This delicious low-carb shrimp scampi with zoodles is light and refreshing and perfect for the days you're craving pasta but not looking to have a carb-heavy meal.
If you're looking for more low-carb dishes you may want to check out our Baked Italian Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms, Grilled Shrimp Salad with Mango Lime Dressing, or Pistachio Pea Pesto Stuffed Chicken.
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Why this recipe works!
This low-carb shrimp scampi is perfect for zoodles because shrimp scampi is already a bright sauce that pairs with a fresh seasonal vegetable like zucchini. It's not a substitute for pasta but altogether a different dish.
If you're looking for more summer pasta dishes, try our Linguine with Red Clam Sauce with fresh cherry tomatoes.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Zucchini. The zucchini can be substituted with spaghetti or angel hair pasta if you're looking for a more traditional dish. It can also be substituted with yellow squash.
Fresh Ingredients. Using fresh zucchini is key for this ingredient. Zucchini gets more and more dry over time and the texture will become spongey. Stick with fresh zucchini and lemon for best results.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on ingredients.
The Best Way to Prepare Shrimp
Sometimes you see how your shrimp looks compared to others and you have to wonder why there's looks so inviting and delicious. Here are some great tips to sear the best shrimp for low-carb shrimp scampi.
Dry shrimp with a paper towel. This is key. Wet shrimp will result in steamed shrimp. Toss with your seasonings (in this case, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon minced garlic) and baking powder. The baking powder changes the pH of the shrimp which helps them become more plum and resistant to overcooking.
Then toss the shrimp in olive oil and marinate for 15 minutes.
Step 1: Place a saucepan on medium-high heat. Add 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan depending on the size of the pan. You only want the pan to be covered with a thin layer.
Step 2: Sear shrimp for 60-90 seconds on each side or until opaque. If you see the shrimp start curling up, that means you're overcooking them. Remove shrimp and set aside.
Step-by-step directions
Spiralize your zucchini on the thickest setting of your hand spiralizer. Spiralize it right into a bowl and then toss it with salt to draw out some of the moisture. Use a paper towel to pat the zucchini dry and remove the moisture.
Step 3: Using the same pan you used for your shrimp, lower the heat to medium. Saute shallots for 2-3 minutes or until soft and then stir in the rest of the minced garlic. Saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Step 4: Squeeze in the juice from 1 whole lemon and add 1 tablespoon of lemon zest. Stir to combine.
Step 5: Then pour in the white wine. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until reduced by half.
Step 6: Lower the heat and add 2 tablespoon of cold butter. Stir until completely emulsified. Then toss in the chopped parsley.
Add the shrimp and zucchini to the sauce and toss.
Step 7: Add the shrimp to the sauce first and toss.
Step 8: Then add the spiralized zucchini. Let the zucchini absorb the sauce on low heat for 5 minutes while tossing occasionally.
Serve immediately. The longer you let the zucchini sit the more mushy it will get.
Pro-Tips for Zoodles
- Salting the zucchini in preparation will draw some liquid out. Lightly pat with a paper towel. This will increase the thickness of the overall sauce in the end and the zucchini won't be mushy.
- Be careful not to overcook the zucchini. 5 minutes max in the pan to warm it through but keep it al dente. Make sure the sauce is no longer simmering when you add the zucchini
- Serve immediately. Once the zucchini and sauce cools the zoodles will become mushy.
Recipe FAQs
The key is to only cook them for 3-5 minutes right at the end of the cooking process and then immediately remove them from the heat and serve. The longer they sit in the steam the quicker they will get mushy. It also helps to salt the zucchini and pat it with a paper towel before cooking.
Yes, zucchini is very healthy. The longer you cook the zucchini the less nutrients it will have but if you follow the instructions for this recipe, they're barely being cooked at all.
Reheating and Storage
Store this dish in an airtight container for 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or over medium-low heat in a saucepan. The zucchini will be mushy the second time around. I'm not aware of any way to reheat zucchini without it becoming mushy.
Video Instructions
Our Favorite Shrimp Dishes
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📖 Recipe
Shrimp Scampi with Zoodles
Equipment
- Saucepan
- spiralizer
Ingredients
- 2 large zucchini, spiralized
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 1 shallot
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Dry shrimp with a paper towel. Toss with olive oil, baking powder, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic. Marinate for 15 minutes.
- Spiralize your zucchini on the thick setting of your hand spiralizer. Spiralize it right into a bowl and then toss it with salt to draw out some of the moisture.
- Place a saucepan on medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Sear shrimp for 60-90 seconds on each side or until completely opaque. Remove shrimp and set aside.
- Lower heat to medium. Saute shallots for 2-3 minutes or until soft and then stir in the rest of the minced garlic. Saute for 30 seconds. Squeeze in the juice from 1 whole lemon and add 1 tablespoon of lemon zest. Stir to combine everything. Then pour in white wine. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until reduced by half. Lower the heat and add 2 tablespoon of cold butter. Stir until completely combined. Then toss in the chopped parsley.
- Add the shrimp and zucchini to the sauce and toss. Let the zucchini absorb the sauce on low heat for 5 minutes while tossing occasionally. Serve hot!
Notes
- Salting the zucchini in preparation will draw some liquid out. Lightly pat with a paper towel. This will increase the thickness of the overall sauce in the end.
- Be careful not to overcook the zucchini. 5 minutes max in the pan to warm it through but keep it al dente.
- Using cold butter will allow for stable emulsion of the sauce and keep the sauce from breaking quickly.
Vinny
A great shrimp scampi for those who may be gluten free or on a low-carb diet! We created this recipe for a brand and ended up loving the recipe too much not to share it on here!