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This is a go-to for when I don’t have enough can’ts to even but we’re starving. It takes about 12-15 minutes from start to finish, and is perfect in its buttery garlic glory. I use shirataki noodles here, but zoodles or other pasta alternatives would work just fine.

You could also remove the noodles or make fewer shrimp to make this an appetizer dish if appetizers are the kind of thing you have time to do.

I use cayenne pepper in this recipe just to give it a little zip. If you’re not into hot stuff, don’t worry. The cayenne is subtle and won’t burn your mouth, it just adds a little extra flavor.

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Quick and Easy Shrimp Scampi

Prep Time2 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: seafood, under 20

Servings: 2

Calories: 827kcal

Equipment

• skillet

Ingredients

• 1 lb shrimp medium, raw & peeled
• 6 tbsp butter
• 10 cloves garlic chopped
• dried parsley
• 8 oz shirataki noodles spaghetti or fettucini style works well, zucchini noodles could also work
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• .5 tbsp cayenne pepper 🌶 (optional)

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Prep

• Wash and dry the shrimp with a paper towel. Salt and pepper both sides
• FULLY RINSE and drain the shirataki noodles. If rinsed well, you won't get a fishy smell from them

Directions

• Add the olive oil to the skillet and heat on medium high until the oil is hot but not smoking
• Add the shrimp and let them cook on one side until the bottom sides are bright pink/orange (about 3-4 minutes)
• Add the butter and flip the shrimp over to cook the other side
• Once the butter has melted completely, add the chopped garlic and parsley
• Once the other side of the shrimp is pink/orange, and you can't see any grey anymore (3-4 minutes), stir the garlic and shrimp around so the shrimp gets fully coated
• (Optional) Spinkle the cayenne evenly over the shrimp and stir it to mix well
• Turn off the heat, and add in the noodles, mixing them to make sure they're well-coated in the butter and oil
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Garnish with chopped fresh parsley if you happen to have it, but let's face it, we're not fancy people here

Notes

If using frozen shrimp that you haven’t defrosted beforehand, put them in a bowl under running cool (not hot!) water for about 5 minutes.

If using larger shrimp, you may need to increase cooking times from 3-4 minutes to up to 7-8.

If using non-peeled shrimp, add a few minutes to prep time to peel them.

Nutrition

Calories: 827kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 66g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Cholesterol: 663mg | Sodium: 2070mg | Potassium: 268mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1616IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 366mg | Iron: 5mg | Net Carbs: 7g