We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
I have been collecting and creating recipes for years and have many favorites. I have soooo many favorites that I forget about them all. This recipe for shrimp scampi is one of those forgotten favorites. My bff reminded me this week about this recipe I shared with her many, many years ago. Thinking about how long ago makes me feel slightly old, think pre-hubbies and kids! This recipe was not Whole30 or Paleo friendly when it was originally shared so today I took on the challenge to make it so.
The main ingredient, after shrimp, was butter and that is not Whole30 or Paleo friendly so I substituted ghee for the butter. Ghee is butter cooked until the milk solids (dairy) are cooked out and strained off. It is super easy to make or you can even buy it at most grocery stores these days. This is a tasty one: 4th & Heart Ghee. Ghee is awesome for many reasons, but my favorite reason is because it does not have to be refrigerated so you can carry it around in your bag. This is especially helpful when you are on a Whole30 round and you are heading to a restaurant.
You can serve this dish as an appetizer and let your guests eat with toothpicks, serve as a main dish over cauliflower rice, or (if you are not on a W30 round) over angel hair pasta or rice. The scampi sauce is yummy and would even be good with roasted or mashed potatoes or cauliflower. Basically anything! We like to serve a side of cooked greens with this dish so they too can soak up the scampi sauce.
Shrimp may be one of the easiest proteins to cook and yet so easy to ruin, too. Shrimp can go from perfectly cooked to ruined in a matter of minutes! This recipe is pretty foolproof as long as you keep your eye on the cooking time. Whole30 and Paleo does not mean tasteless and this shrimp scampi recipe proves it!

Servings |
|
- 1 Cup Ghee
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard This makes the sauce so do not skip it.
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 2 Tablespoons garlic Chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley Chopped and a little extra for each plate
- 1 Tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning Plus more
- 1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- Salt to taste
- 2 Pounds Shrimp, Raw Use medium or jumbo shrimp that are shelled and deveined. I prefer shells off for ease of devouring, but your call and depending on what you have available to you.
- Cauliflower Rice, Potatoes, Pasta, or Rice Your choice what you would like to serve the shrimp on.
Ingredients
|
![]() |
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Add the ghee to a 9" x 13" pan or a baking dish that is big enough to have one layer of shrimp as well as prevents the sauce from spilling out of it. Place the dish in the oven and melt the ghee. This should only take a minute or two so keep an eye on it to avoid burning the ghee.
- Remove the dish from the oven and add mustard, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, Old Bay, cayenne, and salt to the melted ghee in the dish. Mix all ingredients well.
- Add shrimp to the dish and make sure it is well covered in the sauce. After mixing the shrimp in, make sure it is in one layer in the pan. Sprinkle Old Bay on top of the shrimp.
- Place the dish into the oven and cook for about 8-10 minutes until the shrimp are cooked throughout. The amount of time will depend on the size of your shrimp and the smaller they are, the less cook time they need. When shrimp are cooked, they will be slightly pink, have a little bit of white color to them, and no longer be translucent. They should also start to form the letter "C". If they are bright white and forming the letter "O", they may be overcooked.
- Once cooked, remove the shrimp scampi from the oven. Serve the shrimp over your rice or noodles and make sure to give each serving a hearty amount of the sauce. Sprinkle a little fresh parsley on each plate. Devour it!