Lemon Garlic Shrimp Scampi

5 from 2 votes

This dish is easy enough for any cook and elegant enough for company. Serve over lemon-herbed rice, zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash or pasta. Meyer lemons work great if you can find them. If not, regular lemons are fine.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Marinate time20

Total Time40

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings:

Calories: 400kcal

Author: Sally Cameron

Equipment

Large flat baking dish or casserole

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds large shrimp peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons unsalted butter ghee or plant-based butter
½ cup dry white wine
⅓ cup slivered almonds or sliced almonds
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur optional
1 large lemon juiced
2 large garlic cloves chopped fine
¼ teaspoon sea salt to taste
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoons fresh chopped Italian parsley plus extra for garnish if desired

Instructions

Prep shrimp

Peel and devein shrimp if not already done. Peel off legs and shell sections up to the tail, leaving the tail section on. It makes for nice presentation and a little handle. On the outward curved side of the shrimp, cut a shallow slit with a sharp paring knife and gently rinse any debris with cold water. Dry shrimp on paper towels.

Make marinade

Melt butter in a large glass microwave-proof measuring cup, then stir in wine, almonds, olive oil, liqueur (if using), lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley. Arrange shrimp in a single, flat layer in a large glass or ceramic baking dish. Pour butter mixture over the top of the shrimp. Marinate shrimp for 20-30 minutes at room temperature.

Bake shrimp

Pre-heat oven to 400°F degrees. Place the shrimp in the oven and bake just until shrimp turn pink, about 10 minutes, depending on the shrimp size and your oven.
Note - If you're using big jumbo shrimp, you may need to turn them once half way through for even baking.
Remove shrimp from the oven. Serve over rice, pasta noodles, or zucchini noodles with the sauce spooned over the top. Sprinkle with more fresh chopped parsley if desired.

Notes

For white wine and Amaretto, buy the airline sized bottles instead of big bottles.

Substitutions and Variations

- Try a splash of cognac instead of the amaretto or simply use all white wine.

- If you don't like almonds, leave them out and skip the amaretto.

- If omitting the amaretto, use ¼-1/2 teaspoon of almond extract to replace the almond flavor.

- For no scampi without wine, try unsalted vegetable broth or ver jus (unfermented pressed grape juice).

Nutrition