Shrimp Scampi Linguine
Plump shrimp sauteed in garlic butter and white wine, tossed with linguine and a squeeze of lemon for a restaurant-quality weeknight pasta in 25 minutes.
Prep: 10 min · Cook: 15 min · Total: 25 min · Serves: 4 · Difficulty: Easy · Rating: 4.8/5 (643 reviews)
INSPIRED BY
Shrimp scampi is Italian-American in origin, a New World riff on the Italian preparation of scampi (a type of lobster-like crustacean) in butter and white wine. When Italian immigrants in America substituted shrimp for the harder-to-find scampi, the name stuck. It became a classic of red-checkered-tablecloth Italian-American restaurants and has been a weeknight home staple ever since.
Story
Shrimp scampi was the first real pasta dish I made for someone I was trying to impress. I had seen it on a restaurant menu a hundred times and ordered it twice, and it seemed like the kind of thing that was fancy without being complicated. I was right about that, which is fortunate, because my knife skills at that age were questionable and my sauce instincts were mostly learned from watching cooking shows. The thing I got wrong the first time was the shrimp timing. I was nervous and kept poking at them and turning them too early, and by the time I plated the dish the shrimp were small and rubbery, the telltale sign of overcooked shellfish. My guest ate it politely. I was embarrassed. The dish had good bones but the execution was off. After that I learned to trust the process. Shrimp at high heat need 90 seconds on the first side. You look at the bottom and when it's pink and just turning opaque, you flip. One minute on the other side. Then off the heat and onto a plate. They finish cooking in the residual heat while you make the sauce. That's it. The total active cooking time for the shrimp is less than three minutes, which is hard to believe until you do it. The pasta water is the other non-negotiable I want to mention. Before I understood sauce-building I would skip it and wonder why my scampi was greasy and thin. The starchy water emulsifies with the butter and wine and turns what would otherwise be a separated mess into a glossy, cohesive sauce that coats the pasta. Save it before you drain. Always. I still make this when I want something that feels like an event on a Tuesday night. It earns it every time.
By Casey
Ingredients
- 12 oz linguine
- 1.5 lbs large shrimp (21-25 count), peeled and deveined
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 0.5 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc)
- 0.5 cup reserved pasta water
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
- 0.25 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the linguine according to package directions until 1 minute shy of al dente. Reserve 0.5 cup pasta water before draining.
- While the pasta cooks, pat the shrimp dry and season with salt and red pepper flakes.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 90 seconds until pink on the bottom. Flip and cook 60 more seconds. Transfer to a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining butter and the garlic to the same skillet. Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant and just turning golden. Do not let it brown.
- Pour in the white wine and lemon juice. Let it bubble for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits. Add the reserved pasta water and stir to combine.
- Add the drained linguine and shrimp to the skillet and toss over medium heat for 1 minute until the pasta is coated and the sauce has thickened slightly. Finish with chopped parsley, taste for salt, and serve immediately.
Chef Tips
- Do not overcook the shrimp. They only need about 90 seconds per side at high heat, and they will continue cooking when you add them back into the hot pasta. Overcooked shrimp are rubbery and small; properly cooked shrimp are plump, pink, and slightly translucent at the thickest part. Pasta water is not optional: the starch is what binds the butter and wine into a cohesive sauce rather than a greasy puddle.
Cook's Notes
- **Shrimp size:** Use 21-25 count (large) for the best texture. Smaller shrimp overcook very quickly.
- **Wine substitute:** Use low-sodium chicken broth if you prefer not to cook with wine.
- **Pasta water is mandatory:** Starchy pasta water emulsifies the butter and wine into a sauce; plain water won't work.
- **Doneness cue:** Shrimp are done when pink and opaque at the thickest part; curled into a C shape (not an O shape, which means overcooked).
- **Make-ahead:** Peel and devein shrimp up to a day ahead; store covered in the fridge.
- **Common mistake:** Overcooking shrimp. Pull them after 90 seconds per side and they will finish in the sauce.
- **Variation:** Add a handful of cherry tomatoes with the garlic for a brighter, slightly sweet sauce.