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Shrimp Scampi For One! Shrimp simmered in a luscious garlic butter sauce and served over pasta. Looks elegant but ready in minutes!
Shrimp scampi is a simple Italian dish that uses butter, garlic, and lemon to create a wonderful sauce to coat the shrimp. The shrimp cooks in minutes and is served along with the sauce over pasta.
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
- Shrimp Scampi Pasta: Shrimp scampi is a seafood and pasta dish that looks incredibly elegant but takes just minutes to cook and requires a few simple ingredients.
- Made with few ingredients: If you’ve got pasta in your pantry, shrimp in your freezer, and butter in your refrigerator you’ve got the key ingredients to make this shrimp scampi recipe come alive.
Ingredient Notes
- Olive oil: I use extra virgin olive oil in this shrimp scampi recipe as well as in every other recipe on One Dish Kitchen that calls for olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed form of olive oil. It is an unrefined oil and the highest-quality olive oil you can buy. Because of the way extra virgin olive oil is made, it retains a more true olive taste. It also contains more of the vitamins and minerals found in olives. It’s my favorite type of olive oil to use but you may use lighter olive oil instead.
- Butter: Butter is used in the sauce. I use salted butter for the best flavor.
- Garlic: Chopped fresh garlic adds tremendous flavor to the shrimp scampi sauce, definitely don’t leave it out.
- Shrimp: Use medium to large shrimp in this shrimp scampi recipe. I like to buy shrimp when it’s on sale. Another idea is to use frozen. When you cook for one, it’s a good idea to keep a bag of frozen shrimp in your freezer. It makes meal prep easy.
- Salt and black pepper: For flavor.
- Red pepper flakes (optional): I love the spicy flavor that red pepper flakes bring to the dish. If you don’t want your scampi sauce to be spicy, leave the red pepper flakes out.
- Lemon juice: I recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice but if you don’t have a fresh lemon, bottled lemon juice will work just fine.
- Pasta: You can use just about any type of pasta in this recipe and I will often use whatever kind of pasta is in my pantry. My personal preference is linguine though, the flat surface is ideal for holding on to the sauce.
- Parmesan cheese and parsley: For the topping.
See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
How To Make Shrimp Scampi For One
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the linguine to the boiling water and reduce the heat slightly to maintain a simmer. Cook until pasta is tender, 5-7 minutes. Drain in a colander and transfer pasta to a bowl. Toss with ½ tablespoon of olive oil so the pasta noodles don’t stick together. Set aside.
- In a separate small bowl, season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Mix together so that the shrimp are evenly coated. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium-sized skillet. When the butter melts, add the garlic and red pepper flakes, if using and cook, stirring occasionally for 30 seconds.
- Cook the shrimp: Add the shrimp to the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. With a fork, flip the shrimp over and cook the other side for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or until the shrimp is pink and opaque.
- Remove shrimp from the pan to prevent overcooking and place in a clean bowl; cover the bowl.
- Make the shrimp scampi sauce: Add lemon juice, olive oil, and butter to the pan. When the butter melts, add the shrimp back to the pan and spoon some of the sauce over the shrimp.
- Remove from heat and pour over cooked pasta. Top with Parmesan cheese and enjoy hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe calls for using 2 ounces of uncooked linguine (or other favorite pasta). To determine what 2 ounces look like, you can either:
* Use a kitchen scale to measure. A scale is the most accurate way to tell.
* Eyeball it: Two ounces of uncooked long noodles measure a little over 2-inches (circumference).
2 ounces of uncooked linguine = 1 cup cooked
* Pull off the legs.
* Using your fingers, crack open the underside of the shell and peel it off.
* Pinch the tail where it meets the body of the shrimp and pull off.
* Gently run a paring knife along the back of the shrimp.
*Look for the vein. It will look like a long, dark, gritty string. Using the tip of your knife, pull it out.
Yes! You don’t have to use pasta.
Cooked white or brown rice and cauliflower rice are both good choices. You can also spoon the shrimp and the scampi sauce over a cooked protein such as salmon or chicken.
Another idea is to tear off pieces of crusty french bread and use the bread to absorb the scampi sauce .
Traditional shrimp scampi recipes call for using white wine and when I make a larger batch of shrimp scampi, I add it.
Shrimp scampi does not need to be made with wine. Since this is a single-serving dish, I don’t think it’s necessary to add it at all. You’d only be using a splash, maybe a tablespoon or so. That’s why I left wine off of the ingredient list.
My suggestion is to add wine only if you want to – and if you do, just add a very small amount. If you’ve opened a bottle and are enjoying a glass, then by all means add a little.
If you don’t have wine, then go ahead and make this shrimp scampi without wine – you won’t miss it.
Expert Tips
- Gather your ingredients before beginning. These tacos come together quickly so it’s a good idea to have everything you need out and ready to use.
