The 3 Expert Tips for Restaurant Quality Shrimp Scampi

Indulge your taste buds as we dive into the world of Shrimp Scampi! We will show you not only how to perfectly cook your shrimp, create a buttery garlic sauce, but we also unveil expert tips that take this dish to an elevated restaurant-level experience.

Hello friends! I’m excited to share one of the quickest dinner ideas on the planet – shrimp scampi. I don’t think you can make peanut butter and jelly as fast. But as easy as it is, there’s a fine line between success and disappointment. Fear not! I’m here to guide you through making this shrimp scampi absolutely perfect every single time, including how to peel and devein the shrimp.

Ready? Let’s get started!

How to Properly Prepare Shrimp

Properly preparing shrimp is crucial to ensure a delicious and enjoyable dining experience.

• To begin, start by thawing frozen shrimp overnight (if using frozen) in the refrigerator or using the quick thawing method under cold running water.
• Once thawed, it’s time to peel the shrimp, by running your finger down the inside of the shrimp to break it up and then peel it away. Squeeze the tail and pull it off.
• To devein the shrimp, make a shallow incision along the back, revealing the dark vein, and remove it using the tip of a knife, a toothpick or your fingers.
• Rinse the shrimp under cold water to clean them thoroughly.
• Before cooking, pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel to ensure they cook evenly and achieve a delightful texture.

Our 2 Step Approach to Perfect Shrimp:

There are 2 ways to cook the shrimp for shrimp scampi: either sauté them in oil/butter until cooked and set them aside or simmer them in the sauce. Both ways are fine and produce different results. We decided, why not do both?

• Sauté in Butter – Sautéing the shrimp in the garlic butter first allows them to develop a flavorful crust and a delicious garlic-infused taste. The shrimp used in our recipe were 30 count and were cooked for exactly 4 minutes without being turned.
• Simmer in wine – By then continuing to cook the shrimp in the wine sauce, the shrimp will further absorb the flavors of the wine, garlic, and other ingredients, resulting in a well-integrated and richly flavored dish. Cook the shrimp another 2-3 minutes.

Combining both techniques can yield a more complex and delicious shrimp scampi, as the shrimp benefit from the best of both worlds – a caramelized exterior and an infusion of flavors from the sauce. It’s an excellent way to ensure the shrimp are tender, succulent, and filled with the delightful essence of the dish.

How to Make Shrimp Scampi

1. Sauté the aromatics: Start by sautéing minced garlic in butter and olive oil until fragrant. This helps to infuse the sauce with a rich garlic flavor.
2. Add the shrimp: The shrimp will absorb the flavors of the garlic butter as they are cooking.
3. Add wine and seasonings: Pour in the white wine and let it reduce slightly. The shrimp will absorb the delicious flavors as they cook, resulting in a scrumptious seafood medley.
4. Finish with lemon juice and zest: Just before serving, squeeze fresh lemon juice over the shrimp scampi and sprinkle some lemon zest for a bright and zesty note that enhances the dish’s overall taste.

3 Expert Tips For Perfecting Your Dish:

1. Infusing Flavor with Shrimp Shells: – Don’t discard those shrimp shells! Adding the shrimp shells to the wine is a fantastic way to infuse the sauce with more seafood flavor. The shells contain natural umami and shrimp essence, which will enhance the overall taste of the dish. Simmer the wine with the shrimp shells, straining the wine before adding it to the recipe. This ensures that you capture all the flavorful goodness of those shrimp.
2. Using Pasta Water: Pasta water contains starch released from the pasta during cooking, and it can be a secret weapon for enhancing the sauce’s texture and flavor. After cooking the pasta until it’s al dente, save a cup of the pasta water before draining. When combining the cooked pasta with the sauce and shrimp, add a small amount of the saved pasta water. The starch in the water helps bind the sauce and pasta together, creating a creamier and more cohesive dish. The pasta water also brings additional seasoning from the pasta itself, contributing to a well-balanced flavor profile.
3. Perfect Timing – By following this recipe exactly, the shrimp will be cooked in 4 minutes, and as the wine reduces, they’ll continue to absorb delightful flavors for an extra 2-3 minutes. This totals a mere 6-7 minutes of cooking time, resulting in succulent shrimp that are tender and full of flavor. Keep in mind that this recipe uses 30-count shrimp, so if you’re using a different size, make sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly, either up or down, to achieve the same outcome.

We hope you give our method a try and let us know in the comments section how this recipe turned out for you!

What to Serve With Shrimp Scampi

1. Garlic Knots: Our simple, easy to make garlic knots complements the garlic and butter flavors in the shrimp scampi. It’s perfect for sopping up the extra sauce.
2. Steamed Vegetables: Light and vibrant steamed vegetables, such as asparagus, broccoli, or green beans, add freshness to the meal and balance the richness of the shrimp scampi.
3. Side Salad: A fresh garden salad with a light vinaigrette dressing provides a refreshing contrast to the savory shrimp scampi.

SHRIMP SCAMPI RECIPE
Like this recipe? Pin it to your SIDES board!

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. And consider following me on Facebook and Pinterest!

Print