Shrimp Scampi with Grilled Sourdough
Updated: 2 days ago
By Chef Jon Ashton | Published October 5, 2026
There are certain suppers that seem to slow the evening down in the best possible way. A pan of shrimp gently cooking in butter and vermouth, garlic softening in the background, bread crackling on the grill while someone slices lemons at the counter nearby.
This is one of those meals. The shells, which most of us would throw away, become a quick stock with a splash of vermouth, and the sauce is finished with cold butter until it turns glossy and spoonable. Simple food, really, but with enough butter, garlic and lemon to make simplicity feel like a treat, and a thick slice of grilled sourdough to make sure not a drop goes to waste.
Before you start: The scampi sauce is a pan sauce finished with cold butter, one of the skills in my Kitchen School. The lesson takes about five minutes to read. Also useful: How to make a pan sauce · Safe internal temperatures
Shrimp Scampi with Grilled Sourdough
Serves 4 to 6
Prep: 35 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes
Equipment: Sauté Pan, Cast Iron Grill Pan, Chef's Knife, Rasp Grater, Manual Citrus Juicer, and Instant Read Thermometer.
Ingredients
For the Shrimp
1½ pounds shell-on jumbo shrimp (16 to 20 per pound)
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 quart cold water
For the Scampi Sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Reserved shrimp shells
1 cup dry vermouth
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 shallot, finely minced
8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 anchovy fillet
½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (2 tablespoons kept cold)
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives or tarragon
For the Lemon-Garlic Breadcrumbs
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small sprig fresh thyme
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
¼ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Pinch of kosher salt
For the Grilled Sourdough
1 large sourdough loaf
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled
Flaky sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
For Serving
Lemon wedges
Fresh parsley
Extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
Instructions
Brine the Shrimp: Peel and devein the shrimp, reserving all the shells. Leave the tails on if you like. Whisk the salt and sugar into the cold water until dissolved. Add the shrimp and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Remove the shrimp, rinse briefly under cold water, and pat completely dry with paper towels. Refrigerate until needed. Set a timer for the brine. Fifteen minutes keeps the shrimp plump, and much longer turns them salty and spongy.
Make the Lemon-Garlic Breadcrumbs: Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the thyme sprig and cook gently until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the panko and cook, stirring often, until crisp and deeply golden, 3 to 5 minutes, adding the grated garlic for the final 30 seconds. Off the heat, discard the thyme and stir in the lemon zest, Parmigiano-Reggiano and a pinch of salt. Transfer to a bowl so they stay crisp. You'll know it's right when the crumbs are crisp, deeply golden and smell of butter and thyme.
Make the Shrimp and Vermouth Stock: Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp shells and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully add the vermouth and thyme sprigs. Simmer until reduced and full of shrimp flavor, 5 to 7 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing gently on the shells. Discard the solids. You should have about ⅔ cup of concentrated stock. You'll know it's right when the shells have turned pink with a little browning at the edges, and the strained stock smells sweet and of the sea.
Grill the Sourdough: Heat a grill pan, cast iron skillet or outdoor grill over medium-high heat. Cut the sourdough into slices about 1 inch thick and brush both sides lightly with olive oil. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deeply golden with crisp edges and a warm, slightly chewy center. While still hot, rub one side lightly with the garlic cloves and season both sides with flaky salt and pepper. Keep warm while you make the sauce, or grill the bread alongside if you have a spare burner and pair of hands.
Build the Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice and cornstarch until completely smooth. Wipe out the large skillet and set it over medium-low heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter and cook gently until the butter is foamy and just beginning to smell nutty. Add the shallot and cook until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, anchovy, Aleppo pepper and black pepper and cook gently, stirring often, until the garlic is fragrant and the anchovy has dissolved, about 1 minute. Don’t let the garlic brown. Pour in the shrimp stock and bring to a gentle simmer. If the garlic starts to color, pull the pan off the heat straight away and turn the burner down. Browned garlic turns the sauce bitter.
Cook the Shrimp: Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook gently, turning once, until just turning opaque, 2 to 3 minutes depending on size. Start checking early, and transfer the shrimp to a warm bowl as soon as they reach about 120°F to 125°F. You'll know it's right when the shrimp have only just turned opaque and curled into a loose C. They keep cooking from their own heat and again in the warm sauce.
Finish the Sauce: Bring the sauce back to a gentle simmer. Re-whisk the lemon-cornstarch mixture, whisk it in, and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the sauce lightly coats a spoon. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter until glossy and lightly emulsified. Stir in the lemon zest, parsley and chives or tarragon, and adjust the seasoning. Return the shrimp and their juices to the pan and gently turn them through the warm sauce, off the heat. You'll know it's right when the sauce is glossy and lightly coats a spoon. It should be silky and spoonable, not thick like gravy. If the sauce turns greasy or starts to separate, it got too hot after the butter went in. Keep it off the heat and whisk in a teaspoon of warm water until it comes back together.
Serve: Spoon the shrimp into warm shallow bowls and pour the sauce over the top. Scatter with the breadcrumbs at the very last moment and finish with parsley and a little olive oil, if you like. Serve immediately with the grilled sourdough and lemon wedges. Note: Shrimp are cooked when they turn opaque. Pulling them at 120°F to 125°F and finishing them in the warm sauce keeps them tender; food safety guidance recommends cooking shellfish to 145°F.
How to Store
Best fresh: shrimp scampi is at its best straight from the pan.
Fridge: refrigerate leftover shrimp and sauce for up to 2 days.
Reheat: warm gently in a covered pan over low heat just until heated through, so the shrimp don’t toughen. Keep the breadcrumbs and bread separate.
Make ahead: brine the shrimp, make the stock and toast the breadcrumbs up to a few hours ahead; cook the shrimp just before serving.
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