Air Fryer

Air-Fryer Shrimp Scampi

by:
November  7, 2019
4.3
12 Ratings
Air-Fryer Shrimp Scampi
Photo by Ghazalle Badiozamani
  • Prep time 8 minutes
  • Cook time 8 minutes
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This was the first dish I made in the air fryer that required using a pan to cook something in the basket. Once I tried this, I was hooked and other ideas for air fryer recipes started to come to me. What I like about this is that it’s one dish, no splatters to clean up, fairly hands-free, and fast. Many of my readers have told me this is the best shrimp scampi they’ve ever had.

Excerpted from EVERY DAY EASY AIR FRYER © 2018 by Urvashi Pitre. Photography © 2018 by Ghazalle Badiozamani. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved. —Urvashi Pitre

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter or ghee
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
  • 1 pound shrimp (21 to 25 count), peeled and deveined
  • 2 tablespoons chicken broth or dry white wine
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus more for sprinkling, or 1 teaspoon dried
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, or 1 teaspoon dried
Directions
  1. Place a 7-inch round baking pan in the air-fryer basket. Set the air fryer to 325°F for 8 minutes (this will preheat the pan so the butter will melt faster).
  2. Carefully remove the pan from the fryer and add the butter, lemon juice, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Place the pan back in the fryer.
  3. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring once, until the butter has melted. (Do not skip this step; this is what infuses the butter with garlic flavor, which is what makes it all taste so good.)
  4. Carefully remove the pan from the fryer and add the shrimp, broth, basil, and chives. Stir gently until the ingredients are well combined.
  5. Return the pan to the air fryer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring once.
  6. Thoroughly stir the shrimp mixture and let it rest for 1 minute on a wire rack. (This is so the shrimp cooks in the residual heat rather than getting overcooked and rubbery.)
  7. Stir once more, sprinkle with additional chopped fresh basil, and serve.
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  • Amy Gendry Wilson
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  • Urvashi Pitre
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    Liz
Urvashi Pitre
Dr. Urvashi Pitre is the President of a global marketing consulting firm, as well as the author of several best-selling cookbooks.

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8 Reviews

Liz
Liz October 4, 2023
My just did bot care for the crushed red pepper. Next time I will reduce the amount or eliminate it completely.
 
Alba
Alba November 28, 2022
The recipe is delicious as is, but I cut the recipe in half to serve two, cut the pepper flakes down to our taste, added 1 tablespoon of dry sherry with the chicken broth, and other ingredients. Serving it on top of angel hair pasta is a great pairing.
 
vera
vera February 7, 2022
Delicious! I substituted 1/2 the butter with Pesto. Also used the wine option. I used spotted prawns. I checked them 1/2 way through the cooking process, and was able to adjust my time according to how quick they cooked.
 
PJG
PJG December 13, 2021
Great flavor. The shrimp took way longer than indicated but may have been due to differences in air fryers. I will make this again, but probably do the shrimp on the stovetop.
 
Amy G.
Amy G. July 11, 2020
Delicious! Next time I’ll decrease the red pepper flakes a bit because my kids are spicy-challenged, but this will definitely be made again.
 
rebeccajc
rebeccajc April 4, 2020
YUMMMMM!!!!! It was delicious! Very easy, simple and quick. Had just enough time to cook some pasta and steam some broccoli to complete the meal. I also made extra seasoned butter to drizzle over the pasta. There was nothing left of it! I was a little skeptical of the red pepper, but it blended in very well. Also, the shrimp came out very tender and not rubbery! This was MUCH better than getting it out! (And, it was much less expensive.) Definitely a keeper! I've shared this recipe with several friends already and they love it too!
 
Urvashi P.
Urvashi P. April 4, 2020
I am so happy to hear this! I enjoy how hands off it is to make it this way. Glad you liked it and thanks so much for sharing.
 
jane
jane January 24, 2020
This was a disappointment. I could have made this in a pan in half the time.