Shrimp Scampi Orzo

This Shrimp Scampi Orzo is a one-pan wonder that brings gourmet flavors to your table in just 30 minutes. This weeknight dinner hero combines succulent shrimp with perfectly cooked orzo in a garlic-infused white wine sauce! It's sophisticated enough to be served at a restaurant but incredibly simple for a weeknight dinner!

If you take the classic shrimp scampi and combine it with buttery orzo pasta, only good things happen! This dish is savory, with loads of garlic and shallots, lots of butter, and lemon. What's not to love?!

It's so simple to make and comes together in just one skillet, which is a huge win in our book. We just know this is gonna become one of your weeknight favorites.

Looking for more shrimp recipes? Try our honey sriracha shrimp, this New Orleans BBQ shrimp, our Cajun shrimp and sausage pasta, or this Swedish shrimp toast!

❤️Why We Love This Recipe

• Flavorful. If there's one thing we value around here, it's flavor! If you're a garlic lover like us, you're gonna love this recipe. You can also scale back on the garlic if you're not as enthusiastic about it as we are. 😉
• Easy to make. Everything comes together in one skillet, in 30 minutes. You don't need any special skills or techniques to make this! We just recommend having all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go, because this dish moves fast, so having everything prepped makes all the difference in making the cooking process a success!
• Made with simple ingredients. All of the ingredients are pantry and kitchen staples and can be found at any grocery store if you don't have all of them on hand already.

🍤Ingredients

Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.

• Shrimp. Choose shrimp that are on the larger side so they are nice and juicy.
• Butter. We recommend using unsalted butter for this recipe to make it easier to control the salt content in this dish.
• Seafood stock. This really helps infuse the dish with a lot of flavor!
• White wine. Opt for a dry, white wine with citrusy notes to complement this dish. We partnered with Resonance Wines to make this recipe over on our Instagram and used their Chardonnay for this recipe. It adds an incredible depth of flavor to the dish, and pairs perfectly with the meal too! Pick up your own bottle of Resonance Wines Chardonnay!

Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.

✨Substitutions & Variations

Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.

• Swap the seafood stock. Chicken broth or stock, veggie stock, or even water would work for this. Although we do recommend using stock whenever possible for more depth of flavor.
• Swap the shallots. No shallots? No worries! Just use onion!
• Creamy and cheesy version. Add a touch of cream and parmesan cheese to the orzo to make it delightfully rich and creamy for extra flavor!
• Alcohol-free. If you don't cook with wine, just replace it with more seafood stock. We want to make a mention that the wine really does add a ton of flavor to this dish!
• Gluten-free. To make this recipe gluten-free, you'll want to find a gluten-free orzo pasta.
• Add vegetables. Veggies like tomatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, spinach, or bell peppers would all make great additions to this dish. You could even try serving this with some of our cherry tomato confit for tons of rich flavor.
• Add more seafood. Feel free to add in seafood like scallops or lobster to this recipe. You may also enjoy dishes like our scallops with bacon in white wine butter sauce and our butter poached lobster tails have similar flavor profiles, so have fun and add your favorite seafood!

This recipe hasn't been tested with any other substitutions or variations, so we can't guarantee any results. If you make a change, let us know how it goes in the comments below!

🔪Prep Work

• Zest a lemon.
• Mince garlic.
• Dice shallots.
• Mince parsley.
• Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.
• Measure out the remaining ingredients.

Season & cook the shrimp

Season shrimp with olive oil, lemon zest, salt, pepper, optional red pepper flakes, and garlic.

Heat some of the butter and remaining oil in a large skillet over medium. Once melted, add shrimp, and cook, working in batches if necessary until completely cooked through, then set aside. (Image 1)

Pro tip: Don't overcrowd the pan! You want to give all the shrimp an opportunity to cook evenly without putting too much in the skillet at once.

Cook the aromatics & add orzo

Add more butter to the skillet, along with shallots and salt, cook until shallots are shimmery, about 3-5 minutes. Then, add in chili flakes, and garlic. (Image 2)

Sauté until aromatic, stirring often, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in orzo and toast for about 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, and season with salt. (Image 3)

Add stock to cook the orzo

Add seafood stock (Image 4) and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

Simmer, uncovered, until orzo is al dente, and most of the liquid is absorbed - about 10-12 minutes. (Image 5)

⭑Pro tip: It may take more time to cook the orzo depending on how hard the mixture is simmering.

Finish the dish

To bring everything together, stir in the remaining butter, parsley, lemon juice, and black pepper. Add back the shrimp. (Image 6)

Garnish with more parsley, lemon, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Enjoy with glass of wine!

✨Top Tips

• Don't overcook the shrimp. Shrimp cooks quickly and can become rubbery if overcooked. Remove the pan from heat as soon as they turn pink and opaque. We'd also recommend to use large, high-quality shrimp. Larger shrimp (16-20 count per pound) tend to have more flavor and are less likely to overcook.
• Toast the orzo. Before adding liquid, lightly toast the dry orzo in the pan with the aromatics. This adds depth of flavor and helps the orzo maintain its texture while it cooks.
• Use good quality white wine. The wine contributes significantly to the flavor, so use a dry white wine that you'd enjoy drinking!
• Fresh garlic is key. Use fresh garlic cloves for this dish - it will make all the difference. There are very few ingredients in this dish, and garlic is a key player.
• Use a flavorful cooking liquid. Using seafood stock or another flavorful stock to cook the orzo will infuse it with a ton of flavor while it cooks.
• Add the lemon juice last. This will help the lemon preserve its brightness and will add a ton of flavor. Add lemon right before serving!

🦞More Fish & Seafood Recipes to Try

• Oven baked Chilean sea bass
• Creamy salmon pasta recipe
• Lobster pasta
• Salmon bruschetta
• Baked snow crab legs
• Cajun seafood boil