Italian-American · main

Shrimp Scampi with Linguine

Shrimp Scampi with Linguine reads umami 8.0, salinity 6.3 and richness 5.8 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Italian-American main, about 19 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 9.4 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 4.8 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 6.8 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 1.3 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 6.3 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 3.9 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 8.0 · Salinity 6.3 · Richness 5.8 · Marine & Briny 5.4 · Citrus 5.3 · Sourness 4.8 · Fruity 4.3 · Allium 3.4 · Funk & Ferment 2.3 · Herbaceous 1.9 · Nutty 1.6 · Sweetness 1.6 · Floral 1.5 · Heat 1.5 · Warm Spice 1.1 · Earthy 1.1 · Bitterness 1.0

What's in it (14)

• thin spaghetti — 340 g
• salt — 30 g
• shrimp — 454 g
• salt — 5 g
• freshly ground black pepper — 1 g
• unsalted butter — 54 g
• olive oil — 41 g
• garlic — 18 g
• red chili flakes — 3 g
• dry white wine — 237 g
• bottles of clam juice — 118 g
• lemon — 65 g
• flat-leaf parsley — 15 g
• parmesan cheese — 28 g

Time & effort: about 19 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 77.7 kcal, 6.9 g protein, 5 g fat, 5.5 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (10 steps)

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and stir in the pasta-water salt.
2. While the water heats, pat the shrimp dry and toss with the kosher salt and black pepper.
3. Add the linguine to the boiling water and cook until 1 minute short of package al dente time, about 8 minutes; reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water, then drain.
4. While the pasta cooks, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the shrimp in a single layer and sear until pink and just opaque, 1 to 1.5 minutes per side; transfer to a plate (the shrimp will finish cooking in the sauce, so slightly underdone here is correct).
5. Reduce the heat to low. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the same skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and pale gold, about 45 seconds — pull it off heat immediately if it starts to brown, since scorched garlic will turn the whole sauce bitter.
6. Pour in the wine and clam juice, raise the heat to medium-high, and simmer until reduced by half, 4-5 minutes.
7. Stir in the lemon zest and juice.
8. Return the shrimp and any collected juices to the skillet along with the drained linguine and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water; toss over medium heat until the shrimp are cooked through and opaque and the sauce clings to the noodles, about 1 minute (shrimp internal temperature 145°F).
9. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and the Parmesan, tossing constantly until the sauce turns glossy and coats the pasta, loosening with more reserved pasta water a splash at a time if it looks tight.
10. Stir in the parsley, taste, and season with more salt if needed. Plate immediately, topped with more Parmesan.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta — Italian-American
• Skillet Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles — Italian-American
• Calabrian Chili Shrimp Pasta — Italian
• Lemon Garlic Shrimp Orzo — Mediterranean
• Garlic Butter Shrimp Fra Diavolo — Italian-American

Keep reading: what umami, salinity, richness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.