Shrimp Scampi with Tomatoes, Corn, and Fresh Basil

A simple summer shrimp recipe that's quick and easy, loaded with garlic, and features all of that amazing summer produce. A one-pan recipe that cooks in less than 30 minutes!

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Truth be told, I can eat corn on the cob slathered in butter just about every day in the summer. Yes, I do think my husband gets sick of it. So, behold this new way to incorporate corn into a simple shrimp recipe and still get all of that butter satisfaction!

And let's not forget about the tomatoes and the basil. If it grows together, it goes together, so you've got all three in this plate of summer sunshine.

You know that I'm no stranger to easy shrimp recipes. What's great about this one is that the garlic sauce from the scampi drizzles down and coats all of the corn and tomatoes, too.

It's saucy! And I like it.

Shrimp Scampi with Tomatoes, Corn, and Fresh Basil

This is a mash up of two recipes. The basic idea is from a summer scampi with tomatoes and corn from NYT Cooking, but I flipped the script and used Rick Martinez's classic shrimp scampi recipe from Bon Appétit. Then I added a lot more garlic butter sauce into the whole mix.

First, we need to marinate the shrimp.

Add the olive oil and salt to a non-reactive bowl. Using a Microplane grater, grate two cloves of garlic into the bowl, then whisk together.

Add the shrimp to the marinade, toss to combine, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but no longer than one hour.

While the shrimp marinates, prep the rest of the ingredients.

How to cut corn off the cob

I learned this trick from Jacques Pepin. The man will teach you everything if you only let him. Use a good knife and start with the part of the blade nearest the handle, and let it glide down the corn toward the point.

Do not set the middle of the blade at the top of the cob and try to slice straight down. You'll get a lot of resistance. The trick is to let the knife do the work like it's supposed to.

Turns out there's a reason that knives are long and shaped the way they are! Different sections of the knife do a different job and they all work together.

Do this over a kitchen towel and let the corn kernels fall onto it. It's still going to spatter all over your backsplash so just accept this and get on with it. Then just pick up the towel and dump the kernels into a bowl and set aside.

Now gather the ingredients you need to make the sauce. Once you start cooking the shrimp, this will go really quick.

What is scampi sauce made of?

Scampi is a very simple shrimp recipe, you only need a few ingredients to get a lot of flavor: white wine, butter, garlic, fresh lemon, and crushed red pepper.

Measure the wine and get the butter ready.

Zest the lemon and set aside. Squeeze all the juice from the lemon into a small bowl, and get your red pepper flakes handy.

I like to use little glass pinch bowls like these when I'm prepping to hold ingredients so everything is ready when I need it.

Now for the garlic. I want a LOT of garlic in my shrimp scampi, so I used 8 cloves here. Feel free to use a little less if you prefer. Same goes for the amount of crushed red pepper you add.

I like to use a good chef's knife and slice it thinly because it gets creamy and melty this way, it's not harsh or sharp and it doesn't burn as easily.

Place a large, deep skillet over medium high heat, and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the cherry tomatoes and let them sizzle until they start to get soft and start to collapse and wrinkly, about 3 - 4 minutes.

You don't want them all to burst open. If that is happening, turn the heat down.

Add the corn to the skillet and cook until it's heated through, about 3 - 4 more minutes. Season the mixture with salt and put it in a serving bowl.

Now it's time to par-cook the shrimp.

In the same skillet, heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil over medium. Add the shrimp in one layer and cook until they are just barely pink, about one minute, then flip for one minute more. Quickly remove the shrimp to a plate with a slotted spoon or tongs, leaving the oil and juices behind.

Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook until the garlic is softened and fragrant, but not brown, about 2 minutes.

Add the butter, white wine, and lemon juice to the skillet and simmer for about 3 minutes until it thickens slightly.

Put the shrimp back into the skillet, stir to coat with the sauce, and cook for about 2 more minutes until it's cooked all the way through. Stir in the lemon zest.

Pour the shrimp scampi and sauce in the pan on top of the corn and tomatoes. Tear some fresh basil leaves on top. Serve with extra lemon wedges on the side.

What is scampi?

So, technically, scampi is the Italian word for langoustines which are sort of tiny lobsters, it's not actually the name of the sauce. Languoustines are traditionally cooked in a garlic and white wine sauce.

Shrimp scampi is a creation of Italian-American immigrants who used shrimp in place of langoustines, but used the traditional preparation, so they kept both words. It also has lots of variations, so feel free to riff on it and add your own touches of herbs or veggies like I've done here.

Related recipes

• For another variation on scampi, try Cilantro Lime Shrimp with Tequila Butter. It swaps the white wine for tequila and the lemon for lime and cooks fast!
• You'll feel like you're sitting in a tapas bar in Spain when you make Garlic Shrimp (Gambas al Ajillo) You can cook and serve in the same pan.
• If you have leftover garlic shrimp, use them to make Shrimp Salad with Romaine, Cherry Peppers, and Lemon-Garlic Dressing.