Shrimp Wagon’s Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp Wagon’s Shrimp Scampi is made with roasted garlic for a unique twist to the traditional flavor. It is also made without wine and is perfect to serve with pasta or rice.

homemade Shrimp Wagon shrimp scampi on a serving dish


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Garlic lovers rejoice. Few dishes celebrate garlic’s delicious possibilities, quite like this incredibly Easy Shrimp Scampi recipe. There is nothing to this version of shrimp scampi. Literally no wine, no citrus, no herbs, no cheese, nothing but the pure sweetness of roasted garlic tempered with just a bit of sharpness fresh garlic and a splash of seasoned oil. Whether you serve this on its own as an appetizer or on top of pasta as a main course, you will appreciate the complex flavors and simple preparation of the dish.

How to Roast Whole Bulbs of Garlic

Roasting garlic reduces its often pungent characteristics and brings out a more rich sweetness that will fill your home with a heavenly scent. Roasting is the most critical part of making this Easy Shrimp Scampi recipe, but don’t worry, it not too difficult to master. If you have never roasted whole bulbs of garlic in the over before, you will want to follow these steps:

  1. Place a wire rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
  2. Remove the dry, papery outside of the garlic bulb with your fingers, but make sure to keep all of the individual cloves connected.
  3. Use a sharp knife to carefully trim about an eighth of an inch from the top of the bulbs. You should cut deep enough to expose the cloves’ very top, but not deep enough to remove too much of the garlic.
  4. Pour about two tablespoons of good quality olive oil on top of each garlic bulbs.
  5. Wrap the garlic bulbs gently in aluminum, making sure to keep the cut areas on top.
  6. Place the packet of garlic bulbs in the over and directly on the wire rack.
  7. Wait about 40 minutes before checking on the garlic. You are looking for the cloves to be deeply caramelized and soft. Depending on the garlic’s size and age, it may take 10 or 15 more minutes until it is ready. Don’t rush the roasting process, or you will be shortchanging yourself when it comes to the finished dish.
  8. Once finished cooking, remove the garlic from the oven and cool on a rack.
  9. Remove each clove of garlic by squeezing it out of the bulb.

Tips for Cooking and Serving This No Wine, Easy Shrimp Scampi Recipe

  • The perfect pizza topping. Cut the cooked shrimp scampi into half-inch pieces and add to the top of a pizza during the last two minutes of cooking to transform a frozen pizza into a gourmet dinner.
  • Roasting garlic is an excellent way to use up bulbs that are getting a little old. In addition to using the roasted garlic in this recipe, it makes a wonderful spread for crusty bread with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and fresh ground pepper.
  • Remember to remove the vein from the shrimp before cooking. Use a paring knife to make a shallow cut in the back of the shrimp to expose the vein, and pick it out with the knife’s tip.

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Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need:

  • Medium shrimp with shells
  • Garlic bulbs
  • Canola oil
  • Salt
  • Fresh minced garlic (optional)

How to Make Shrimp Wagon’s Shrimp Scampi

  1. Roast garlic bulbs.
  2. Rinse shrimp and cut along the back to the tail.
  3. Devein shrimp leaving shells and tails intact.
  4. Rinse shrimp again and pat dry with paper towels.
  5. Remove skins from roasted garlic and place the garlic in a blender. Add oil and salt.
  6. Puree garlic, oil, and salt until the mixture looks like wet sand.
  7. Place shrimp into a bowl and pour the garlic mixture over them.
  8. Toss to coat all the shrimp with the garlic mixture.
  9. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator.
  10. Marinate shrimp for 6 hours or overnight.
  11. Remove shrimp from the bowl and pour the garlic mixture into a deep frying pan.
  12. Heat garlic mixture on medium/high heat until it starts to brown.
  13. When puree garlic starts to brown, you can add fresh minced garlic into the pan if desired.
  14. Add shrimp and cook until done about 3 minutes
  15. Remove shrimp and place them in a serving dish.
  16. Use a slotted spoon to transfer cooked garlic onto the shrimp.
  17. Serve with pasta or rice.

Note: Canola oil is used because it does not solidify in the refrigerator thus allowing the roasted garlic flavor to infuse into the shrimp.

homemade Shrimp Wagon shrimp scampi on a plate

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homemade Shrimp Wagon shrimp scampi on a serving dish

Shrimp Wagon’s Shrimp Scampi

Make Shrimp Scampi just like the Shrimp Wagon in Hawaii 
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Shrimp Recipes, Shrimp Scampi
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 278kcal

Ingredients

  • 5 bulbs garlic
  • 2 pounds shrimp with shells medium size (21/25 count).
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic optional if desired

Instructions

  •  Roast garlic bulbs.
  • While garlic is being roasted, rinse shrimp with water then cut along the back to the tail.  Devein shrimp leaving shells and tails intact.
  • Rinse shrimp again and pat dry with paper towels. Place shrimp aside until ready to use. 
  • Remove skins from roasted garlic and place garlic into a blender. Add oil and salt.
  • Puree garlic, oil, and salt until the mixture looks like wet sand.  
  • Place shrimp into a bowl and pour the garlic mixture over shrimp. Toss to coat all the shrimp with the garlic mixture.
  • Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator. Allow shrimp to marinate for 6 hours or overnight.
  • When ready to cook, remove shrimp from the bowl and pour the garlic mixture into a deep frying pan.
  • Heat garlic mixture on medium/high heat until puree garlic starts to brown.
  • When pureed garlic starts to brown, you can add fresh minced garlic into the pan if desired.
  • Add shrimp and cook until done, approximately 3 minutes.
  • Once cooked, remove shrimp and place them in a serving dish. Spoon out garlic onto shrimp using a slotted spoon.
  • Serve with pasta or rice.

Notes

Canola oil is used because it does not solidify in the refrigerator thus allowing the roasted garlic flavor to soak into the shrimp.

Nutrition

Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 0g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 571mg | Sodium: 2343mg | Potassium: 181mg | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin C: 9.7mg | Calcium: 329mg | Iron: 4.8mg

Thanks to EMT for this recipe.

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Clarence Obert

    You say to leave the shells intact, yet no where later do you say to remove the shells. Do you expect your guests to remove them while trying to eat them placed over steamed rice? I know when I was in the Philippines this type of cooking method (shells on) was the standard, but the shrimp wasn’t placed over the top of other food until the shells had been removed.

    • Stephanie

      I think living to next to Lousianna for so long made me think this was common, we leave the shells on, and you remove the shells when you eat them. The rice is served with, shrimp. Near where I live you buy shrimp cooked like this in plastic bags and you just eat it out of the bags, you peel the shells off, and toss them into a bucket on the table.

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