Let me teach you how to make my copycat Cheesecake Factory Shrimp Scampi Linguine.
Say what you want about dates at the Cheesecake Factory, but I find them to be incredibly romantic. My hubby and I frequently treat ourselves to a date night there, even though he loves my cooking and wants me to do it practically all the time! But a girl needs a break occasionally – and some more pampering along the way! To get back on topic, there was one date when we ordered a shrimp scampi linguine, and it has stayed with me ever since. That said, I’ve tried my own rendition, and I like it even better than the original – my husband too! So, let me teach you how to make my copycat Cheesecake Factory Shrimp Scampi Linguine.
Before I get into the ingredients, there’s something that I need to point out – some of you may find the required products to lean a bit to the pricy side, but you probably have most of them at home. That said, transform into Nancy Drew for a sweet moment and start scouring your kitchen! Also, Cheeckace Factory shrimp scampi linguine is considered a fancy dish, so save it for special occasions – or don’t- that’s entirely up to you!
For Shrimp:
- Jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails on
- Melted butter
- Cajun seasoning
- Lemon pepper
- Kosher salt
For panko breading:
- Plain panko breadcrumbs
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Cajun seasoning
- Lemon pepper
- Kosher salt
- Vegetable or canola oil for frying
For Scampi Cream Sauce:
- Parsley, chopped
- Tomatoes, chopped
- Red onion or shallot
- Garlic paste or chopped garlic
- Butter
- Salt and pepper
- Pinot Grigio or any dry white wine of choice
- Heavy cream
- Parmesan cheese or Italian cheese blend
- Cajun seasoning
- Lemon pepper
- Lemon juice
- Kosher salt to taste
- Lemon zest
- Linguine
To clarify, panko breading is not heavy, so don’t worry if your shrimps are not fully coated. However, if you want them fully immersed in the batter, do an egg wash before you dip them into the breading. Now that that’s out of the way let me teach you how to make Copycat Cheesecake Factory shrimp scampi linguine!
- As always, boil your pasta first according to the directions on the box, drain them fully, and set them aside for later.
- While the pasta is cooking, start preparing your shrimp by seasoning and adding bread, and put them on a rack prepared to be fried.
- Add olive oil to a frying pan and put it on medium heat, and start cooking your shrimp for three minutes on each side, until they turn golden brown. Once done, set them aside to cool.
- In a large non-stick skillet, melt the butter and fry the vegetables until they become aromatic, for about two minutes or so
- While that’s cooking, deglaze the vegetables with white wine and leave it to cook for another minute. After it’s been reduced, add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Throw in some seasoning and lemon juice as well.
- Once the sauce has thickened, after about 5 minutes, add the linguine, and turn off the heat.
- Finally, place the shrimp on top and garnish with lemon zest if you desire. Serve and enjoy!
Copycat Cheesecake Factory Shrimp Scampi Linguine
Ingredients
For Shrimp:
- 2 pounds of jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails on
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 1 tsp cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp lemon pepper
- Kosher salt to taste
For panko breading:
- 1 cup of plain panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
- 1/2 tsp lemon pepper
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1/3 cup Vegetable or canola oil for frying
For scampi cream sauce:
- 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup of red onion or shallot, finely diced
- 1 tbsp of garlic paste or chopped garlic
- 2 tbsp butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cup Pinot Grigio or any dry white wine of choice
- 2 cups of heavy cream
- 1 cup of parmesan cheese or Italian cheese blend
- 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
- 1/2 tsp lemon pepper
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon zest
- 1 lb linguine
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain and set aside.
- While pasta is cooking, work on shrimp. First, season shrimp, then bread and set aside on a wire rack until frying.
- Heat frying pan with oil on medium heat, then shallow fry for 3 minutes or until each side is golden brown.
- Set fried shrimp aside on a cooling rack and proceed to making the sauce.
- In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter and saute vegetables until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Next, deglaze with white wine and allow that to cook off for another minute.
- Once wine has reduced, add heavy cream and bring to a simmer.
- Season the sauce to taste and add cheese and lemon juice.
- Once the sauce has thickened, after about 5 minutes, it’s time to add the cooked linguine noodles.
- Turn off the heat and add linguine and toss to combine.
- Add shrimp on top of pasta and garnish with fresh lemon zest if desired. Serve warm and enjoy.
Notes
The panko breading is a light breading and not meant to be a heavy batter, don’t be concerned if the entire shrimp is not fully coated. It’s meant to be a light crispy texture vs. a full batter for a deep fry.
If you want the shrimp to be fully coated in batter, do a light egg wash before dipping in panko.
The Cheesecake Factory has got nothing on my cooking! Try out my Copycat Cheesecake Factory Shrimp Scampi Linguine, and tell me what you think by leaving a review!
Falling short on recipe ideas? The recipes on my blog will fix that! Make sure to check them out!
