Caribbean Shrimp Scampi

Classic shrimp scampi takes a vacation to the tropics with this light, bright, fresh, and slightly spicy Caribbean Shrimp Scampi. Everything you love about crusty bread’s favorite pool to dip gets a slight sultry twist giving you a dish you can serve all summer long.

Scampi will forever be my favorite seafood dish. There’s just something irresistible about perfectly cooked seafood with just the right accents of acidity, freshness, and a little rich butter to make the entire thing special. It always combines simple ingredients with the seafood being completely the star. From a classic shrimp scampi to Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp Scampi, and of course this slightly Floribbean inspired version, it’s all about gorgeous fresh seafood treated with love.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Simple Process – There is nothing complicated about this shrimp scampi recipe. You briefly marinate the shrimp in aromatics, cook them until just done, and made the fast scampi sauce.
• Quick Cooking – The most time-consuming portion of this scampi recipe is simply the prep. The actual cooking of the dish comes together in less than 20 minutes. This is an elegant and easy recipe you can make any night of the week.
• Minimal Ingredients – Besides the shrimp you only need a handful of fresh ingredients like limes, cilantro, and garlic. This dish is easy to shop for.
• Balance of Flavors – All of the hallmark flavors of a traditional shrimp scampi are here, but in a slightly different form. The heat comes from habaneros instead of crushed red pepper flakes, the parsley is swapped for cilantro, and lime juice and zest brings the sunny brightness instead of lemon.

What is Scampi?

The name shrimp scampi is actually a bit misleading. Scampi is a type of prawn often referred to as the Norway Lobster or Dublin Bay prawn. It can be found all throughout the Mediterranean up to Norway and Iceland.

These langostinos were popular to sauté with olive oil and garlic in Italy for a quick seafood dish utilizing readily available ingredients. However, as Italians immigrated to America, this type of crustacean wasn’t available, so they turned to what they did have access to. You will see variations of this popular Italian-American creation that includes shrimp, scallops, chicken, and even vegetables.

Ingredient Highlights

This Caribbean shrimp scampi recipe pays complete respect to a traditional shrimp scampi while merely switching up the familiar flavor notes for a different source. Here is the short list of what you’ll need to pull this dish together.

• Shrimp – With only a handful of ingredients, make sure to pick quality ingredients. For the shrimp you will want larger shrimp. I used 16-20 count colossal. That makes them easy to wrap and allows the prosciutto to crisp up without overcooking the shrimp. No one wants rubbery shrimp! Always know the source of your shrimp. These were sustainably harvested and certified organic black tiger shrimp from LobsterAnywhere. When you buy shrimp from the seafood counter at your grocery store it most likely was previously frozen and defrosted. You don’t know how long it’s been sitting there. Always look for shrimp that is free of preservatives and chemicals.
• White Wine – Somethings are a classic for a reason and the addition of a dry white wine to scampi partially makes this dish. It’s bright, light, and crisp. Pick a wine such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc.

• Garlic – This is another classic component of shrimp scampi that remains in this recipe, but it also common in Caribbean cooking. You will find it in everything from sofrito to Jamaican jerk. It is used in two different ways for this recipe, grated fora quick marinade, and also minced for the scampi sauce.
• Shallot – This adds a hint of natural sweetness that pairs well with the garlic and enhances the fruitiness of the habanero.
• Habanero – You could also use a scotch bonnet pepper for this. It adds delicate, fruity heat.
• Olive Oil/Butter – This recipe starts with olive oil and finishes with butter to add richness and slight creaminess to the sauce.
• Soy Sauce – This adds the salt and slight umami to the sauce.
• Cilantro – Skip the parsley and add bright, sunny, and citrusy cilantro.
• Lime – Both the zest and the juice wake up all of the flavors.

How to Make Caribbean Shrimp Scampi

Pop open the pinot grigio and slice up the bread for dipping. This bright, herbaceous, and slightly spicy take on shrimp scampi is a dish that you can easily entertain with, or just make a evening special. It comes together quickly and will put you into a total island state of mind.

• Prepare your shrimp. Peel your shrimp and clean them. You can leave your tails on for presentation or remove them. It’s completely up to you.
• Allow your shrimp to marinate. Pat your shrimp dry. Add them to a bowl with olive oil, salt, lime zest, and grated garlic. Toss to fully coat them. Allow them to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour.
• Heat up your skillet. If cooking these on a grill you will want to prepare your grill for direct grilling. For charcoal I do like to leave a cooler spot in case my cast iron pan gets to hot I can always move it over to reduce the heat. Place your skillet on direct heat. For the stove heat your skillet over medium heat.

• Cook your shrimp. Add your shrimp in a single layer, careful not to crowd them. You may need to work in batches. Allow the first side to cook for 2 minutes. You will begin to see them turn pink and slightly opaque on the side. Flip them over and cook the second side another 2-3 minutes until just cooked through. Remove them to a plate.
• Sauté your aromatics. Add additional oil if needed. Add all of your aromatics and cook them for 1-2 minutes. You just want everything fragrant but no color on the garlic.

• Simmer your wine. Add your white wine and soy sauce, making sure to scrape up any bits from your pan. Allow the wine to come to a simmer and reduce by about half, about two minutes. Once reduced add your lime juice.
• Make it glossy. Move your pan to indirect heat or turn off your burner. Add your butter a few cubes at a time and stir until dissolved, adding the next cubes. Continue this process until the butter is emulsified into the sauce.
• Finish it off. Add your shrimp into the pan along with the cilantro and toss to combine. Serve with crusty bread for dipping.

Substitutions & Variations

• Beer – While this isn’t a traditional element to classic shrimp scampi, a nice island lager works well in place of the white wine. The measurement will be the exact same. It adds a bright but slightly bitter note. Stick with either a lager or pilsner.
• Scotch Bonnet Pepper – I love using scotch bonnet peppers in place of the habanero. If you have access to fresh ones, definitely use one!
• Parsley – Not everyone is a fan of cilantro and that is ok. While it won’t have that same fresh citrusy note, you can easily swap the cilantro for parsley. Have fun making it your own.

Tips From the Beach

• Don’t be afraid of the habanero. There is only one habanero in this recipe and it’s deseeded. It adds a fruity back heat without overpowering any of the ingredients. The fruitiness of the pepper actually enhances the sweetness of the shrimp.
• Know the source of your shrimp. Shrimp are the star of this shrimp skillet. Make sure that you invest in quality shrimp.
• Don’t crowd the pan. Take your time and cook your shrimp in batches. This will allow them to get slightly golden an develop a little crust as opposed to steaming.
• Let your wine reduce. This is the main reason I cook my shrimp first and then toss them at the sauce at the end. Many scampi recipes have you cook everything together resulting in either overcooked shrimp, or wine that hasn’t cooked down enough. As much as I love a glass of wine, I don’t necessarily want to eat that flavor. Allow that flavor of alcohol to cook out.
• Chill your butter! Don’t skip the step of adding cold butter to the reduced wine. You can even freeze it for 10-15 minutes if desired. Add cold butter to the warm liquid allows it to gently melt and emulsify into the sauce as opposed to immediately melting and creating an oil slick on top, wine on the bottom.
• If possible, use organic citrus. Anytime I know I am going to be zesting citrus I try and buy organic. Most grocery store citrus has a waxy coating on the outside. While it is totally food safe, organic doesn’t have this coating. Even if not using organic make sure you give your citrus a good wash before zesting.

Looking for more one skillet meals? Make sure to check out Easy Seafood Paella. And for more shrimp recipes check out Grilled Shrimp Cocktail.

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