Keto Shrimp Scampi

Keto Shrimp Scampi is made of sweet and tender shrimp nestled in a buttery, garlicy, lemon wine sauce. It's a quick and easy 15 minute entree with only 1g net carbs.

Greetings shrimp lovers.

Today I’m going to show you how to make a simple but delicious Keto Shrimp Scampi.  But before we get to the recipe, my good friend Mr. Shrimp has a few tips and tricks for you.

Is it better to buy fresh shrimp or frozen?

Because 80-90% of all shrimp eaten in the U.S. was caught elsewhere, nearly all shrimp has been frozen before getting to your supermarket.  So unless you live in a coastal area, the chances are that the raw shrimp at the seafood counter has actually been frozen and thawed already.  

So it’s best to buy individually quick-frozen (IQF) shrimp.  

In IQF shrimp, the fish are spread over a conveyor belt and quick frozen while they are still on the boat.  All frozen shrimp sold in bags are IQF, although it might not say so on the label.  It’s counterintuitive to think that frozen is fresher than fresh food, but in this case, it really is best to buy frozen. 

But always read your labels.

Make sure that the only ingredient in the container of shrimp is shrimp.  Some manufacturers use a salt additive called STPP to prevent darkening and moisture loss during thawing, but it can lead to a chemical taste, so try and avoid it if you can. 

What’s the best way to thaw shrimp?

It’s best to place the frozen shrimp in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator overnight to thaw.  But if you don’t have that kind of time, you can place the frozen shrimp in a colander and run cold water over it for a few minutes.  It should thaw quickly.

Make sure to dry your shrimp before you saute it.

Whether you use fresh shrimp or thawed, you’ll need to dry them completely with paper towels before sautéing them in a skillet.  If you don’t, then the moisture will steam the shrimp rather than sauté it.

And cook the shrimp only until it is opaque.

For large shrimp, this should only take 1 minute in a very hot sauté pan.  If you cook it any longer, the shrimp will curl up and become tough.  So to keep it tender, you should only cook it until it is uniformly pink and opaque.

Here's what you'll need to make Keto Shrimp Scampi: 2 pounds of large shrimp, olive oil, parsley, crushed red pepper, lemon juice, dry white wine, garlic and butter.

You sauté the shrimp, mix up the sauce and toss them together.

And voilà! In less than 15 minutes, you can make yourself a delicious low carb Shrimp Scampi with only 1g net carb.  Pour it over zoodles or cauliflower rice, or eat it with a slice of crusty low carb bread.  Or skip the pleasantries and just eat the Shrimp Scampi all by itself.  No judgement.

Ok, dance us out Mr. Shrimp.

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If you liked this low carb seafood recipe, then you might like my recipes for Pan Seared Scallops in Herb Butter Sauce, Fish Sticks or Bacon Wrapped Scallop Skewers.