This simple Shrimp Linguine recipe is covered in a lemon butter sauce that will have you licking your plate clean! The best part is it’s made in less than 20 minutes!
Do you love seafood recipes as much as I do? Try Baked Salmon, Fish and Chips, Lobster Roll, or Easy Homemade Crab Cakes!
Why I love this recipe:
- Basic ingredients – Once you’ve got your shrimp, all you need to make shrimp scampi is butter, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon, crushed red pepper, and parmesan cheese.
- Fast (20 minutes) -. This is the easiest dish EVER, and it’s just a bonus that’s it’s delicious and impressive.
- Kid-friendly – Even at 1 and 2 years old, my kids LOVED this meal. Â Cut the shrimp into small pieces and serve with their favorite noodles.
Purchasing Shrimp: What to Know
If you live in an area where you can buy fresh shrimp, lucky you! Definitely do that.
For everyone else, you can purchase shrimp at the store in all varieties (large, medium, small, shell on/off, tail on/off, fresh, frozen, etc.) but for this shrimp pasta recipe we recommend buying extra large, tail-on, un-cooked shrimp. Once thawed, remove the shells.
I usually buy frozen shrimp from the freezer section. You can also buy thawed shrimp from the seafood counter. Remember that the higher quality the shrimp, the better your shrimp linguine will taste.
To Thaw Shrimp: Leave the shrimp in the refrigerator overnight OR pour them into a bowl and cover them with cold water for about an hour. Drain the shrimp and use paper towels to soak up the water.
How to make Shrimp Linguine:
Cook Shrimp: Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a large skillet, add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and sauté just until they turn pink, about 4-5 minutes, tossing often.
Add Seasonings: Remove shrimp from the heat and add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes.
Toss to Combine: Sprinkle parmesan cheese on garlic shrimp pasta and toss everything gently. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
Serve: Serve shrimp linguine with crusty bread or homemade breadsticks.
Recipe Variations:
- Add White Wine: Add ¼ cup of white wine in step 3, sautéing for a few minutes to let it cook down a little.
- Add Veggies: Toss in some asparagus and cherry tomatoes.
- Zucchini Noodles: For a healthier twist, swap out the linguine for zucchini noodles.
More Shrimp Recipes:
- Shrimp Alfredo
- Fresh Spring Rolls
- Shrimp Tacos
- Cioppino
- Shrimp Pad Thai
- Fajitas
- Easy Shrimp Cocktail
- Shrimp Creole
- Spanish Paella
- Authentic New Orleans Gumbo
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Recipe
Shrimp Linguine
Ingredients
- 1 pound linguine noodles , white or wheat
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 pound large shrimp , about 20 shrimp, peeled and deveined
- salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
- 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley , chopped
- lemon zest , from ½ of a large lemon
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice , about 2 lemons
- 1/2 lemon , thinly sliced in half-rounds
- crushed red pepper flakes , to taste
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add a little bit of oil and salt to the boiling water and cook the linguine according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile, season the shrimp with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Add the butter and olive oil to an extra-large skillet over medium-low. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, being careful not to burn it.Â
- Add the shrimp and sauté just until they turn pink, about 4-5 minutes, tossing often.
- Remove from the heat and add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes.
- Toss to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain the water and add the noodles to the sauté pan.
- Top with fresh parmesan cheese and toss everything gently to combine. Serve.
Notes
- Add White Wine: Add ¼ cup of white wine in step 3, sautéing for a few minutes to let it cook down a little.
- Add Veggies: Toss in some asparagus and cherry tomatoes.
- Zucchini Noodles: For a healthier twist, swap out the linguine for zucchini noodles.
Nutrition
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Recipe adapted from Ina Garten.
*I originally shared this recipe May 2016. Updated February 2020 and October 2022.
This recipe is the best new recipe I have tried in the last 10 years!! LOVED IT! The lemon garlic sauce with the spice of the red pepper is so yummy. The fact that it is super easy to make is an added bonus.
I cooked as stated, except I left out the lemon zest and red pepper flakes, and we loved it! Thank you!
Love your shrimp linguine dish. So simple, even me can do this dish. YUMMY.
Good but this recipe requires more doctoring then usual. This one can be challenging if you are not used to tailoring a recipe to what tastes good to you – I skipped on the lemons but added lemon juice and only a little lemon zest… I also added about 1/2 a cup of four cheese Alfredo sauce and. But more butter and olive oil, and garlic powder tobeef up the flavor . Don’t skip on the Parmesan as it really enhances the flavor of this dish. Thankfully after trying for the 1st time, my boyfriend loved it
This recipe is soooooo good! Cooked exactly how recipe calls for. A++++