Baked Shrimp Scampi is an easy dinner idea but looks gorgeous enough for a dinner party. The shrimp bake in a yummy lemon garlic sauce with a crispy bread topping. If you love shrimp, you have to try this recipe!
We had a couple dinner guests join us on Wednesday night. My husband was out of town (surprise, surprise!), but not a big deal. I love having people over and flying solo has become the new normal over the past year.
Only problem….I completely forgot they were coming. 100% spaced it. Luckily, what I had in the oven was enough to feed us all. To add to the craziness that evening, the kitchen drain decided to detach right as they got there. Dirty water was everywhere.
The cherry on top for the evening: my children were not on their best behavior HORRIBLE! I sat them down afterward to talk about expectations…and how I would feed them all ramen for a week if they ever behaved that way again.
So, I certainly wasn’t the entertainer/hostess I like to be, but we all survived. Though, I don’t know if our guests will ever cross the thresh hold of our home again. If I can convince them to give me another chance, I will serve them this extraordinary shrimp dish. As I devoured it last night, I began planning my next dinner party that would feature this dish as the star.
This is divine enough to convince anyone that they love shrimp. Have I mentioned yet how scrumptious this was? I felt guilty dumping out the extra juices that formed on the bottom of the pan. Next time, I will prepare some pasta, pour the extra juices on top and add a grating of fresh parmesan cheese. I can taste the perfection already…
The recipe calls to butterfly the shrimp, mainly so they will stand up beautifully in the casserole dish. To butterfly them, simply run a paring knife down the back of each shrimp and cut a bit over half way through the thickness.
If you are short on time, or patience, butterflying certainly isn’t necessary. Just spread the shelled, deveined shrimp in the bottom of the pan. You might need to cook it a couple minutes longer though, since they will be thicker.
If you want the stellar presentation for your baked shrimp scampi, be sure you find a beautiful dish to use. I love my oval baking dish for many reasons, but presentation is definitely one of them.
If you love a killer shrimp recipe, you will adore these Shrimp Tacos!
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Baked Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 pounds extra large shrimp in the shell (15–18 per pound)
- 3 Tb olive oil
- 1 Tb white wine vinegar
- 1 Tb water
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- Topping:
- 1 C butter, room temperature
- 4 tsp minced garlic
- 1/4 C minced shallots
- 3 Tb minced fresh parsley
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest
- 2 Tb fresh lemon juice
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2/3 C panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel, de-vein and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss with the olive oil, vinegar, water, salt and pepper. Set aside while you make the topping.
- In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the topping. It helps to use a fork to mash the butter a bit. Set aside.
- Arrange the shrimp cut side down with the tails curling up, in a casserole that has been lightly sprayed with nonstick spray. Pour any liquid left from the bowl of shrimp over the top.
- Using your fingers, dot the topping evenly over the arranged shrimp. Bake for 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you would like the top browned more, place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8th
- Calories: 422
- Sugar: 0g
- Sodium: 612mg
- Fat: 31g
- Saturated Fat: 16g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 11g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 256mg
Chele says
Oh my goodness! Just made this tonight, and it was so delicious! Cut recipe in half, since it was just my hubby and I. Left out the egg yolk, fearing one yolk would be too rich for half the recipe, and didn’t miss it. Never before had I seen a scampi recipe that marinates the shrimp prior to baking. I’m sure that was the little something extra that set this apart from other scampi recipes. A keeper.
Rae says
Found this recipe on Pinterest yesterday, and it was perfect! Thanks so much! We served it with angel hair pasta with more garlic/shallot butter and roasted veggies.
Kristen Dunham says
I just saw this on Pinterest too! My mom ordered shrimp for me and had it sent to me(I live in a land locked state, but grew up in the PNW) and I made this recipe with that.
I had no idea you could order shrimp online! It was surprisingly good too.
Anonymous says
This recipe is AWESOME! I only used about 1 1/2 lbs of shrimp & even added a couple extra teaspoons of olive oil. It was perfect on top of some linguine! Thanks so much for this – definitely a crowd pleaser 🙂
Amy says
How many servings does this make?
Carole says
Amy – We are a family of 8 and it feeds all of us as a main dish when I serve it with a couple side dishes as well.
