Full of bright, fresh flavors, this garlic shrimp recipe is perfect for any occasion. The sweet taste of the shrimp pairs deliciously with the garlic, the acidity from the lemon, and the touch of heat from the red pepper flakes. You’ll have everyone drooling as you set down the skillet.
It’s so quick and easy to make, and all you need is a simple side, such as roasted vegetables or some rice or fresh pasta, and you’ll have dinner ready in a flash. It goes with everything, or you can simply eat it on its own! Since its made in one skillet, clean up is a breeze.
Even better, that lemony garlic sauce that coats the shrimp is plentiful at the bottom of the pan. You’ll want to grab some crusty bread to soak up every last drop. if you want another easy shrimp recipe, then try my bacon wrapped shrimp recipe, shrimp alfredo recipe, or shrimp scampi recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Shrimp — I recommend you use large shrimp as small shrimp will cook too quickly, and they’re easy to overcook. You can buy pre-peeled and deveined to cut down on the preparation time. You can use shrimp with tails on or off.
Butter — I use unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter, you can adjust the amount of salt you add to the shrimp.
Oil — the butter adds flavor to the shrimp, and the oil will help keep the butter from burning in the skillet.
Garlic — although you can use pre-minced jarred garlic, freshly minced garlic will provide the best flavor.
Lemon juice — I highly suggest using fresh lemon juice for the brightness. Bottled lemon juice does not have the same fresh, bright flavor.
How to Make Garlic Shrimp
1. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels.
2. Combine the shrimp, salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Toss well.
3 Melt the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned shrimp, garlic, and red pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the shrimp are pink and opaque, about 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve immediately.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- This recipe cooks quickly, so make sure you have all your ingredients measured and ready to go as soon as you start melting the butter in the skillet.
- Shrimp cooks very quickly, so keep a close eye on the skillet! Once the shrimp goes from translucent to opaque, the shrimp is ready.
- Always pat shrimp dry with a paper towel. This will remove excess water to give your shrimp the best possible texture when it goes in the skillet, and it’ll help the seasoning stick better. If the shrimp has moisture on it, it’ll steam instead of sear in the skillet.
- The larger the skillet, the better! If you use a small skillet, the shrimp will steam.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course! If you live in an area where fresh shrimp is not easily accessible, frozen shrimp is a great option. Since the shrimp is frozen shortly after being caught, it is often great quality and much more budget-friendly.
Thaw the shrimp by running them under cold water. Make sure you pat the shrimp dry, so you get a nice sear on the shrimp.
Start by peeling the shrimp if it is not already peeled. Use a small paring knife to cut along the outer edge of the shrimp’s back, around ¼-inch deep. Then, use the tip of the knife to dig and pull out the dark vein.
This garlic butter shrimp recipe is best enjoyed immediately. However, you can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Garlic Shrimp recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Garlic Shrimp
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined (tails on or off) (450g)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels.
- In a medium bowl, combine the shrimp, salt, and black pepper. Toss well.
- Melt the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned shrimp, garlic, and red pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the shrimp are pink and opaque, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve immediately.
Notes
- This recipe cooks quickly, so make sure you have all your ingredients measured and ready to go as soon as you start melting the butter in the skillet.
- Shrimp cooks very quickly, so keep a close eye on the skillet! Once the shrimp goes from translucent to opaque, the shrimp is ready.
- Always pat shrimp dry with a paper towel. This will remove excess water to give your shrimp the best possible texture when it goes in the skillet, and it’ll help the seasoning stick better. If the shrimp has moisture on it, it’ll steam instead of sear in the skillet.
- The larger the skillet, the better! If you use a small skillet, the shrimp will steam.
This recipe was beautiful. The rosemary and pancetta add lovely layers. I added spinach for veggie goodness. Let’s just say, there were no left overs and I had volunteer dishwashers.
Wow! happy it was a hit!
I love shrimp and this is a great recipe to include in my repertoire of best recipes! Fabulous idea to add some pancetta!
Garlic and shrimp go perfectly in this fabulous Preppy Kitchen recipe…pancetta adds an incredible taste that makes it absolutely memorable! I am adding this one to my favorite shrimp favorites!
I absolutely loved these garlic shrimp! I would never have thought to add rosemary but it really works and it’s so delicious!