Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi with Couscous
I think youโll love this garlic butter shrimp scampi over couscous for the same reasons I do. Itโs easy (itโs a 15-minute, activity night dinner), itโs made with just 6 basic ingredients, and most importantly, itโs got major flavor! Created especially for busy weeknights for the weeknight dinner club meal plan. ๐
Shrimp is a protein that we rely on a lot at our house – not only do (most of us) love it, but it also cooks in a matter of minutes, making it ideal for quick meals. Be sure to try my shrimp teriyaki, shrimp quesadilla, shrimp linguine, or moo shu shrimp next time.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Table of Contents
What You’ll Love About Garlic Butter Shrimp
- 15 minute dinner
- Balanced and nutritious
- Tons of garlic butter flavor
- Made with 6 simple ingredients
Ingredients
You’ll need just 6 basic ingredients to make this butter garlic shrimp scampi:
- Shrimp – Use peeled raw shrimp for best flavor. You can use tail-on for a better presentation or tail-off for easier eating. The larger (jumbo shrimp) the better!
- Garlic – Use fresh garlic for best flavor. Since this is a main component of the dish, I do recommend using fresh instead of shortcuts like frozen or jarred garlic. Add some extra cloves garlic if you’re a garlic lover!
- Lemon – Use fresh lemon juice for best flavor.
- Butter – Use high quality butter.
- Couscous – Look for packaged couscous that cooks in 5 minutes. Moroccan couscous is the smaller grains that cook very quick. Near East is a popular brand that can be found at most grocery stores. This easy shrimp recipe would also be delicious served over white rice, quinoa, or even pasta.
- Spinach – Use fresh baby spinach. You could also use other quick-cooking vegetables like baby bok choy, kale, or swiss chard.
- Sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, red pepper flakes (optional), Parmesan cheese (optional)

How to Make Garlic Butter Scampi
This garlic shrimp recipe is SO easy to make:
- Prep ingredients. Thaw shrimp, slice garlic, chop spinach.
- Cook couscous. Start boiling water for couscous and according to package instructions.

- Saute garlic shrimp. Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet and add garlic to skillet. Cook until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds and then add in shrimp to the garlic butter sauce. Cook shrimp until opaque and then stir in spinach and season with sea salt.

- Finish dish. Squeeze lemon juice over shrimp mixture and serve shrimp and spinach over couscous. Drizzle with olive oil and add some heat with red pepper flakes if desired.

Storage Instructions
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
How to reheat
Reheat couscous in the microwave just until warm, or serve at room temperature. Heat shrimp gently in a skillet, just until warm, careful to not overcook or it will become rubbery.
Can you freeze garlic shrimp?
I would not freeze the shrimp mixture after cooking as it will get rubbery in the freezing/thawing process.
How to Serve Garlic Shrimp over Couscous to the Whole Family
I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following the Division of Responsibility and knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in. ๐
As with any meal, I would recommend serving this alongside a few items you know your kids will eat (at our house itโs milk, fruit, and bread and butter). If this is a new food, try serving a tiny portion in pinch bowls โtaster bowlโ so they can sample it.
All of my articles on feeding kids can be found here and if you want a FULL list of all of the videos I have with hacks, tips, scripts, and ideas for feeding kids, check out my instagram or tiktok page.
What to Serve with Shrimp Scampi Couscous
This is a full meal on its own, but if you want to stretch it or you have a family with large appetites, add one of these sides:
- Fresh bread and butter
- Air Fryer Broccoli and Cauliflower
- Roasted Grape Tomatoes
- Lemon Arugula Salad
- Haricot Verts
More Shrimp Recipes
If you like this spicy garlic butter shrimp, you might also like these other shrimp dinner recipes:

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Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi with Couscous
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Skillet
Description
Youโll love this garlic butter shrimp scampi over couscous – itโs a 15-minute dinner, made with just 6 ingredients, and has major flavor!
Ingredients
- 16 oz. raw shrimp (as large as possible)
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1/4 lemon (~ 1 tablespoon lemon juice)
- 3 Tbsp. butter
- 12 oz. couscous (2 boxes)
- 6 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4–1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes*
Instructions
- Prepare ingredients:
Thaw shrimp if necessary.
Slice garlic.
Cut lemon in half.
Chop spinach. - Start boiling water for couscous. Cook according to package instructions.
- Melt butter in large nonstick skillet and when it sizzles, add garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds, or until fragrant. Add shrimp and cook for about 2-3 minutes, until shrimp is cooked through and opaque. Stir in spinach, season with sea salt, and stir. Once it wilts, remove from heat.
- Serve shrimp over couscous and squeeze with fresh lemon juice. Season with flaky salt, freshly cracked pepper, and red pepper flakes if desired.
Equipment

Notes
- See post above for ingredient substitutions and shrimp recommendations.
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