Sarah Pfennigs says
Unbelievably good! I am so thrilled to have found this recipe. The vinegar gives it an unexpected tang and the buttery crust is perfect. I serve it with sun-dried tomato and spinach wild rice. Thank you so much for sharing!
So glad you found a recipe you loved Sarah! -Carole
Hjuel says
Hi! I found you on Pinterest! And thank goodness I did! My family absolutely LOVED this dish! So simple to put together! Will definitely be making this again and again and AGAIN!
I am so glad it was a hit Hjuel! Take a look around and I’m sure you will find a bunch of new yummy recipes to give a try – Carole
Hjuel says
I’ve got a few lined up for dinner! 😉 Oh and by the way, thanks to you, I’m a PRO at butterfly-ing shrimp now! 🙂
Christy says
I found it too salty! I measured exactly as the recipe stated- my shrimp were smaller and twice as many… Could that be the reason? Otherwise… What did I do wrong?
A couple thoughts initially Christy. Did you use Kosher salt or regular table salt? If you used regular salt, that will be your problem right there. Kosher salt has a larger grain so it measures differently. If you use regular salt, you need to reduce the salt by 1/4. -Carole
Jenelle says
Can I use frozen shrimp that I have thawd for this?
As long as they are raw shrimp, absolutely!
JOHN ZAHRADNIK says
What pan juices are you speaking about when you suggest pouring them over pasta?
Hey there John! When the dish is done baking, there will be a delicious sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Use that yummy stuff 🙂
Susan says
Does this recipe double well? I will need to make it for more people.
Is there a reason to use white vinegar vs lemon juice to mix with the shrimp?
Once it is baked, does it need to be eaten right away to be enjoyable, or is it still ok if it needs to sit for a bit (which might in my situation) Thank you!
Hey there Susan! You should be just find doubling the recipe. It is just important to keep the shrimp in a single layer so they will cook evenly. It is certainly best when it is fresh, but would be ok if it has to sit.
Mary says
Hello! This recipe looks wonderful, and I’m planning to make it for my sister from out of town. I would like to freeze it, so I can visit more, and cook less when she’s here. What are the steps for thawing, if any? And what temperature do I cook it at? Are there any extra steps for me to take additionally? Thank you for your time!
Hi Mary! I’ve never made this from a frozen state, so I can’t guarantee that it will turn out the same. I would probably put it in frozen instead of letting it thaw and then reducing the temperature by 50 degrees. Cooking length will be significantly longer. You know the shrimp are cooked fully when they are pink.
Dani S. says
This is the perfect recipe……incredibly easy and the flavor payoff is amazing! Making it tonight for some friends, probably the 10th time I’ve made it. This has definitely become my go-to for guests. Also, I have Celiac’s, it may help others to know that you can make this with gluten free breadcrumbs (Weiss has an amazing gluten free breadcrumb) and it still turns out perfect everytime. It’s nice to know I can entertain and feed myself at the same time, and no one even notices the difference. Just a whole lot of YUMS. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Thank you so much Dani for sharing your GF option! Enjoy your time with friends.
susan teitelman says
I made this using 1/4 of the butter/bread crumb mixture even tho I made the whole batch. It just looked like so much butter for the amount of shrimp. Drizzled with evoo before serving over pasta. It was delicious and 1/2 the calories.
Thank you Susan for sharing your version!
Margaret says
If I’m planning to freeze this, what are the recommended steps?
Hi Margaret! Since I have never frozen this recipe, I can’t guarantee anything and honestly, I’m not really sure how well this would freeze.
Marlene says
Is it necessary to leave the tails on? I would prefer to remove the tails.
Hi Marlene! You can certainly remove the tails from the raw shrimp before cooking. Enjoy!
Chip says
Made it, loved it. Thank you
You are welcome Chip!
VIKI FARROW says
This sounds delish and I was planning on making it for.dinner but the calories are WAY up there! Is it possible to reduce the butter to help reduce the calories?
Hey Viki! You certainly could reduce the butter or you can keep the recipe the same and just not spoon the sauce it makes onto your finished dish because that is where most of the butter will end up.
Melissa says
I’ve used this recipe multiple time and always is a hit. Thank you!
You are very welcome Melissa!