This Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp is the easiest, most flavor packed shrimp you’ll ever try! All done in one skillet, in under 15 minutes.
Today’s recipe is one of my favorites, garlic butter shrimp. This is probably the easiest shrimp recipe you can make and it takes less than 15 minutes! It’s quick to put together, very minimal prep time and the shrimp is packed with flavor.
Why These Shrimp Are The Best!
- Easy Prep, Minimal Cleanup
- Only Need 1 Skillet
- Simple Ingredient List
- Fast – Takes Less Than 15 minutes
- Delicious & Juicy Shrimp
- Perfect For Beginners
Everyone loves this shrimp! I would even go as far as saying you need to double the recipe, because while I said there are 4 servings in this recipe, hubs and I can tackle it in one sitting in under 5 minutes! They’re easy to make, oh so flavorful, and versatile. What’s not to love about a one pan, 15 minute recipe?
Ingredient Notes
- Butter – I used unsalted to control how much sodium is in my dish.
- Garlic – Fresh is best! Minced.
- Shrimp – I used fresh, large shrimp, shelled and deveined. See “FAQs & Expert Tips” for more info.
- Seasoning – Red pepper flakes for a bit of spice, salt & pepper.
- Lemon Juice – I highly recommend using freshly squeezed, it makes the dish so much better!
- Parsley – Fresh, chopped.
How To Make Garlic Butter Shrimp
- Cook Garlic: Melt the butter in a large skillet, over medium high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or until it becomes aromatic.
- Add Shrimp: Add the shrimp and arrange in the skillet. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the shrimp turns pink then flip over and cook for another 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Finish & Serve: Drizzle lemon juice over the shrimp and toss. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve while warm.
FAQs & Expert Tips
FAQs
You’ll want to start at the small legs on the shrimp. Simply pull those off and the rest of the shell should start to release. Pull off the rest of the shell – but keep the tails on. To remove the vein along the top simply cut a slit with a small knife down the middle of the shrimp’s back before removing the black vein with the tip of your knife.
The meat of the shrimp will turn a combination of white, pink and opaque when it’s finished cooking. The cook time will depend on the size of your shrimp.
I always recommend using fresh shrimp, but if you do use frozen, just make sure the shrimp is fully thawed and remove any excess water before baking!
We love to eat it just like this with some crostini or just a fresh baguette. Just go in there and dip your bread in that sauce then place a shrimp on the bread and you’ve got a heavenly bite. You can also serve this garlic butter shrimp over rice or pasta for a full meal!
Tips
- Mise en place – prepare all your ingredients before starting to cook because the shrimp cooks quickly so you want to make sure everything is ready to add to the skillet when needed. But no worries, all you really have to do is chop your parsley and mince your garlic.
- Use fresh uncooked large/jumbo shrimp for this recipe. I prefer to remove the tails, but for a better presentation, leave the tails on. You can buy shrimp that are already deveined and shelled.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice, not the fake stuff.
- Keep an eye on your shrimp, you don’t want to overcook them and make them rubbery!
Storing Leftovers
In the fridge, the shrimp will keep for 3 – 4 days in an airtight container, so feel free to make them ahead of time!
Freezing
You can freeze the shrimp for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Thaw overnight in the fridge. You can make a little garlic butter and reheat them in a pan with it for more flavor.
More Delicious Recipes To Try
Craving More? Follow Along:
Garlic Butter Shrimp
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoon butter unsalted
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound large shrimp shelled and deveined
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed, from 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoon parsley fresh, chopped
Instructions
- Cook Garlic: Melt the butter in a large skillet, over medium high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or until it becomes aromatic.
- Add Shrimp: Add the shrimp and arrange in the skillet. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the shrimp turns pink then flip over and cook for another 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Finish & Serve: Drizzle lemon juice over the shrimp and toss. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve while warm.
Video
Tips & Notes:
- Mise en place – prepare all your ingredients before starting to cook because the shrimp cooks quickly so you want to make sure everything is ready to add to the skillet when needed. But no worries, all you really have to do is chop your parsley and mince your garlic.
- Use fresh uncooked large/jumbo shrimp for this recipe. I prefer to remove the tails, but for a better presentation, leave the tails on. You can buy shrimp that are already deveined and shelled.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice, not the fake stuff.
- Keep an eye on your shrimp, you don’t want to overcook them and make them rubbery!
- In the fridge, the shrimp will keep for 3 – 4 days in an airtight container, so feel free to make them ahead of time!
Shirley Steins says
Just saw this recipe. Haven’t tried it yet but I love shrimp and this looks so easy to make. It has all the ingredients I just love in it! Can’t wait to make it. Thank you you for the recipe!
Shirley says
Haven’t tried this yet, but sounds super easy and delicious, Has all the stuff I love in it. Good one to put in my family cookbook. Thank you for the recipe.
connie glentadakis says
its a keeper the best and so easy
Joanna Cismaru says
Thanks, Connie!
Albert Bevia says
I´m a sucker for anything shrimp, these garlic butter shrimp sound so good, the perfect dish
Joanna Cismaru says
Same here! Hope you give these a try. 🙂