This Chilled Keto Shrimp Scampi with Shirataki Noodles converts a classic dish into a zesty low carb recipe that is perfect as a make-ahead main course for your next dinner party or an easy meal prep option for the week. The shirataki noodles provide a nice keto friendly alternative to traditional pasta and making it chilled eliminates the need for last minute cooking.
If you’ve been around this blog for a while, you likely know that I really like make-ahead dishes for dinner parties. We try to seriously limit the number of dishes that require last minute finishing for a dinner party. As I’ve mentioned before, I strongly recommend picking no more than two–one if you’re new to dinner party hosting–fussy dishes that require last minute cooking. This serves two purposes:
- Reduces the amount of time and attention that need to be spent not socializing once guests arrive
- Limits the opportunity for a hard-to-fix screw up
- If you are making a dish in advance and something goes wrong, you have time to fix it. (Example: overcooking the shrimp)
- If you are cooking a dish right before you plan to serve it, you need more advanced problem solving skills if it goes sideways.
Well, one of the challenges of traditional shrimp scampi is that it is one of those last minute cooking kind of dishes. By converting this to a chilled dish, you have to make it in advance and therefore avoid last minute rush or hassles.
Maybe a dinner party is nowhere on your immediate horizon. In that case, I would strongly suggest this dish as one that makes a great make-ahead lunch or dinner for later in the week.
This recipe is a slight adaptation of Classic Shrimp Scampi from the New York Times.
What You Need
Equipment
- Fine Mesh Strainer – For rinsing the shirataki noodles and the shrimp.
- Footed Colander – Optional for my “double drainer” method.
- Rimmed Baking Sheet – For lining with paper towels to dry the shrimp.
- Aluminum Foil – For lining the rimmed baking sheet for easy clean-up.
- Paper Towels – For drying the shrimp
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring Cups
- Large Sauté Pan or Skillet
- Tongs – Both for tossing noodles and flipping shrimp.
- Rubber Scraper
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Airtight Container
Ingredients
- Shirataki Noodles – I typically use Miracle Noodles.
- Large Shrimp – I look for the ones that are peeled, deveined, and have their tails already off. I just prefer not having me or my guests mess with tail removal while trying to eat dinner.
- Unsalted Butter
- Olive Oil – I specifically use olive oil not extra-virgin to help balance the low smoke point of the butter.
- Minced Garlic – I buy the pre-minced garlic in a large jar at Sam’s Club. It keeps well in the fridge and I use it a lot.
- Dry White Wine – I usually use either a fumé blanc or a pinot grigio. You can use broth if you prefer.
- Kosher Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Red Pepper Flakes – If you really don’t like any heat at all, you can reduce or skip this ingredient. However, it adds a nice flavor balance to the rest of the dish.
- Dried Parsley – You can use fresh if you prefer, just multiply the quantity by three. While I like fresh parsley, I usually wind up buying a bunch for a recipe and then eventually having to throw away the remainder after it’s gone bad and icky in my refrigerator.
- Lemon Juice – I use the kind in a squeeze bottle. You can use fresh lemon juice if you prefer.
Getting Started with Making Chilled Keto Shrimp Scampi with Shirataki Noodles
To make this at scale, you’ll need to either work in batches or have 2 pans going at once. Like many stovetop seafood dishes, the shrimp scampi part of this recipe comes together fast. It’s in your best interest to get all of your ingredients ready and set near the stove. Once the shrimp start to cook, there really isn’t time to step away to grab the remaining ingredients.
Preparing the Shirataki Noodles
The one part of this dish that can be prepared on its own is the shirataki noodles. You are really drying them out rather than cooking them.
I set up a “double drainer” but obviously use what tools you have on hand. My “double drainer” is a footed colander set in the sink with a fine mesh strainer on top of that. Pour the noodles into the fine mesh strainer to drain the liquid from the bag and rinse with water from the sink. Use your hands to make sure all of the noodles get a good rinse.
Dump the rinsed noodles into a large dry sauté pan or skillet. Dry them out over medium high heat. Use a pair of tongs to move them around to prevent sticking to the bottom and to make sure they all have a chance to dry. As they dry, they look more like a cross between cooked rice noodles and angel hair pasta.
Once dry, remove them from the heat and set aside. I usually just set them back in the fine mesh strainer over a regular mixing bowl.
Lori Side Note:
When they are not the only ingredient (i.e. something else makes up the balance of the dish), I assume one 7-ounce bag for every two people. When it’s the start of the show, I usually lean more towards 1 bag per person. In this case, we’re using 1 bag for every 2 people.
