This Garlic Butter Shrimp with lemon is one of the easiest and fastest seafood dinners you can make. Juicy shrimp simmered in buttery garlic sauce is delicious served with pasta or rice and steamed vegetables.
Why You'll Love This Dish
When you need a quick and easy dinner, shrimp is the way to go. It cooks really fast and is very versatile. This recipe calls for a quick sear of the shrimp in a skillet and then simmering it in garlicky butter. It's bursting with flavor!
A splash of fresh lemon juice brightens the dish. It's perfect at any time of the year, but especially during Spring. I serve it with asparagus that was quickly steamed in the microwave. You can also serve it with steamed broccoli, as it pairs very well with the same flavors.
What You Will Need:
- shrimp: medium or jumbo, shelled and deveined. Use fresh or frozen shrimp. See below how to thaw frozen shrimp to use in a dish.
- butter: the star of the sauce in this dish; I used unsalted butter.
- garlic: Use fresh cloves for the best flavor, but in a pinch, jarred minced garlic works too. I used 4 cloves to keep it moderate but as they say, measure garlic with your heart so if you like it, add more cloves!
- lemon: brightens the dish;
- chicken stock or white wine: for deglazing the pan so every bit of flavor is in the sauce.
How to make garlic butter shrimp?
- Start by cleaning the shrimp. Remove the shell and the vein. Rinse the shrimp and pat it with a paper towel. Place on a plate and season with salt and pepper.
- Melt butter in a pan.
- Add shrimp and cook until pink. Remove and place on a plate.
- Add more butter to a pan, and saute garlic until fragrant and golden brown.
- Add chicken stock and lemon juice and deglaze the pan.
- Place shrimp back in the pan. Simmer for 1 minute.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
How to thaw frozen shrimp?
- Place frozen shrimp in a colander and run under cold tap water. It will help thaw the ice.
- Separate the shrimp so they all thaw evenly.
- Place shrimp on a plate and into the fridge to thaw completely. You can store them in the fridge overnight.
What to serve with garlic butter shrimp?
You can serve it with fluffy rice or pasta, like fettuccine or even penne. I always steam broccoli or asparagus to serve on the side.
Recipe FAQs:
Absolutely! Arrange shrimp in a baking dish. Make the garlic sauce in a pan, then pour over the shrimp. Bake for 15 minutes in 375 degrees F oven.
This is a matter of preference. I always remove the tails because the digestive tract (the black vein) goes all the way to the end of the tail and you can miss a bit of it if you don't remove it carefully.
Any leftovers should be stored in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 3 days. I never keep seafood for longer than that.
To reheat the dish, place it in a pan and add a splash of stock and a little butter.
More seafood recipes:
If you like this recipe and make it, let me know in the comments below! Don't forget to rate it if you enjoyed it!
Garlic Butter Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 lb medium shrimp shells removed, deveined
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup vegetable stock or white wine
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- chopped parsley
Instructions
- Remove shells and devein the shrimp. Rinse well and pat dry with paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.1 lb medium shrimp
- In a large skillet, melt two tablespoons of butter.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Add shrimp and cook until pink. Remove onto a plate and set aside.½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Add garlic to pan and saute until fragrant and golden brown.4 garlic cloves
- Add stock or wine and deglaze the pan (that means scraping any cooked-on bits from the bottom of the pan, with a wooden spatula).¼ cup vegetable stock or white wine
- Add lemon juice and shrimp. Simmer for 1 minute.2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Serve with chopped parsley, rice or pasta and steamed vegetable.chopped parsley
Notes
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with.
Krissy Allori says
These shrimp are amazing! Super quick and easy and delicious.
Anna says
Thank you, Krissy!
Eden says
This garlic butter shrimp was SO good!! We all loved it and can't wait to make it again!
Anna says
I am so glad! Thanks, Eden!
wilhelmina says
This shrimp the best! Love, love, love how easy and delicious it is!
Anna says
Right? So easy! Thanks so much, Wilhelmina!