Easy Shrimp Scampi For One

I had an alternate name for this Easy Shrimp Scampi for One Recipe but it was way too long to actually publish: Shrimp Scampi For Bachelors Who Want To Stay Bachelors or For Bachelors Who Want To Find Everlasting Love.

See? Too long.

But accurate!

Shrimp scampi is freakin’ delicious and I can pretty much guarantee that if you made this for a special person, they would love you (unless they don’t like shrimp… or butter).

I can also guarantee that due to the high levels of shallots and garlic in this dish, if you wanted to stay single forever, you could just eat this dish alone every night before you went out. If you eat it together with someone though… no harm done!

“My husband and I have a hard time finding recipes that will work for two, where we won’t have leftovers for days! We tried this and loved it, one of the best meals we’ve ever had! Thanks a lot!”

– Maddie

How to Prep Shrimp for Shrimp Scampi Recipe

These days you can buy shrimp in various states of readiness. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the already prepped frozen kind. I think that buying shrimp that are still in their shell and cleaning them yourself results in the best-tasting shrimp although it’s a bit more work. It also happens to be cheaper.

In general, for recipes like this, I like the larger shrimp (although not the largest shrimp). Something in the 21-26 count category usually will work nicely.

If you’ve never cleaned shrimp before, it’s not necessarily hard, but it is a bit messy and some people don’t like doing it. If your shrimp aren’t already cleaned for you though, it’s a pretty essential step unless you like your shrimp gritty and sandy.

To clean them, basically just peel off the shell using your fingers, but leave the tail part on. Then take a small paring knife and carefully slice right down the back of the shrimp. You should see a small vein of black stuff.

Run the shrimp under cold water to get that out of the shrimp. Technically, it’s shrimp poop, but it’s mainly just sand and grit. You could definitely eat it (I have) without any ill effects, but it’s a much better dining experience if you clean it! You’ll get good at it really fast.

How Much Pasta for One?

I used spaghetti for this dish which is kind of my default pasta. I actually think spaghetti is the perfect pasta for this shrimp scampi recipe so just use that.

If you’re curious how much pasta I usually make for a large bachelor-sized portion, it’s a bit larger than the size of a quarter if you hold together the pasta in a tight bunch.

If you’re a stickler for weighing, I’d go for 3 ounces of pasta for a serving.

I cooked this entire dish in one pot so my first thing to do was to make the pasta, which I made according to instructions. Just make sure not to overcook the pasta.

Ideally, you would drain the pasta and reserve about 1/2 Cup of pasta water for the sauce just in case it gets too thick later.

How to Cook Easy Shrimp Scampi for One

While the pasta cooks, mince up a shallot and some garlic. I used three cloves of garlic because that’s what I like.

You could use less though if you’re afraid people won’t want to speak to you all night long (valid fear).

When your pasta is done, add the butter to the same pot. Just make sure it’s mostly dry. Put it over medium heat and when the butter is melted and hot, add the shrimp. Let the shrimp cook for about minutes per side. You’ll know they are getting close when they firm up and turn pinkish.

Then toss in the garlic and shallot along with the red pepper flakes and a dash of white wine if you’re using it. Everything cooks really fast at this point. Just another 30 seconds or so to soften the aromatics.

Want more fast shrimp dinner ideas? Try this easy Shrimp Curry Bowl or these Margarita Shrimp Tacos!

Try not to overcook them or else they will become rubbery. Rubbery shrimp are the worst!

These are almost done.

When the shrimp are almost done, add some cream to the dish. I said a few tablespoons in the recipe but you could add as much as you’re comfortable with. I guess technically it’s optional, but it really makes the dish in my opinion. When you add it to the pot the sauce just comes together in this fantastic way.

This is all you need to make a wonderful shrimp scampi sauce!

It’s so delicious.

Season this with a pinch of salt and pepper and then add in all your cooked pasta back into the pot! Stir this all together and if the sauce is a bit too thick, add some of your reserved pasta water. The sauce should coat the pasta but not be clumpy at all. Stir everything together and you’re ready to eat!

It might not look like there’s a lot of sauce, but there’s just enough. And even though there are just a few shrimp, the sauce has this really deep seafood flavor. You could grate some Parmesan cheese on top if you wanted, but I thought it was rich enough as is.

I ate mine on a paper plate of course with a plastic cup of wine.

This is my kind of one-pot meal. Honestly, when I make this shrimp scampi for one again, I’ll probably just eat it out of the pot that I cooked it in!

My Easy Shrimp Scampi for One Recipe

More Seafood Recipes!

• Blackened Tilapia Tacos and Radish Slaw
• Homemade Shrimp Burger
• Shrimp Soba Bowl
• Honey Garlic Shrimp from Sally’s Baking Addiction