Baked Shrimp Scampi

Share this post

This is hands down the best baked shrimp scampi that I have ever had. I have made this a few times before and I love it more every time. It is scrumptious. It is easy. You can make it ahead of time. And, it looks impressive.

This recipe is an Ina Garten recipe, so you know that if you follow it, it will work. Her recipes are fool proof if you ask me.

It can be cooked all year long but I think it is a great festive season meal. I made this for Christmas dinner a few years ago and it was so perfect for the holiday. I am not a turkey-for-Christmas kind of girl. I make something different every year and this year I wanted something easy and special at the same time. I wanted to enjoy Christmas morning with my babies and not worry about having to make a big diner later in the day.

Ingredients //

For the shrimp and marinade:

• 2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons white wine
• salt and pepper

For the garlic butter:

• 1 1/2 sticks room temperature butter
• 3 minced garlic cloves (or more to taste)
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 3 Tablespoons fresh minced parsley
• 1 teaspoon fresh minced rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 large egg yolk (I left this out)
• 2/3 cup panko crumbs

How to Make // the Steps

Step 1:

Put all of the garlic butter ingredients except for the Panko crumbs in the food processor. (You can also do it in a bowl and just mash with a fork, you know me, I am lazy.)

Step 2:

Process the butter until smooth. Transfer to a bowl.

Step 3:

Mix in the panko crumbs.

Step 4:

This is what it looks like all mixed together.

Step 5:

You can take out a little bit of the butter before you add the panko to use for something else if you are not going to use the full 2 pounds of shrimp. More on that in a minute.

Step 6:

I was only making dinner for 3 people so I only used a little over a pound and a quarter of shrimp.

Step 7:

They were already peeled and cleaned so all I had to do was butterfly them so that they would sit all pretty like they do. Just cut a small slit in the bottom of the shrimp and fan out the pieces a little so that it will stand up with its tail curled over like this. I told you that it looks fancy!

Step 8:

Mix together the olive oil, wine, and salt and pepper for the marinade.

Step 9:

Let them sit for a bit in the marinade. Since there is no citrus in this marinade I think that you can get away with a few hours before you use them. I let them sit in the fridge for about 2 hours before I assembled them and let them sit again for about another 2 hours.

Step 10:

Arrange the shrimp in either a 14-inch gratin dish or in single serving dished like so. Place the cut side down and let the tails curl over and arrange the shrimp in a circular shape.

Step 11:

Carefully spread the butter mixture over the top of the shrimp. You may have to do a little tail rearranging. Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. At this point, I put them back in the fridge until I was ready to bake them off. About 2 hours or so.

Step 12:

Bake the shrimp in a 425 degree oven for about 10 to 12 minutes or until they are hot and bubbly and the shrimp have turned pink. I wanted my butter mixture to get a little color so I put them under the broiler for a minute or so also.

Step 13:

I cooked some pasta and tossed it in some of the leftover garlic butter, a glug (that is a technical term obviously) of white wine, and a few squeezes of lemon juice. Gave it a good sprinkling of salt and pepper and served it on the side with some lemon wedges. I also steamed some asparagus (which is divine dipped in the garlic butter after the shrimp are gone) and had some crusty bread to sop up the rest of the butter. Not a light meal by any means, but a good one. Thanks again Ina!

Can I Prepare the Ingredients Ahead of Time?

Yes you can. This is how I did for my Christmas dinner a few years back: I made the butter the day before and I had all of the other parts of the dinner prepped and waiting for me. Late in the afternoon, I marinated my shrimp and then assembled it and kept it in the fridge until I was ready to bake it off. I did one big casserole dish that day, but for this go around, I put the shrimp in individual dishes and everyone got their own.