Buttered Garlic Shrimp (Printable)
Succulent shrimp in a rich garlic butter sauce with lemon and parsley, ready in just 20 minutes.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Seafood
01 - 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
→ Dairy
02 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
→ Vegetables & Aromatics
03 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
05 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
→ Seasonings
06 - ½ teaspoon kosher salt
07 - ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
→ Optional Accompaniments
08 - Lemon wedges, for serving
09 - Crusty bread or steamed rice, for serving
# How To Make It:
01 - Pat the shrimp thoroughly dry with paper towels and season evenly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
02 - In a large skillet set over medium heat, melt the unsalted butter. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant, taking care not to let it brown.
03 - Arrange the seasoned shrimp in a single layer in the skillet. Cook undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes on the first side until they just begin to turn pink, then flip each shrimp and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until fully opaque throughout.
04 - Remove the skillet from heat. Add the lemon juice and chopped parsley, tossing the shrimp gently to coat evenly in the butter sauce. Serve immediately to prevent overcooking.
05 - Transfer the shrimp to a warm serving platter and accompany with lemon wedges alongside crusty bread or steamed rice.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The entire dish comes together in twenty minutes flat, which means you can pull it off on the most chaotic weeknight without breaking a sweat.
- That garlicky butter sauce is so good you will want to drag every last bit through a piece of crusty bread, and nobody will judge you for it.
- It looks wildly impressive on a plate, making it the ultimate trick up your sleeve for last minute dinner guests.
02 -
- Overcooked shrimp turn rubbery in seconds, so pull them from the heat the moment they curl into a loose C shape rather than waiting for a tight ring.
- Wet shrimp will boil in the pan instead of searing, which is why that extra thirty seconds spent drying them completely changes the texture from steamed to golden.
03 -
- Let the skillet get hot before adding butter so the shrimp start searing the instant they touch the surface rather than sitting in a lukewarm puddle.
- A splash of white wine deglazed into the pan right after the shrimp come out creates an instant pan sauce that makes a simple weeknight dinner taste like a restaurant special.