Are you a seafood lover? I am, and there is nothing more delicious to me than the smell of garlic and shrimp. I love it. And add to that white wine, lime juice, butter, a few Italian spices, fresh parsley, and red pepper flakes, and I’m in seafood heaven! Oh wait, I forgot about the Parmesan cheese on top.
Tangy, garlicky, and a bit creamy and spicy, this Red Lobster Shrimp Scampi recipe is my go-to meal when I want to spoil myself or my family.
The broth that results is so good with crusty homemade bread. You will want to soak up every last bit of it.
The trick is to cook the shrimp for just a few minutes to keep them fresh and not mushy, remove them, make the sauce (broth) and return them to the pan to heat them again a bit.
This is an absolutely wonderful meal. You can even eat them on top of freshly cooked pasta if you prefer a complete meal, but for me, bread is the only way to go!
What Type Of Shrimp To Use
Well, this depends on you. If you don’t mind peeling and deveining shrimp, by all means, by the whole and freeze the skins for later use in soups and broths.
They have a ton of flavor. I sometimes feel lazy, so I like to buy peeled and deveined shrimp.
If you are feeding a crowd, maybe small to medium-sized shrimp is the way to go, but I would highly recommend using large shrimp if you’re cooking for two.
I know a lot of people think shrimp scampi should be made using small shrimp. I like mine large.
The full recipe and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Red Lobster Shrimp Scampi
- Heat the olive oil and cook the shrimp for two minutes on each side using a large cast-iron skillet. Remove from heat.
- Add the minced garlic to the skillet and cook for just a couple of minutes.
- Pour in the white wine and lime juice and cook until the liquid has been reduced by half. Add the Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes.
- Reduce the heat to low, and mix in the butter.
- When the butter is melted, return the shrimp to the skillet and add the parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.
How To Reheat Red Lobster Shrimp Scampi
I really don’t think you will have leftovers, but if you do, store them in an airtight container for up to three days in the fridge and heat them in the microwave for a few minutes until heated through.
Tips And Variations
- Important things: do not over-cook your shrimp. Two minutes on each side is all it takes to cook shrimp. I know we are used to cooking things, but they become soft and mushy if you over-cook shrimp. Remember, food keeps on cooking even after removing it from the heat, so please not over-cook the shrimp. The other thing: do not burn the garlic. Burnt garlic is bitter and can ruin the whole dish. If you need to add a bit more oil to the skillet, only cook the garlic for a couple of minutes.
- Ok, another important thing: when adding the butter, reduce the heat! If the skillet is too hot, the fat in the butter will separate. We want a silky-smooth broth. If the fat separates, you will have a very liquid broth with fat swimming on top.
- If you want to do a variation on this dish, try adding sliced cherry tomatoes, capers, and olives for a more Mediterranean vibe, or Dijon mustard and fresh thyme for a French twist. Dill and vinegar make quite a difference as well! Add a bit of heavy cream, and you have a divine creamy shrimp sauce for pasta.
OTHER SHRIMP RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY
Red Lobster Shrimp Scampi Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 ½ cups dry white wine
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- 6 tablespoons of butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil and cook the shrimp for two minutes on each side on medium heat. Do not over-cook the shrimp, or they will come out mushy. You want fresh and firm shrimp with a bite to them. Over-cooking makes them soft and not good!
- Remove the shrimp and add the minced garlic to the skillet. There will be some bits and pieces of shrimp stuck to the bottom of the skillet. This is ok. Cook the garlic just for a couple of minutes. If you feel you need to add a bit more oil, do so.
- Do not brown the garlic, or it will become bitter. After a couple of minutes, add the white wine and lime juice. Scrape the bottom of the skillet. A lot of flavors are in those bits and pieces stuck there. Cook it until reduced by half.
- Add the Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. They need to cook for a bit to release their flavor, just a couple of minutes more.
- Reduce the heat to low, let the skillet cool down a bit and when the wine stops boiling, add the butter. If you add the butter to a very hot mixture, the solids in the butter will separate. We want a silky-smooth broth. Let the butter melt and incorporate it into the wine mixture.
- Return the shrimp and their juices to the skillet. Add the chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese, let everything heat through and serve immediately while still hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How to make garlic butter sauce for Shrimp Scampi?
This is exactly what we made here. Just remember to reduce the heat before adding the butter, or it will separate.
Main ingredients: garlic, white wine, parsley, and butter. Reduce the heat and swirl the butter around the pan.
This will emulsify the white wine and the butter. Add the butter a tablespoon at a time and swirl until combined.
- How does Red Lobster make their shrimp pasta?
It’s actually a lot like shrimp scampi, but they add clam juice and heavy cream to make a creamy sauce.
- How to substitute wine and make the dish without wine?
You can use chicken stock or shrimp stock instead of wine.
If you are not planning on using wine, buy shrimp with the skin on and boil the skins on chicken broth. This adds double the flavor.
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