Ina Garten’s Shrimp Scampi is the Perfect Easy Dinner

Ina Garten’s shrimp scampi is the perfect easy dinner for brunch or Mother’s Day. The best part is that you can make it ahead and pop it in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes before serving. Pair it with a nice spring salad and a crusty baguette, and you’re done. It’s a classic Italian dish and one of my favorite Barefoot Contessa recipes.

Ingredients for Ina Garten baked shrimp scampi

• Jumbo or extra large shrimp tails on (peeled and deveined)
• Olive oil
• Dry white wine
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
• Garlic
• Shallot
• Fresh parsley leaves
• Rosemary leaves
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Extra-large egg yolk
• Lemon juice
• Lemon zest
• Lemon wedges for serving
• Panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)

What can I serve with Ina Garten shrimp scampi recipe?

I like to keep it simple and light and serve this shrimp scampi with a small salad and a crusty baguette. The butter and juices in the bottom of the pan are perfect for dipping bread. The flavors are so wonderful. But if you’re looking for something a little more substantial to go with shrimp scampi, you could serve it with a side of linguini or angel hair pasta coated in the leftover juices and butter. You could also serve it with green beans and shallots, and a few roasted potatoes. 

What to know when deveining shrimp

We buy jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, at our local Stew Leanord’s. They do leave the tails on which is how we like to serve it. But it doesn’t take long if you prefer to peel and devein the shrimp yourself. The vein on the back of the shrimp (think curved side, is the digestive tract, and most people, including me, prefer to remove it. You don’t have to, but if you don’t, it could have a little grit and impurities. Deveining and rinsing take care of that problem. With a small pairing knife, cut a slit along the back side of the shrimp, and with the tip of the knife or your fingers, remove the vein and rinse. Sometimes, there is also a small vein on the underside of the shrimp. This is the nervous system tissue (think the spinal cord); removing it is unnecessary. 

What is the difference between panko and bread crumbs?

Most recipes, including this one, will tell you you can use panko and bread crumbs interchangeably. But there is a real difference. Panko is made from crustless white bread, processed to form flakes, and dried. Panko has a drier and flakier consistency and absorbs less oil than regular bread crumbs. The result is a lighter and crispier texture.

Shrimp scampi recipe directions

1. Preheat oven to 425º
2. With a small, sharp pairing knife, butterfly the shrimp by running the blade along the backside of the shrimp and cutting about halfway through it. In a large mixing bowl, combine shrimp, olive oil, wine, salt, and pepper and let it marinate while you make the butter mixture.
3. In a small bowl, mix the softened butter, garlic, diced shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, and egg yolk. Stir the panko bread crumbs into the mixture until fully combined. Add salt and pepper. 
4. Arrange the shrimp starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval gratin dish. The shrimp should be in a single layer, cut side down, with the tails curling up and pointing to the center of the pan. Continue arranging the shrimp in a circular motion, ending in the center of the dish. 
5. Using your fingers, crumble the butter and panko mixture evenly over the top of the shrimp. This is where all the flavors come from.
6. Place the baking dish in the oven for 12-15 minutes. The bread crumbs on top should start to brown. If you like the bread crumbs a little more crispy, put it under the broiler for about a minute. But don’t walk away and get distracted, as the dish can burn quickly.
7. Remove from the oven and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Note: we prefer a little less salt than the recipe calls for so we salted the shrimp in the mixing bowl but skipped the salt in the butter mixture. That’s just a personal preference so make it according to what you prefer.

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