When the craving hits and you’ve got 27 minutes.

London Lea in her Austin, Texas kitchen picking up a bite of shrimp scampi linguine.

I must’ve caught an Olive Garden commercial somewhere in the last 24 hours… you know the one. That slow-motion fork twirling through a glossy, garlicky tangle of shrimp and pasta.

And the craving for shrimp scampi linguine would NOT go away. But I wasn’t about to deal with a highchair meltdown and a $100 bill to fix it, so I did what I always do and recreated it at home.

The sauce is pretty simple, just butter, garlic, and lemon, with a splash of white wine. (I had just enough left from a date night at home that got cut short by a very bad sleeper… iykyk.)

I braced myself for a whole cooking project, but was pleasantly surprised when it came together in about 27 minutes with time to cleanup, too!

Even more to my delight, bubs slurped the noodles right up and kept sign-asking for “more” shrimp AND I got that look from Justin that said, “Wow babe, you really knocked this one out of the park.”

So the next time that craving hits and loading everyone into the car sounds like a hard no, make this instead. It comes together faster than you’d wait for a table, and I bet your crew asks for seconds too.

One little thing that makes a BIG difference

Before you drain the linguine, scoop out about 1½ cups of that starchy pasta water. It’s what turns the butter and wine into a silky sauce that actually clings to the noodles instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl. (Do NOT skip it, it’s the difference between glossy and greasy!)

A stainless steel skillet is full of shrimp scampi with linguine pasta and a lemon butter garlic sauce.
A bowl full of shrimp scampi linguine is served with a lemon wedge and fresh parsley on top.

What is shrimp scampi?

Here’s a fun bit of trivia: “scampi” actually refers to a small, lobster-like shellfish that Italian cooks traditionally cooked in garlic, butter, and white wine. When Italian immigrants came to the U.S. and couldn’t find them, they swapped in shrimp, kept that garlicky butter sauce, and the name just stuck.

So “shrimp scampi” really just means shrimp cooked scampi-style. Serve it over linguine and you’ve got the version most of us grew up loving.

The best pasta for shrimp scampi

Linguine is the classic pick, and for good reason. It’s just thick enough to stand up to the buttery sauce without getting lost, and those flat strands grab onto it better than round noodles.

You can use spaghetti if that’s what’s in the pantry. I’d skip angel hair or capellini though, since they turn soft and mushy fast and the sauce slides right off.

Ingredients and Substitutions

For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card below.

Shrimp, linguine, butter, white wine, olive oil, lemons and parsley are the ingredients for this shrimp scampi linguine recipe.
  • Shrimp: You can really use any size, but larger shrimp (about 21/25 count) are MUCH more forgiving, since smaller ones turn rubbery if they cook even 30 seconds too long. Fresh or wild is my preference, but previously frozen works just as well. Just thaw them fully and pat them COMPLETELY dry, or the extra liquid keeps you from getting a good sear.
  • Butter: It’s not often I say the butter really matters, but here it LITERALLY is the sauce. Grab a European butter you love the taste of and splurge a little (regular works too if that’s what you’ve got). I go with salted, but unsalted is great if you want more control over the salt.
  • Olive oil: The oil does what the butter can’t, since it won’t burn at the higher heat you need for cooking the shallots and searing the shrimp.
  • Pasta: A lot of recipes say use whatever pasta you want, but a slightly thicker, chewier noodle like linguine or spaghetti is so good with the light sauce. Go for bronze-cut if you can find it, since the rougher texture grips the sauce better.
  • Lemons: Fresh is the only way here, since you’re using both the juice and the zest. The bottled kind is also way more acidic and misses that natural sweetness.
  • Wine: Any relatively dry white wine works, like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio. If you don’t have wine on hand, no problem! Use the same amount of low-sodium chicken broth plus about ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar or an extra squeeze of lemon, and adjust your salt accordingly.
  • Garlic: Another key player in the simple sauce. I mince mine super fine with a garlic press so it spreads all through the sauce. Fresh is the only way, sorry, no garlic powder for this one.
  • Shallots: My preference, but not a must. Finely diced yellow onion works too (about ½ of a small onion, or ½ cup minced). Just like the garlic, I chop it really small so it spreads throughout the sauce.
  • Chives and parsley: Parsley is classic, but chives are my little twist that adds a lovely bite to the finished dish. Leave them off or sub in another tablespoon of parsley if you’d like.
  • Red pepper flakes: Totally optional. Leave them out, or bump them up for a little more heat.
  • Parmesan: Totally optional, but a little grated Parm at the end adds a salty, savory finish. Freshly grated melts in better than the pre-shredded stuff.
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Ingredients and Substitutions

For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card below.

