occasions, or to make a random Tuesday feel like one!
If you have them, and like them, sauvignon blanc and garlic bread pair beautifully with this dish. Enjoy!
Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 pounds shrimp
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon zest
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley minced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive
- 2 9 ounce packages of fresh pasta or 1 pound dry pasta
Instructions
- Devein shrimp by making shallow cut lengthwise along the backside of the shrimp.
- Place shrimp in a bowl and sprinkle with baking soda and seasonings, toss to distribute evenly.
- Allow to sit at room temperature for 10-30 minutes.
- Bring pot of salted water to boil, then reduce heat to keep warm so it is ready when you need to boil your pasta.
- Then, heat sauté pan to medium high heat and add oil.
- Add shrimp to pan in single layer, leaving space between to allow for some searing.
- Cook shrimp for 1-1/2- 2 minutes on each side, move to plate as they cook.
- Once all shrimp are cooked and removed from the pan turn to medium low, add garlic and red pepper flakes.
- Begin to bring water back to boiling.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions, but reduce time by 1-2 minutes
- Allow garlic to toast slightly, stirring and cooking for about a minute, then add wine (or broth) to deglaze the pan; allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Add butter a tablespoon at a time and whisk into sauce to emulsify.
- Remove sauce from heat.
- Use tongs to transfer pasta into sauce pan or drain using colander, just be sure to reserve at least 1 cup.
- Toss pasta in sauce and return to heat, continuously stirring, allow the pasta to cook in the sauce for 1-2 minutes.
- Add cooked shrimp, lemon juice, zest, and parsley.
- Toss and stir to distribute and coat evenly, add more pasta water if needed.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately.