Butter Shrimp Scampi (No Wine)
Bright, garlicky shrimp simmered in a buttery lemon sauce — an easy, wine-free scampi that's ready in about 20 minutes. Perfect for a quick weeknight meal yet elegant enough for guests; serve with crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
Equipment
- large skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 5 tbsp butter divided; salted or unsalted
- 5-6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1/3 cup chicken bone broth or chicken stock/broth
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 lemon lemon zest zest of one lemon
- red pepper flakes to taste, optional
- sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- chopped parsley for garnish, to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil and 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and, if using, red pepper flakes, and cook briefly about 1–2 minutes, stirring so the garlic softens but doesn’t burn.
- Pour in the chicken bone broth and bring the pan to a gentle simmer. Let the liquid reduce slightly for 2–3 minutes to concentrate the flavors.
- Add the shrimp to the skillet and season liberally with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook the shrimp on the first side until it becomes opaque, about 1–2 minutes, then turn and cook another 2–3 minutes until done.
- Remove the pan from heat and stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter, the lemon juice and the lemon zest, tossing so the shrimp are well coated in the buttery lemon-garlic sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve right away, ideally with crusty bread to mop up the sauce.