This shrimp scampi recipe is easy enough for a weeknight meal and fancy enough to share with dinner guests. Swimming in white wine (or broth), this is a perfect dish to pair with a big loaf of crusty bread and a bowl of cooked pasta. This gluten-free main dish is one you will turn to again and again!
Don’t you love replicating dishes from your favorite restaurants to make at home?
Shrimp Scampi is one of those dishes that I absolutely love when I go out for seafood, but I don’t always love the price tag that comes with it.
As I have been researching, for this recipe, I discovered that scampi are actually tiny, lobster-like crustaceans with pale pink shells. You may see them referred to as langoustines.
Italian cooks, who lived in the U.S., ended up swapping out the scampi with shrimp.
And that, folks, is how we have the name today.
Just a fun little trivia for your next dinner party!
Today I wanted to share with you an easy gluten-free shrimp scampi that is a delicious dish you could share, during this Lent season, for a Friday night feast that the whole family will love.
The shrimp can be dredged in a gluten-free flour to add a little bit of coating or they can just be quickly sauteed in the delicious wine and butter sauce, tossed with parsley, and finished with fresh ground black pepper.
Personally, I love to put the shrimp scampi on top of some gluten-free pasta and serve it all with a side of roasted veggies.
Thanks to the garlic in the scampi, it coats and adds flavor to your pasta beautifully.
Slice up a few lemons and dress the plates with a sprig of flat-leaf Italian parsley to really make it feel like restaurant dining.
Here are a few commonly asked questions about this recipe.
Shrimp Scampi Recipe
What Kind of Wine Should I Use For My Shrimp Scampi?
You will want to use a dry white wine for this recipe. Personally, I prefer a pinot grigio, but I’ve been known to cook this in a buttery chardonnay as well.
If you do not typically purchase wine, a liquor store might be your best option for advice on this one.
I would also advise asking if they have small boxes or bottles of wine that they carry, if you are just planning to cook with the wine and don’t want the expense of a whole bottle.
I Don’t Want to Use Wine. Do You Have Any Recommendations for Substituting Wine in Shrimp Scampi?
If you don’t want to use wine in your dish, chicken broth can be used as a substitution. The flavor will be a little different, but you will achieve similar results.
How Do I Prepare Shrimp for This Dish?
Since we live in the Midwest, we rely heavily on frozen shrimp. You want to make sure that the frozen shrimp you purchase are naw shrimp.
For this recipe, we are using jumbo or extra-large shrimp. Purchasing shrimp that are already peeled and deveined can be a huge time saver.
How Do I Devein Shrimp For My Scampi?
This is a wonderful tutorial to help you learn how to devein shrimp.
Gluten-Free Shrimp Scampi
Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Author: Adapted from Williams-Sonoma
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 servings
This shrimp scampi recipe is easy enough for a weeknight meal and fancy enough to share with dinner guests. Swimming in white wine (or broth), this is a perfect dish to pair with a big loaf of crusty bread and a bowl of cooked pasta. This gluten-free main dish is one you will turn to again and again!
- ½ cup (2½ oz./75 g) all-purpose gluten-free flour (found the gluten-free section of the store), can omit if you prefer to not have a crispy exterior to your shrimp
- A pinch of red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
- 2 Tbs. olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1½ lb. (750 g) jumbo or extra-large shrimp, peeled and
- deveined, tails intact
- 12 Tbs. (1½ sticks) (6 oz./185 g) unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) dry white wine
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Lemon wedges for serving
- In a shallow bowl, stir together the flour, red pepper flake, ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper.
- In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the 2 Tbs. olive oil.
- Toss half of the shrimp in the flour mixture to coat evenly, shaking off the excess. Add the shrimp to a large skillet and cook, turning occasionally, until opaque throughout, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Repeat with the remaining shrimp, adding more olive oil to the pan as needed.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. add 2 Tbs. of the butter to the pan and then add garlic, stirring frequently. Cook garlic until it softens and is fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes.
- Add the wine, lemon zest and lemon juice, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to very low.
- Whisk in the remaining 10 Tbs. butter, 1 Tbs. at a time, letting each addition soften into a creamy emulsion before adding more. It will become very creamy, like a sauce.
- Add the cooked shrimp to the sauce and mix gently to coat well. The shrimp will turn pink as they finish cooking in the garlic butter sauce. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and gluten-free pasta.
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Looking for more fish and meat-free meal ideas? Here are a few of our family favorites!
Happy cooking, friends!
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