This easy seafood scampi dinner can be made in under 20 minutes and is perfect for a quick weeknight meal. Roast fresh jumbo shrimp and scallops and toss them with delicate angel hair pasta with a garlicky lemon butter sauce for an effortless dinner!
One of my favorite quick and easy dinner recipes is scampi. The seafood and pasta take about the same time to cook so it makes for a quick dinner that is also delicious.
This ultimate scampi dinner includes both juicy jumbo shrimp and scallops. The sauce is light, buttery with hints of both lemon and garlic and it finishes the dish off perfectly. No one will know it took you less than 20 minutes to make!
Serve this jumbo shrimp and scallop scampi with roasted artichokes and lemon olive oil cake.
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🍤 Ingredient notes
- Jumbo shrimp - Either fresh or frozen jumbo shrimp will work for this recipe, just make sure they are uncooked. Make sure you thaw frozen shrimp completely in a bowl of cold water before using. Smaller shrimp may decrease cooking times, so try and match the size of the scallops with the size of the shrimp to prevent uneven cooking.
- Jumbo scallops - Sometimes fresh jumbo scallops are hard to find, so frozen will work as well. Thaw them in a bowl of cold water and thoroughly pat them dry. Bay scallops (smaller sized) will also work if you can't find jumbo ones. Smaller scallops will decrease cooking time so try and match them in size to the shrimp so they cook in about the same amount of time.
- Angel hair pasta - I love angel hair pasta for this recipe because it's light and pairs with the seafood well. It also cooks quickly, so just remember that if you use a different type of pasta, cooking times may need to be adjusted.
📋 Substitutions and variations
- Dairy free - Substitute the butter for dairy free or plant based butter.
- Gluten free - Use gluten free pasta instead of the regular pasta (cooking times may vary).
🔪 Step by step instructions
Mince the garlic, zest and juice the lemon, and put it all into a small pot with a stick of butter over low heat to slowly melt.
Pat shrimp and scallops dry, place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cook the angel the hair pasta to al dente, it boiling salted water, or till it's cooked through but still has a slight bite to it. At the same time, place the shrimp and scallops under the broiler in the oven to cook. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot or to a serving dish.
Add the cooked shrimp and scallops to the angel hair pasta and then pour the melted butter sauce over the top of it. Toss lightly to combine and serve!
If you ever don't recognize a tool or skill that I mention, be sure to look it up in the Glossary of Cooking Terms and Definitions for more information.
⭐ Expert tips
- To avoid extra prep time, get the shrimp that are already deveined and have both the shell and tail removed.
- Pat your shrimp and scallops as dry as possible using paper towels. This will help to make sure there isn't any excess liquid in them so they cook quickly and evenly.
- Shrimps should no longer be translucent and the sides turn a light orange/pink color.
- Scallops should no longer be translucent and should be slightly firm when you push on them.
💭 Frequently asked questions
Shrimp that is fresh should not smell sour or be slimy in texture. If they have black spots or are mushy, then they likely have gone bad.
🥘 Alternative cooking methods
Instead of cooking the shrimp and scallops under the broiler in the oven, they can be cooked in a skillet on the stovetop instead. Use a bit of olive oil in the pan to prevent sticking.
🥡 Storage suggestions
Leftover shrimp and scallop scampi will keep an in airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Leftovers will reheat in the microwave or in a pot on the stovetop over medium heat with a little bit of extra butter.
For a quick overview of this recipe, check out my web story for this quick and easy shrimp and scallop scampi!
🥘 More easy dinners
If you loved this recipe for jumbo shrimp and scallop scampi, check out these other easy weeknight meals that I know you will love too!
- Pasta with Pancetta and Peas
- Roasted Eggplant Spinach Penne
- Creamy Sundried Tomato Pasta
- Panko Crusted Salmon
📖 Recipe
Jumbo Shrimp and Scallop Scampi
Ingredients
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium lemon juice and zest
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 pound uncooked jumbo scallops
- 1 pound uncooked jumbo shrimp deveined, with tail and shell removed
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus extra for pasta water
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound angel hair pasta
Instructions
- Turn the oven onto broil and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Fill a large pot with 4 quarts of water and heat on high on the stovetop.
- Mince the garlic, then zest and juice the lemon and combine both in a pot over low heat with the butter.
- Pat the shrimp and scallops dry and place them on the prepared sheet pan. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
- When the water boils, reduce the heat to medium-high, add 1 Tablespoon of salt and add the pasta.
- Place the shrimp and scallops in the oven under the broiler while the pasta cooks.
- When the angel hair pasta is al dente (about 4 minutes), drain the water from the pasta and return the pasta to the pot off of the heat or into a serving dish.
- Remove the shrimp and scallops from the oven when they are done cooking. They will take about 5-7 minutes so they will be done shortly after the pasta.
- Add the shrimp and scallops to the cooked angel hair pasta and then pour the lemon butter and garlic sauce over the top. Toss to combine and serve.
Notes
- To avoid extra prep time, get the shrimp that are already deveined and have both the shell and tail removed.
- Pat the shrimp and scallops as dry as possible using paper towels so they cook quickly and evenly.
- Shrimps should no longer be translucent and the sides turn a light orange/pink color.
- Scallops should no longer be translucent and should be slightly firm when you push on them.
Substitutions and Variations
- Jumbo shrimp - Either fresh or frozen jumbo shrimp will work for this recipe, just make sure they are uncooked. Thaw frozen shrimp completely in a bowl of cold water before using. Smaller shrimp may decrease cooking times, so try and match the size of the scallops with the size of the shrimp to prevent uneven cooking.
- Jumbo scallops - Either fresh or frozen scallops will work. Make sure to thaw frozen scallops in a bowl of cold water and thoroughly pat them dry. Bay scallops (smaller sized) will also work, but will decrease cooking time. Try and match them in size to the shrimp so they cook in about the same amount of time.
- Angel hair pasta - Angel hair pasta is light and pairs with the seafood well. It also cooks quickly, so if different pasta is used, cooking times may need to be adjusted.
- Dairy free - Substitute the butter for dairy free or plant based butter substitute.
- Gluten free - Use gluten free pasta instead of the regular pasta (cooking times may vary).
Amy
We love a good seafood pasta and this was so good! Thanks!
Sabrina
I love this quick and easy version! Really simple and satisfying.
Amy Liu Dong
Such a simple, easy, and delicious dish to make for the family for tonight's dinner. Thank you for sharing 🥰
Amanda
Absolutely, enjoy!
Oscar
Loved the shrimp and scallop combo in this pasta recipe with the angel hair. Was delicious.
Alexandra
What a delicious dinner this is - great flavours!
Anaiah
Wow, this pasta was absolutely delicious! Buttery, lemony, and garlicky perfection! It's officially a new favorite in my house.
Jeannie
it looks easy to make and delicious! Pasta is always my carbo loading meal