Shrimp Scampi Pasta

5 from 18 votes

Shrimp Scampi Pasta is one of those comforting seafood pastas that are perfect for a quick and easy dinner! The shrimp are succulent and buttery combined with a bright, lemony sauce tossed with al dente pasta - a truly comforting meal!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Ingredients

1.5 lb shrimp U16-20
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 lb Linguine pasta
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
5 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup freshly chopped parsley
lemon zest for garnish
freshly grated parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions

Melt butter and olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Season shrimp with salt, pepper, and garlic powder saute shrimp for 2 minutes per side and remove.
Cook pasta in salted water 1-2 minutes sooner than package directions for very al dente
In the same pan as the shrimp, sauté garlic and chili flakes for 30 seconds, turn heat to high and add white wine and lemon juice, season with black pepper. Add 1/2 cup of pasta water and let reduce by about a third, then add the very al dente pasta directly to the pan.
Add a drizzle of olive oil and mix the pasta until the sauce has thicken and emulsified, and the pasta is done to your liking, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the shrimp and parsley to the pasta along with a knob of butter. Mix until coated and add more pasta water as needed.
Top with freshly parsley, lemon zest & grated parmesan. Serve with warm bread and enjoy.

Notes

I recommend using U16-20 peeled and deveined shrimp for this recipe, which I find are the perfect size for this dish! You can also use tail on shrimp to give the sauce some extra flavor, but I personally like shrimp without the shells in this pasta.

I used linguine in this dish but you can substitute with any long pasta (for ex: fettuccine, spaghetti, bucatini, tagliatelle). You can use either fresh or dried pasta; my only recommendation is to use the highest quality stuff you can find! I like bronze-cut pasta because the surface of the pasta allows for more sauce to cling to it.

Use a dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, but you can also easily substitute this for chicken stock if you prefer to omit alcohol from this recipe.

Salt your pasta water! This is the first step in ensuring your Shrimp Scampi Pasta is properly seasoned. The Italians believed in adding flavor in every step of the cooking process and salting your pasta water can be seen as your 'foundation'. I like my pasta water to be as salty as the sea - briny but not so salty that it's unbearable. I use kosher salt but you can use whatever salt you have on hand.

Save your pasta water! You may find the sauce to be too thick, especially when mixed with the pasta, so save some of the pasta water to loosen as needed and create the creamy consistency you want.

Account for the time that the Shrimp Scampi Pasta sauce will take to reduce and thicken (1-2 minutes) and undercook your pasta by the same amount of time. If the sauce has reduced too much before the pasta is done to your liking, you can always add additional pasta water to loosen the sauce back up and continue cooking the pasta.

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