Butter. Garlic. Shrimp. Can we ever improve on that magic trio? How about we toss it into a steaming bowl of pasta and top it with crispy seasoned breadcrumbs? Grab a fork and meet me in the kitchen for this easy Italian Shrimp Scampi Fettuccine.
One of my favorite meals on our recent trip to Italy came on the outskirts of Rome. Our delightful AirBnB host, Nino, had a real vision for what our Roman experience should look like, including where we should eat lunch, where we should stop for gelato, and the precise streets we should take to get to both.
This unforgettable pasta dish is what we discovered at his recommended lunch spot that day.
The garlic-scented sauce is reminiscent of shrimp scampi we love in the United States, complete with crispy bread crumb topping. It's one of my favorite memories from Italy and I hope it transports you to the same happy place!
If shrimp scampi is your love language, try my Shrimp Scampi Recipe Without Wine next!
Ingredients for Shrimp Scampi Pasta:
Before we get to the step by step directions, one note about the ingredients:
White wine: (not pictured in ingredient shot above) the recipe calls for ½ cup of white wine. Dry white wine like pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc is best, but use what you have. If you prefer cooking without alcohol, add a little extra stock, along with a tablespoon of lemon juice.
Full ingredient list and measurements included in the printable recipe card below.
Step by step instructions:
1. Make pasta and start sauce
Boil pasta in well salted water for 2 minutes less than package instructions (the pasta will finish cooking in the shrimp scampi sauce). Reserve a half cup pasta water from the pot, then drain the pasta and set aside. As pasta is cooking, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add olive oil, diced shallot and garlic, along with red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper. Sauté until fragrant and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.
2. Build sauce
Add shrimp stock, lemon juice and white wine to the pan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, cooking for 4-5 minutes to reduce and condense the flavor.
3. Make crispy topping
Heat olive oil in a small skillet. Add bread crumbs and spices and sauté until deep golden brown. Remove from heat and add fresh chopped parsley and lemon zest.
4. Combine shrimp and pasta
Once sauce has reduced by about half, add the peeled and cleaned shrimp to the pot and simmer in the sauce for about 2 minutes Add al dente pasta and toss thoroughly in the sauce.
If more liquid is needed, add the reserved pasta water (you will likely need a few tablespoons). Add Parmesan and toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning. I like to mix a handful of the seasoned breadcrumbs (about ½ cup) right into the hot pasta before plating.
The garlicky sauce helps the crumbs stick to the pasta noodles and creates a beautiful texture.
5. Serve and enjoy
Plate the pasta and top with the remaining breadcrumb mixture. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
FAQ's and Serving Suggestions:
Fresh tomatoes (especially cherry tomatoes) would add a beautiful acidity to the shrimp and garlic sauce. A few handfuls of fresh spinach wilted down into the pasta would give you a pop of green veggies, as would small florets of broccoli.
Italian recipes like this one that are heavy on the carbs get the perfect balance from a Mediterranean Tossed Salad. You should also double down on those carbs with a Garlic Bread Baguette.
Frozen shrimp is a great option for pasta recipes. Just thaw the shrimp overnight in the freezer and dry very well with paper towels. Alternately, add the frozen shrimp (in original packaging) to a bowl of cold water and let it soak for 30 minutes, or until thawed.
My favorite substitute for wine is stock (shrimp, veggie or chicken all works here) with a squeeze of acid like lemon juice.
If you're pescatarian, vegetable stock is your best option. If you're not pescatarian, chicken stock or chicken broth will work!
To store, move to an airtight container and keep pasta in the refrigerator for up to three days. To reheat, add a few tablespoons of stock to a saucepan with the cold pasta and heat gently over medium until just warmed through.
Italian Shrimp Scampi Fettuccine
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 shallots, diced (about ½ cup)
6 cloves garlic, sliced or minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup shrimp stock
½ cup dry white wine
12 ounces raw shrimp, peeled and cleaned
12 ounces fettuccine noodles
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Crunchy topping:
1 ½ cup homemade bread crumbs (or panko)
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, (flat leaf) chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- To begin, prepare pasta by boiling in well-salted water for about 2 minutes less than package directions. Reserve ½ cup of cooking liquid from the pot, then drain pasta and set aside. As pasta is cooking, melt butter in large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil, diced shallot and garlic, along with red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper. Sauté until fragrant and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add shrimp stock, lemon juice and white wine to the pan and bring to a simmer, cooking for 4-5 minutes to reduce and condense the flavor.
- While sauce is reducing, add olive oil to a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the bread crumbs, salt and red pepper flakes to the pan and saute until deep golden brown. Remove from heat and add fresh chopped parsley and lemon zest. Stir and set aside.
- Once sauce has reduced by about half, add the peeled and cleaned shrimp to the pot and simmer in the sauce for about 2 minutes. Add al dente pasta and toss thoroughly in the sauce. If more liquid is needed, add the reserved pasta water. Add Parmesan cheese and toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Divide pasta between four bowls. Top with remaining breadcrumb mixture and serve immediately with lemon wedges and crusty bread.
Notes
Medium or large shrimp work great here. Adjust cooking time if using small or jumbo shrimp.
Any shape of pasta works in this recipe. I've made it with rigatoni and bucatini. Angel hair pasta is very hard to keep al dente, so that's the only shape I would avoid. I love the saucy, "slurpiness" of long noodles in this recipe, but you choose what works best for you.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Easy Recipes
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Italian
Sofia
AH-MAZING. The sauce was light but so flavorful and the bread crumb topping made it superb. Huge hit at my house! Want to try it with scallops next time.
Christina Jolam
Love to hear this, Sofia! This dish would be amazing with scallops - let me know what you think! And thanks so much for coming back to leave a helpful review here. Appreciate you!