Cook the shallots and garlic

Get your linguine going in generously salted water. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium and cook the shallots until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and give it 30 seconds, just until everything smells SO good.

Garlic and shallots softening in olive oil in a skillet for shrimp scampi linguine

Sear the shrimp

Push the shallots to one side, add the shrimp in a single layer, and season with salt and pepper. Let them sear undisturbed for a minute or two, then flip and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, just until the tails curl. Scoop just the shrimp onto a plate, leaving the shallots behind in the skillet.

Resist the urge to stir! Letting the shrimp sit still is what gives you that golden sear instead of pale, steamed-looking shrimp.

Raw shrimp searing in a single layer for easy shrimp scampi linguine

Make the sauce

Pour the wine into the skillet, scrape up any browned bits, and simmer until reduced by half, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the butter, lemon zest, a little salt and pepper, and ¾ cup of the reserved pasta water, then stir over low heat until it melts into a glossy sauce.

Garlic butter and white wine sauce simmering in a skillet for shrimp scampi with pasta

Bring it together and serve

Add the drained linguine and toss to coat, splashing in more pasta water until it’s silky and saucy. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice, chives, and parsley, then add the shrimp back with any juices and toss once more. Serve right away with Parmesan and an extra squeeze of lemon.

Add the lemon juice AFTER the pan comes off the heat. Simmer it into the sauce and it turns sharp and flat (hello, lemon noodles). Off the heat, it stays bright and balanced.

Finished shrimp scampi linguine tossed with fresh parsley and chives in a skillet
Garlic press.

It saves SO much time!

Since it’s super important to get the garlic pretty small for this recipe, a garlic press like this one is a lifesaver!

It’s easy to use, finely minces the garlic, and does it in a fraction of the time as chopping it up by hand.

Get the PRESS!

Want to add some veggies?

This sauce takes really well to extra veggies if you want to bulk it up. A few that would work great: asparagus cut into 1-inch pieces and cooked in with the shallots, halved cherry tomatoes added with the garlic so they soften and burst, a couple big handfuls of spinach stirred in at the very end to wilt, or frozen peas tossed in with the pasta to warm through.

Any one of them turns this into a full plate without much extra work.

Oops… what did I do wrong?!

Why did my shrimp scampi turn out too lemony? The lemon juice most likely got cooked into the sauce, so stir it in after the skillet comes off the heat, and start with a little less if you’re sensitive to tang.

How do I keep the shrimp from getting rubbery? Shrimp cook in just 2 to 3 minutes total, so pull them the second the tails curl into a loose C-shape. A tight little O-shape means they went a touch too long.

My sauce is too thin or too thick. Help? For a thin sauce, let it bubble over low heat for another minute to tighten up, and for a thick one, splash in a little more reserved pasta water until it loosens back to silky.

Can I use a different protein? You can. Sea scallops are lovely here, or fold in some lump crab at the very end so it stays in nice pieces.

Can I make it ahead? This one’s really best fresh, but you can mince the shallots and garlic, zest and juice the lemon, and chop the herbs ahead so the actual cooking takes under 15 minutes.

How to store and reheat

Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, warm them gently on the stovetop over low heat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce, and skip the microwave since it turns the shrimp rubbery.

I wouldn’t freeze this one. The butter sauce separates and the shrimp go tough and grainy once thawed, so it’s really best fresh.

Tap stars to rate!

5 from 3 votes

Shrimp Scampi Linguine Recipe

By: London Brazil
That garlicky, buttery, lemony shrimp pasta you'd order at a restaurant? This Shrimp Scampi Linguine brings all of it home in about 30 minutes. And thanks to the addition of some reserved pasta water, there's plenty of that silky sauce to coat every last strand!
Shrimp scampi linguine with a lemon garlic butter sauce is served in a skillet in under 30 minutes.
Yield 4 servings
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Total 30 minutes
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Ingredients 

