Olive Garden Shrimp Scampi Fritta Recipe – Crispy Fried Shrimp with Butter Sauce
One of Olive Garden’s most beloved appetizers, the Classic Shrimp Scampi Fritta features perfectly golden, lightly battered shrimp served with an irresistible creamy butter sauce. This restaurant-quality dish combines crispy cornstarch-coated shrimp with a luxurious sauce made from white wine, butter, cream, and bright lemon flavors. Now you can recreate this elegant appetizer at home using simple ingredients and straightforward techniques.
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Why This Recipe Works
The secret to perfect Shrimp Scampi Fritta lies in the light cornstarch coating, which creates an incredibly crispy exterior without overpowering the delicate shrimp flavor. The accompanying sauce reduces white wine and vinegar to concentrate flavors, then enriches them with butter and cream. This technique creates a restaurant-quality sauce that perfectly complements the crispy shrimp without masking their natural sweetness.
How Does Shrimp Fritta Taste?
This dish delivers a perfect balance of textures and flavors. The cornstarch batter creates an ultra-light, crispy coating that shatters with each bite, revealing tender, juicy shrimp inside. The creamy butter sauce provides richness and depth, while fresh lemon juice brightens the entire dish and enhances the shrimp’s natural flavor profile.
Ingredients
For the Shrimp:
- Large shrimp – Provides the protein base; fresh or frozen both work excellently when properly prepared
- Cornstarch – Creates the lightest, crispiest coating that won’t compete with the delicate sauce flavors
- Vegetable oil – Used for deep frying to achieve the perfect golden, crispy exterior
For the Scampi Sauce:
- Salt and white pepper – Seasons the sauce without adding unwanted color
- Dry white wine – Forms the flavor base of the sauce and adds sophisticated depth
- White wine vinegar – Provides acidity that balances the rich butter and cream
- Unsalted butter – Creates the luxurious, silky texture that defines classic scampi sauce
- Yellow onion – Adds subtle sweetness and aromatic foundation to the sauce
- Fresh lemon – Both juice and slices provide bright, fresh citrus notes
- Heavy cream – Enriches the sauce and creates the signature creamy consistency
- Fresh parsley – Adds color, freshness, and herbal notes to complete the dish
How to Make Shrimp Scampi Fritta
This recipe is very easy to make. Here are the steps:
- Fill a large pan with 3 to 4 inches of vegetable oil. Heat the oil to 350 degrees.
- Dredge the shrimp in the cornstarch then shake off the excess.
- Fry the shrimp in batches for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on a wire rack.
- In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the wine, vinegar, and chopped onion over medium heat until the liquid is reduced to about a tablespoon.
- Add butter and stir until it is melted.
- Add heavy cream, salt, white pepper, lemon slices, parsley, and lemon juice. Stir to combine.
- Place the fried shrimp on a serving plate and top with the wine sauce.
What type of batter do you need for this recipe?
The batter for this recipe is cornstarch. The sauce is full of flavor and using a well-seasoned batter would take away from the flavor of the sauce.
If you don’t have cornstarch you could use all-purpose or rice flour, but cornstarch provides a lighter batter and is ideal.
Olive Garden Classic Shrimp Fritta is the perfect shrimp appetizer!
I know when you take one bite of this delicious shrimp you will be hooked. It’s a wonderful appetizer that will wow your friends and family.
If you want to make it a meal, you can serve this dish with a garden salad and breadsticks.
Missing something that isn’t on the menu anymore? Check out this list of discontinued Olive Garden dishes to get the recipes.
Chef’s Notes
Cornstarch is essential for achieving the signature light, crispy coating. All-purpose flour or rice flour can be substituted in emergencies, but cornstarch provides the most authentic texture. The key to the sauce is properly reducing the wine mixture, which concentrates flavors and prevents the final sauce from being too thin or alcoholic.
For optimal results, maintain the oil temperature consistently at 350°F. Too low, and the shrimp absorb oil; too high, and the coating burns before the shrimp cook through.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Immediate Serving: Best served immediately while shrimp remain crispy and sauce is warm
- Leftover Storage: Store components separately in the refrigerator for up to 2 days to prevent soggy coating
- Reheating Method: Reheat shrimp in a 400°F oven for 5-7 minutes to restore crispiness. Gently warm sauce in a saucepan over low heat, whisking frequently. Do not microwave, as this will make the coating soggy and may cause the sauce to separate.
Love shrimp? Try these recipes!
- Beer Battered Shrimp Recipe
- How to Make Tempura Shrimp
- Joe’s Crab Shack Shrimp
- Killer Shrimp
- Creole Style Shrimp and Grits Recipe
- Shrimp Au Gratin Recipe
- Seafood Nachos Recipe
- Shrimp and Lobster Alfredo
- Honey Walnut Shrimp Recipe
- Shrimp Pasta with White Wine Sauce
Popular Copycat Olive Garden Recipes
Find more copycat fish recipes and the best Olive Garden recipes.
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Olive Garden Shrimp Scampi Fritta Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound shelled, deveined shrimp
- 2 cups cornstarch
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup unsalted butter cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped white onion
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 lemon slice, you will use 5 to 6 slices
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh parsley dry is ok
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Fried Shrimp Instructions
- Fill a large pan with 3 to 4 inches of vegetable oil Heat the oil to 350 degrees.
- Dredge the shrimp in cornstarch, shake off the excess.
- Fry the shrimp in small batches for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain on a wire rack until ready to serve.
Shrimp Scampi Sauce
- In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the wine, vinegar, and chopped onion over medium heat until the liquid is reduced to about 1 tablespoon.
- Add the small cubes of butter and stir until it is melted.
- Add heavy cream, salt, white pepper, lemon slices, parsley, and lemon juice. Stir to combine.
- Place the cooked shrimp on a serving plate and top with white wine sauce.
This is very tasty and not too complicated to make. For those wanting to know about heavy cream I use 18% to 35% cream that can be found in most grocery stores or even corner
ma and pa varieties.
what is the heavy cream?
Do you peel the shrimp before cooking it?
Yes, you do.
I always try to leave the last section at the tail with one scale for holding the shrimp in hand if you wish. None-the-less this is a really good tasty recipe. Extra lemon also gives it that extra bite and tang.
Yes remove the shell at least to the tail sections.
Can I use Rice Wine Vinegar instead of white wine vinegar?
Rice wine vinegar will add a sweetness that I do not think is in the recipe.
Can I make this recipe in an air fryer?
This could work.
Air fryers are OK but there is nothing like deep fried shrimp in oil or even french fries. Air fryers are good but if you have a deep fryer …….do it! Keep the temp up to 350ºF or even 375ºF for a nice crispy finish.