This Low Carb Shrimp Scampi recipe showcases plump, juicy shrimp and lots of fresh garlic in an olive oil and butter pan sauce. Toss with zucchini noodles for healthier shrimp scampi or with pasta for a comforting dinner. It's also delightful as an appetizer with crusty bread.
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Check out my Fresh and Easy Shrimp Ceviche and my Pan Seared Shrimp for more delicious shrimp recipes!
At the core of every shrimp scampi recipe is shrimp, butter, and fresh garlic. This shrimp scampi is my take on the classic using healthier, low-carb, and lower-calorie ingredients.
This scampi is a fantastic low carb seafood dish and a high-protein appetizer. It's perfect with low carb "noodles" like spaghetti squash and zoodles.
The best part? From start to finish, this dish comes together in under 10 minutes, so you should absolutely add this shrimp scampi recipe to your weeknight rotation.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Fresh shrimp + garlic + butter is DELICIOUS.
- You can use fresh shrimp or thawed frozen shrimp.
- Great as a light appetizer or satisfying main course.
- A 10-minute keto meal!
- Excellent high protein, low carb snack.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Olive Oil (extra-virgin) + Butter: Use quality EVOO & unsalted butter to build the base of your healthy scampi sauce.
- Garlic: It must be fresh! Feel free to go heavier on the garlic if you're a garlic lover.
- Vegetable Broth: The second liquid element of the sauce. You can also use chicken broth or stock here.
- Shrimp: Large to extra-large uncooked, shelled, and deveined shrimp. This is a good recipe for bags of frozen shrimp. Just be sure to thaw them in the fridge or under cool running water beforehand.
- Lemon Juice: A squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end to brighten up every flavor!
- Parsley: For a pop of fresh, herby flavor.
- Salt & Pepper: To balance the salty, buttery, savory, and sweet flavors that make shrimp scampi so dang delicious!
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make scampi sauce. Heat butter and olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant.
Step 2: Cook shrimp in sauce. Add the broth and shrimp to the skillet and stir to coat the shrimp with sauce. With tongs, arrange the shrimp in an even single layer and cook for 2 minutes, then flip and cook on the opposite side for 1 minute.
Step 3: Plate and serve. Transfer the shrimp to a serving platter and pour the pan sauce over the top. Sprinkle with freshly squeezed lemon, fresh parsley, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately and enjoy!
NOTE: You can print the FULL recipe with all ingredients & detailed instructions below!
Expert Tips
- Warm the butter and olive until hot but not smoking. If it begins to smoke, remove the skillet from the heat for a minute and let it cool.
- If the olive oil and butter are too hot, the garlic will burn quickly, so keep an eye on it and cook it just until fragrant.
- Don't skip the fresh lemon and parsley. They bring out the best of every briny, buttery flavor. Feel free to add some of the lemon zest as well.
- Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and fresh cracked black pepper before serving for ultimate flavor.
Variations
- Lower calorie: Instead of full-fat butter, use light butter or butter blended with olive oil or avocado oil.
- Add veggies: Asparagus, broccoli florets, and grape tomatoes pair nicely with the sauce. Lightly saute any veggies in the butter and oil until fork-tender before adding the garlic. Push the vegetables aside in the skillet while the shrimp cook, then toss everything together at the end.
- Add wine: If you have any white wine around, add a splash along with the butter and oil once the skillet is nice and hot.
What to Serve with Shrimp Scampi
Low carb sides: This dish has practically zero carbs! Serve with sauteed spinach, zoodles, broccoli, or spaghetti squash for a delicious keto meal.
Cooked pasta: Shrimp scampi is delicious tossed with linguine, fettuccine, and angel hair pasta. Smaller pasta shapes with nooks and crannies to trap the sauce, like rotini, fusilli, and penne also pair nicely. You can also use gluten-free pasta.
Creamy polenta, grits, or risotto: Make shrimp scampi the ultimate comfort food with one of these sides.
Storing
Let leftover scampi cool, then refrigerate in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Unfortunately, this doesn't freeze well, but it's super quick and easy to make from scratch whenever you like!
Recipe FAQ‘s
You can make a healthier, lightened-up version of traditional recipes with minor modifications. For this scampi, some of the butter is replaced with olive oil, and it's perfect served with low carb green vegetables instead of pasta.
While not exactly a shrimp scampi, a creamy version is delicious nonetheless. Add about ¼ cup of cream when you add the vegetable broth.
Cooked or sautéed carrots, summer squash, broccoli, green beans, bell peppers, and cauliflower go well with shrimp scampi.
This makes 4 servings. Each serving is about 260 calories.
More Shrimp & Seafood Recipes
Low Carb Shrimp Scampi
Special Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1 pound uncooked shrimp shelled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 2 tablespoons parsely minced
- 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat butter and olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant.
- Then, add the broth and shrimp to the skillet and stir to coat the shrimp with sauce. With tongs, arrange the shrimp in an even single layer and cook for 2 minutes, then flip and cook on the opposite side for 1 minute.
- Transfer the shrimp to a serving platter and pour the pan sauce over the top. Sprinkle with freshly squeezed lemon, fresh parsley, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Warm the butter and olive until hot but not smoking. If it begins to smoke, remove the skillet from the heat for a minute and let it cool.
- If the olive oil and butter are too hot, the garlic will burn quickly, so keep an eye on it and cook it just until fragrant.
- Don’t skip the fresh lemon and parsley. They bring out the best of every briny, buttery flavor. Feel free to add some of the lemon zest as well.
- Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and fresh cracked black pepper before serving for ultimate flavor.
- Storing: Let leftover scampi cool, then refrigerate in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Unfortunately, this doesn’t freeze well, but it’s super quick and easy to make from scratch whenever you like!
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Susan
Delicious, healthy and simple!
I made this and served atop fresh baby spinach and added a few sprigs of fresh dill since I had 0 parsley. Tasted great!
Thank you for sharing this recipe with us. I want to make it again and will use spaghetti squash next time!
Mirlene
I love shrimp scampi. This is filled with bold flavors. Very simple to serve as weeknight meal and elegant enough to serve on "date night".