Shrimp scampi is a basic, and for good purpose: It’s easy, scrumptious, and stress-free. You simply sauté some shrimp; hit it with aromatics like garlic, spicy purple pepper flakes, white wine, and lemon juice; after which toss with pasta. The dish comes collectively rapidly, bursts with taste, and makes any meal really feel like a celebration. Make shrimp scampi for dinner and watch how rapidly folks’s eyes mild up; it simply feels particular.
However there are numerous variations on the dish. Some recipes use butter, some add shallots, some use a lot of wine, and others skip the wine altogether. Relying on whom you ask, the recipe will be made with as little as 5 elements — or as many as 20.
That’s why I made a decision to check 4 well-liked shrimp scampi recipes in a head-to-head battle to see which one is the most effective. I examined one with out wine, one which took greater than an hour to make, one which makes use of thyme and shallots, and one which doubles down on the butter. On the finish of the seafood-filled day I discovered a brand new scampi recipe that has develop into a brand new go-to weeknight dinner.
Meet Our 4 Shrimp Scampi Contenders
For this showdown I made a decision that any shrimp scampi recipe — no matter if it was served on pasta or not — was truthful recreation. I’d be tasting every scampi by itself, then with pasta, and judging them accordingly. From there I searched the web for among the hottest and beloved recipes I might discover.
Ina Garten: Not like most shrimp scampi recipes, Ina skips the white wine and subs in further lemon juice. She provides slices of complete lemons and tosses the saucy shrimp with linguine. With greater than 1,000 critiques and a five-star common score, I used to be excited to check out her distinctive method.
Basics with Babish: Babish (the Youtube superstar identified for his viral cooking movies) has two recipes for scampi on his web site: a easy model and a extra advanced one. His advanced model is made with shrimp shell-infused wine, contemporary herbs, toasted breadcrumbs, and a handful of different intelligent upgrades. The recipe seemed like plenty of effort, however I used to be excited to see if the outcomes can be definitely worth the work.
Cafe Delites: This is without doubt one of the hottest scampi recipes on-line. The recipe is tremendous easy and comes collectively very quickly. It requires fewer than 10 elements and requires no particular tools or further steps. The recipe seemed precisely like what I think about after I hear shrimp scampi — lemony, buttery, and wealthy — so I knew I wanted to provide it a strive.
Lidia Bastianich: Lidia is a beloved skilled of Italian delicacies and I absolutely belief any recipe she writes. Her recipe requires a number of distinctive additions, like contemporary thyme, shallots, and a hefty quantity of white wine. The recipe appeared like it could be full of taste, so I used to be excited to see how it could rank.
How I Examined the Shrimp Scampi Recipes
Every shrimp scampi recipe was made precisely as written. Every scampi was made on the identical day, tasted as is, then tossed with pasta and tasted as soon as extra. I judged the recipes primarily based on taste and ease of preparation. On the finish of the day one scampi stood out among the many recipes and was topped the winner.
1. The Excessive-Effort, Medium-Reward Recipe: Babish’s “Complicated” Shrimp Scampi
Whereas this recipe was scrumptious, it was plenty of effort in comparison with the opposite recipes — and I’m undecided that the outcomes had been definitely worth the work. The recipe known as for a laundry checklist of elements and it took me about an hour to make it. The addition of toasted panko breadcrumbs added a pleasant pop of texture that I cherished, however apart from that the pasta didn’t wow me. Don’t get me unsuitable, I’d fortunately eat this any day of the week — however I’m simply too lazy to make this once more and would in all probability make his easier scampi recipe subsequent time.
2. The Scrumptious (however Barely Untraditional) Shrimp Scampi: Ina Garten’s Linguine with Shrimp Scampi
Whereas I cherished how this recipe tasted, it didn’t really feel like a conventional scampi to me. The pasta tasted extra like a lemony shrimp linguine than a basic scampi. By omitting the white wine, you take away plenty of the intense complexity that often comes with scampi. And the addition of complete lemon slices and lemon juice added a double hit of lemon taste that overwhelmed the pasta a bit. I didn’t dislike this pasta in any respect — in reality, I ate most of it — I simply don’t assume it tastes like a basic scampi.
3. The Tremendous-Easy Runner-Up: Cafe Delites’ Shrimp Scampi
For those who’re on the lookout for a fast, no-fuss shrimp scampi recipe, that is for you. It has the entire basic, shiny flavors of shrimp scampi with out a laundry checklist of elements. It takes simply half-hour to make and is garlicky, wealthy, and excellent for tossing with pasta. A beneficiant quantity of butter provides richness, whereas white wine cuts via the fats and makes it shine. After I consider a basic shrimp scampi recipe, that is precisely what I consider.
4. The Clear Winner: Lidia Bastianich’s Shrimp Scampi
This recipe was absolute perfection. It was shiny, acidic, and bursting with taste, because of shallots and thyme. The recipe takes barely extra effort than most, however can nonetheless be made in about half-hour and with out a lot fuss. Lidia has you make a shallot and garlic paste that you just prepare dinner down after searing the shrimp. That further step gave the scampi a savory basis that took the recipe to the subsequent degree. It was garlicky, barely candy, and complicated. I additionally cherished that this recipe made plenty of sauce. The shrimp are virtually swimming within the buttery white wine sauce that’s excellent for tossing with pasta or dipping bread into. I might fortunately eat this day-after-day of the week.
Do you might have a favourite shrimp scampi recipe? Tell us within the feedback!
