Not for the faint at heart, but definitely delicious this Ina Garten Baked Shrimp Scampi from the Barefoot Contessa herself, is definitely a great crowd pleaser and oh so simple to make!
Sometimes you need a special dish that will wow your guests, but require little work. I’m not saying I don’t like to work hard in the kitchen, but seriously, if you don’t have to….
Well, this week I had my in-laws over for dinner. And what was on the menu? Straight from the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten’s Baked Shrimp Scampi.
Why this recipe is so awesome
I was born in New Orleans and grew up in Texas. One thing about living by the Gulf of Mexico is that we have year round access to glorious seafood, especially fresh shrimp. That means delicious shrimp po’ boys, shrimp creole, shrimp รฉtouffรฉe, shrimp cocktail, fried shrimp and almost any other shrimp dishes you can dream up.
One dish I remember my mom making was shrimp scampi. It was a buttery, garlicky dish made with shrimp. It was super rich and that I didn’t really like it. Of course now I look back and wonder what the heck was wrong with me for saying no to shrimp scampi!
Now this Baked Shrimp Scampi dish is amazingly delicious and amazingly easy. But, it does ask for a lot of butter: 1 ยฝ sticks of butter, to be exact. And spread that over six servings, you are still talking about at least 2TBS of butter per person.
But considering this meal is for a special occasion or you don’t have a looming cholesterol problem, then you don’t have to worry too much about the fat and butter. This dish truly delicious and incredible, despite or because of the glorious butter.
To complete the meal and add a healthy touch, I served it with brown rice, roasted Brussels sprouts and green salad. The rice soaked up the decadent lemon-butter sauce and I think we cleaned up the remaining drops of sauce in the serving platter with our rice!
You can also serve it with bread or pasta. This would also make a fabulous appetizer, too, from simple cocktail parties to big formal holiday shin-digs.
See myย Ina Garten Baked Shrimp Scampi Web Storyย for a quick visual guide to making this recipe.
Ingredients you need
- Shrimp: Large shrimp (21-25 count per pound) works best for this dish. Smaller shrimp will bake fast and wound not hold up to the butter topping.
- White wine: You can use a chardonnay or savignon blanc. Choose a dry white wine you like and avoid fruiter falvors.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is used. Since it is the star of this dish, choose a high quality butter that has wonderful flavor.
- Shallots: Shallots are small onions that have a bit of garlic. You can substitute with regular onions.
- Fresh herbs: This recipe uses fresh parsley and rosemary. You can also use fresh basil or oregano. Fresh is much preferred over dried herbs.
- Lemon: You will use the zest and juice of the lemon.
- Panko bread crumbs: Panko are bigger in size than regular bread crumbs, so please don’t substitute with this. You can use homemade bread crumbs as long as they are chunkier.
- Garlic
- Egg
- Pantry staples: extra virgin olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper
Step-by-step directions
1. Prep the shrimp: Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Combine shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with olive oil, wine, salt and pepper.
2. Prepare the butter: In a small bowl using a fork mash together butter, garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, salt and pepper. Stir panko bread crumbs into the butter mixture.
3. Arrange the shrimp: Place the shrimp tails curling up into a baking dish and pour marinade over it.
3. Add topping: Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp.
4. Bake: Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1-2 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.
Recipe tips and FAQs
Love Ina’s recipes like I do? Here are some of my favorite Barefoot Contessa recipes:
- Ina Garten Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
- Ina Garten Oatmeal Cookies with Raisin and Pecans
- Ina Garten Grilled Shrimp Kabob
- Ina Garten Chicken Caesar Club Sandwich
- Ina Garten Shrimp Bisque
- Ina Garten Coconut Jam Thumbprint Cookies
- Ina Garten Creme Brulee
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Ina Garten's Baked Shrimp Scampi
Not for the faint at heart, but definitely delicious this Baked Shrimp Scampi is definitely a great crowd pleaser and oh so simple to make!
Ingredients
- 2 lb large shrimp (21-25 count)
- 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- 2 TBS white wine
- 2 ยฝ teaspoon salt
- 2 ยผ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ยฝ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ยผ cup minced shallots
- 3 TBS minced parsley
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
- ยผ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 2 TBS lemon juice
- 1 egg yolk
- ยพ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF.
- Wash shrimp and drain in a colander. Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on.
- Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoon ground black pepper.
- Allow shrimp to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture.
- In a small bowl using a fork mash together butter, garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice egg yolk, ยฝ teaspoon salt, ยผ teaspoon black pepper.
- Stir panko bread crumbs into the butter mixture.
- Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval gratin dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of the dish.
- Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp.
- Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly.
- If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1-2 minutes.
- Serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
Serve your shrimp scampi with a baguette or over pasta or rice.
This dish will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Recipe adapted from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Back To Basics
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
4-5 shrimpAmount Per Serving: Calories: 397Total Fat: 31.6gSaturated Fat: 16.1gCholesterol: 204mgSodium: 1320mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 17g
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Being gluten free, I used corn flake crumbs instead of Panko, and it worked great I had extra sauce. Do I added frozen broccoli and cook it in the sauce it was very good as well.
What a great idea to use corn flakes for a gluten-free option. So glad it worked out!
I saw this recipe and wanted to include it in our Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes. It is delicious but the recipe is more complicated then it needs to be. You can marinate the shrimp right in the gratin dish. Melt the butter and add the garlic, lemon juice and zest, shallots, rosemary, red pepper flakes and egg yolk. Mix and pour over the shrimp. Sprinkle with panko and bake as directed. By placing the panko on top you will have a crunchy topping with using the broiler. My 16 count jumbo shrimp took 20 minutes although I… Read more »
Butterflying the shrimp isn’t necessary, but it does give you more surface area for the marinade and crunchy panko topping. I’m glad you adapted the recipe to your liking. It is a very versatile recipe. Laura
Yes! So garlicky and delicious…
Let’s be real here….the more butter the better, especially when it comes to shrimp! M’mm….
very good, i love it
Oh my god, I need to do this at home.