- Make it spicy. If you like your scampi sauce to be a little spicy, add a tiny pinch of red pepper flakes to the butter and olive oil in the first step.
- Cook the pasta before cooking the shrimp. This way your meal can be enjoyed immediately after the shrimp have cooked.
- Add wine: If you want to make shrimp scampi with wine, I recommend using a dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, or a dry Chardonnay. Stay away from sweet wines such as Riesling or Moscato. Also, use a wine that you would actually love to drink.
How To Buy Shrimp
I often purchase individually frozen, head-off, peel-on shrimp for most shrimp recipes. These bags of shrimp are found in the freezer section of most supermarkets. When you are cooking for one person, this can be the most economical way to buy shrimp.
The vast majority of “fresh” shrimp sold in supermarkets were deep frozen at sea and delivered to retailers. Even though you may see a display of “fresh” shrimp at the fish counter in the store, those shrimp are the same bags of frozen shrimp you find in the freezer section that have simply been allowed to thaw out in the store before going on display. It’s hard to know how long they have been defrosted.
Shrimp are highly perishable. If purchasing fresh shrimp, smell the shrimp first. You don’t want any shrimp that smells like ammonia, this is a sign of spoilage. You also want to avoid shrimp that are limp, slimy, or falling apart, these are signs of decay.
Serving Suggestions
So many dishes go well with shrimp scampi. I love making a small loaf of french bread to dip into the delicious shrimp scampi sauce. You might also enjoy a fresh tomato salad too.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this easy shrimp scampi recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Linguini: Pasta Carbonara, Pesto Pasta, Buttered Noodles, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Pasta alla Vodka
- Shrimp: Shrimp Fettuccine, Shrimp Creole, Shrimp Tacos, Jambalaya, Gumbo, Cioppino
- Red pepper flakes: Creamy Vegetable Soup, Portobello Mushroom Pizza, Baked Ziti, Vegetarian Chili, Broccolini with Sausage
- Lemon juice: Lemon Bars, Chicken Margherita, Sheet Pan Salmon, Lemon Meringue Pie, Lemon Garlic Chicken
For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
If you’ve tried this single serving shrimp scampi or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
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Recipe
Shrimp Scampi For One
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ounces uncooked linguine
- 6 large shrimp peeled and deveined
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 tablespoons salted butter divided
- 1 clove garlic
- pinch red pepper flakes optional
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the linguine to the boiling water and reduce the heat slightly to maintain a simmer. Cook until pasta is tender, 5-7 minutes. Drain in a colander and transfer pasta to a bowl. Toss with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil so the pasta noodles don't stick together. Set aside.
- In a separate small bowl, season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Mix together so that the shrimp are evenly coated. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium sized skillet. When the butter melts, add the garlic and red pepper flakes, if using and cook, stirring occasionally for 30 seconds.
- Add the shrimp to the pan and cook for 1 -2 minutes. With a fork, flip the shrimp over and cook the other side for an additional 1 – 2 minutes, or until shrimp is pink and opaque.
- Remove shrimp from the pan to prevent overcooking and place in a clean bowl; cover the bowl.
- Add lemon juice, olive oil, and butter to the pan. When the butter melts, add the shrimp back to the pan and spoon some of the sauce over the shrimp. Remove from heat and pour over cooked pasta. Top with Parmesan cheese and parsley and enjoy hot.
Video
Notes
- This meal cooks quickly so have all of your ingredients handy.
- If you like your scampi sauce to be a little spicy, add a tiny pinch of red pepper flakes to the butter and olive oil in the first step.
- Cook the pasta before cooking the shrimp. This way your meal can be enjoyed immediately after the shrimp has cooked.
- For convenience, consider using frozen and thawed shrimp.
- If you want to make shrimp scampi with wine, I recommend using a dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, or a dry Chardonnay. Stay away from sweet wines such as a Riesling or Moscato. Also, use a wine that you would actually love to drink.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Thanks Joanie. Another winning recipe for a hot summer night! 🥵 It was delicious. Just right on portion and amount of time I wanted to spent in the kitchen including clean up. I thought I had fresh basil to put on it but didn’t so I used fresh dill. I did add a tablespoon of white wine. (I didn’t use salt and used unsalted butter, for sodium watchers.) Yummy!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the shrimp scampi! Love the creative twist with fresh dill and white wine is always a good idea. And kudos for being sodium-conscious with the unsalted butter. Thanks for sharing your experience, it’s always helpful for others looking to mix it up!
Your 10 yes was not wasted, 83 I have enjoyed this site and my conference in myself has improved an engrossing at each meal
The list of ingredients includes parsley, yet the instructions do not mention it. I was not able to get the video to play all the way through, but the photo looks like perhaps the parsley is sprinkled on as a last step. Is that correct? A very tasty dish regardless.
Hi Dee, the parsley is an optional garnish added to the finished dish. I’m so happy you enjoyed it!