Getting the Shrimp Ready to Go
Now that we’re onto shrimp prep, the first thing you need to do is make sure that the shrimp are thawed. I cannot count the number of times that I’ve been ready to cook with my shrimp and they are still partially frozen. I typically use the cool running water method to thaw them.
Assuming the shrimp are thawed, you next want to pat them dry. Excess moisture is not your friend. I line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and paper towels. Then lay out the shrimp on the paper towels and pat the tops dry with more paper towels. Let them sit and continue drying out for the next few minutes while you get the rest of your ingredients together.
Getting All of the Ingredients In Place (mise en place)
If you are making the full quantity listed in the recipe and working in batches or in two separate pans at the same time, you will only be using half of the ingredients for each batch. Put the butter and olive oil in the pan but don’t turn it on until you’re ready to cook.
Measure out your remaining ingredients (minced garlic, dry white wine, kosher salt, ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, dried parsley, lemon juice) and set them next to the stove where you will be cooking. The shrimp will cook quickly so you want to have everything ready to go to avoid overcooking them.
Cooking
Heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté it for 30 – 60 seconds.
Add the wine, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Bring it to a simmer and allow the liquid to reduce by about half. Add the shrimp. Cook for about 2 minutes and then flip to cook them for about 2 minutes more on the other side. They should just be starting to turn pink and curl.
Add the lemon juice and parsley. Stir to coat and remove from the heat immediately. Set the shrimp and all of the sauce aside to cool a bit before combining with the shirataki noodles. I used a flat casserole dish to provide more surface area and allow the shrimp and to cool more quickly.
Once cooled, pour the shrimp and sauce into a large mixing bowl with the shirataki noodles. Use tongs or salad tongs to toss to combine. You want the sauce and shrimp to be well distributed throughout the shirataki noodles.
Move the shrimp and noodles to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Serving Chilled Keto Shrimp Scampi with Shirataki Noodles
Remove from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before you are ready to serve and transfer it to a serving dish. Give everything a toss. Enjoy!
Related Recipes
While this dish can stand alone, if you’re wondering what to serve with this Chilled Keto Shrimp Scampi with Shirataki Noodles, check out my Keeping Cool Summer Dinner Party page for some accompaniment ideas.
Keto Shrimp Scampi with Shirataki Noodles
Ingredients
- 28 ounces Shirataki Noodles 4 (7-ounce bags)
- 3 pounds Large Shrimp Peeled, deveined, and tails removed
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter ¼ cup
- 4 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 4 teaspoons Garlic Minced. About 8 cloves.
- 1 cup Dry White Wine I usually use either a fumé blanc or a pinot grigio. You can use broth if you prefer.
- 1.5 teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1.5 teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 3 ¾ tablespoons Dried Parsley
- 3 tablespoons Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Rinse and drain 28 ounces Shirataki Noodles through a fine mesh strainer.
- In a large dry sauté pan or skillet, heat the shirataki noodles over medium high heat to dry them out. Move them around to prevent sticking to the bottom and to make sure they all have a chance to dry. Remove them from the heat and set aside to cool.
- Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and set aside.
- If you are making the full quantity listed in the recipe, you will likely either need to work in batches or in two separate pans at the same time. If so, only be use half of the ingredients for each batch.
- Put the butter and olive oil in the pan but don’t turn it on until you’re ready to cook. Measure out your remaining ingredients and set them next to the stove where you will be cooking.
- Heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté it for 30 – 60 seconds.
- Add the wine, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Bring it to a simmer and allow the liquid to reduce by about half. Add the shrimp. Cook for about 2 minutes and then flip to cook them for about 2 minutes more on the other side. They should just be starting to turn pink and curl.
- Add the lemon juice and parsley. Stir to coat and remove from the heat immediately and set aside to cool.
- Once cooled, pour the shrimp and sauce into a large mixing bowl with the shirataki noodles. Toss to combine until the sauce and shrimp are well distributed throughout the shirataki noodles.
- Transfer the shrimp and noodles to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Remove from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before you are ready to serve and transfer it to a serving dish. Give everything a toss.
Equipment
- Fine Mesh Strainer or Sieve For rinsing the shirataki noodles and the shrimp.
- Footed Colander Optional for my “double drainer” method.
- Aluminum Foil
- Paper Towels
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring Cups
- Tongs Both for tossing noodles and flipping shrimp.
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Airtight Container
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