  • 12 ounces linguine
  • Salt for the pasta water
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 medium shallots finely minced (about ½ cup)
  • 4-5 large garlic cloves minced
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
  • 1 pound large shrimp (21/25 count) peeled and deveined, thawed and patted dry if frozen
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt divided
  • ¾ teaspoon black pepper divided
  • ⅔ cup dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc
  • 8 tablespoons salted butter cut into 1-tablespoon pieces
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice plus ½ teaspoon lemon zest from 1 to 2 lemons
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • Grated parmesan cheese optional

Instructions 

  • Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook to al dente according to the package instructions. Reserve 1 ½ cups of the pasta cooking water, then drain and set aside.
    12 ounces linguine, Salt
  • Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes (if using) and continue cooking for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
    ¼ cup olive oil, 2 medium shallots, 4-5 large garlic cloves, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Push the shallot mixture to one side of the skillet and add the shrimp in a single layer. Sprinkle the shrimp with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Cook, without moving, for 1-2 minutes to sear on one side. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes more, or until the shrimp are pink and the tails have curled. Transfer just the shrimp to a plate, leaving the shallots in the skillet.
    1 pound large shrimp (21/25 count), 1 ½ teaspoons salt, ¾ teaspoon black pepper
  • Pour the wine into the skillet, scraping the bottom of the skillet to release any bits that might be stuck, and simmer over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, or until reduced by half.
    ⅔ cup dry white wine
  • Add the butter, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and the lemon zest, along with ¾ cup of the reserved pasta water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted. Reduce the heat to LOW.
    8 tablespoons salted butter, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, ¾ teaspoon black pepper, 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice plus ½ teaspoon lemon zest
  • Add the drained linguine and toss to heat through, adding more of the reserved pasta water as needed until the sauce reaches a silky, saucy consistency. (Around 1 to 1 ¼ cups is normally perfect for me!)
    12 ounces linguine
  • Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the lemon juice, chives, and parsley, and toss to combine. Return the shrimp and any juices from the plate to the skillet, toss once more, and serve with Parmesan cheese and an extra squeeze of lemon, if desired.
    3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice plus ½ teaspoon lemon zest, 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives, 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, 1 pound large shrimp (21/25 count), Grated parmesan cheese
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review letting us know how it was!

Tap stars to rate!

5 from 3 votes

Video

Notes

Shrimp size: This was tested with 1 pound extra-large shrimp (21/25 count) since they’re a little more forgiving. If you can only find smaller shrimp (31/40) they cook pretty fast, so watch them closely and pull them the moment the tails curl.
Add the lemon juice off the heat: Stirring the fresh lemon juice in after the skillet comes off the burner keeps it bright and balanced. Simmering lemon juice in the sauce concentrates and flattens it, which is how scampi ends up tasting sharp and one-note (the classic “lemon noodles” problem).
Pasta pick: Linguine holds up to the buttery sauce best. Angel hair or capellini technically work but turn delicate and mushy fast, and they don’t carry the sauce the same way.
Salt the pasta water generously: It seasons the linguine from the inside out. The reserved starchy water is also what makes the sauce silky, so don’t skip reserving it.
No wine? Swap in an equal amount of low-sodium chicken or seafood broth plus an extra squeeze of lemon or ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar to mimic the acidity.
Butter: Salted butter is what this was tested with. If you only have unsalted, add a pinch more salt to taste at the end.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Warm gently over low heat on the stovetop just until heated through, adding a splash of water to loosen the sauce. Skip the microwave, since it turns the shrimp rubbery.
Freezing: Not recommended. The butter sauce separates and the shrimp turn tough and grainy once thawed. This one is best fresh.

Nutrition

Calories: 352kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 30g, Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 287mg, Sodium: 915mg, Potassium: 255mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 20IU, Vitamin C: 11.4mg, Calcium: 180mg, Iron: 3.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Made this recipe?Leave a comment below!

What to serve with shrimp scampi linguine

This one’s rich and buttery, so I like to keep everything around it light and fresh. A big Lemon Arugula Salad with its bright, peppery bite is honestly all you need to balance the plate.

You’ll also want something for mopping up that sauce, because there will be sauce left in the bowl. A few slices of crusty bread or garlic bread are perfect for the job.

If you want a veggie on the side, Roasted Asparagus with Garlic or Honey Roasted Broccoli with Garlic both come together while the pasta cooks. And for a lower-carb night, this sauce is just as good spooned over Zucchini Noodles.

More easy shrimp dinners

Once you see how fast a good shrimp dinner comes together, you’ll want a few more in the rotation. These are the ones my readers keep coming back to.

5 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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