I’m sharing my Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp, juicy shrimp tossed in a simple garlic butter sauce and ready in just 10 minutes.
I love food that hits hard but asks for almost no effort. This Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp started as my lazy weeknight go to and somehow got fancy enough for date nights, weirdly.
I use large shrimp and garlic cloves so it still feels honest, not like one of those overthought recipes, and yeah sometimes I eyeball things and it still turns out great. People call it an Easy Garlic Shrimp Recipe and I’ve caught it popping into Lemon Shrimp Recipes roundups, but mine’s a little salt-of-the-earth, a tiny messy, and done before you can decide what to watch.
Give it a whirl.
Ingredients
- Shrimp: Lean, high in protein and low in carbs, mild sweet flavor cooks fast.
- Unsalted butter: Adds rich, silky mouthfeel and savory fat, brings flavor and golden browning.
- Olive oil: Light fruity fat that helps sear shrimp and adds healthy monounsaturated fats.
- Garlic: Pungent aromatic allium providing depth, savory bite and compounds linked to health.
- Lemon juice and zest: Bright acidic citrus that cuts richness, adds tang and fresh zesty perfume.
- Parsley: Fresh herb that brightens the dish, adds color mild grassy notes vitamin K.
- White wine or chicken broth: Liquid deglazer that boosts savory fond flavors, adds subtle acidity or umami.
- Red pepper flakes: Small heat element adds warmth without sweetness, doseable for mild to snappy spice.
Ingredient Quantities
- 1 pound (450 g) large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on or off, your call
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine or low sodium chicken broth, optional
How to Make this
1. Pat 1 pound shrimp dry with paper towels, season with salt and pepper (tails on or off, your call), devein if needed.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter, swirl until butter melts and foams; reserve the remaining 1 tablespoon butter for finishing.
3. Add 4 cloves minced garlic, cook about 30 seconds until fragrant, dont let it brown.
4. Add shrimp in a single layer and cook about 1 to 2 minutes per side until pink and opaque; sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes now if you want heat, and dont overcrowd the pan or cook in batches.
5. Push shrimp to the sides, pour in 2 tablespoons dry white wine or low sodium chicken broth to deglaze, scrape up browned bits with a spatula and simmer 30 to 60 seconds to reduce.
6. Stir in the reserved 1 tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and 1 teaspoon lemon zest, toss shrimp in the sauce to coat, taste and adjust salt and pepper.
7. Remove from heat, sprinkle 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley and toss, let sit about 30 seconds so the sauce clings to the shrimp.
8. Serve immediately, spoon the garlic butter sauce over the shrimp; great over pasta, rice, or with crusty bread to mop up every bit.
Equipment Needed
1. Large skillet (10 to 12 inches), heavy bottom for even heat, youll sear shrimp here
2. Tongs or fish spatula, to flip shrimp without tearing them
3. Chef’s knife and cutting board, for mincing garlic and trimming shrimp if needed
4. Microplane or fine zester, for the lemon zest
5. Measuring spoons, for butter, oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes
6. Small liquid measuring cup, for the wine or chicken broth and lemon juice
7. Paper towels, to pat the shrimp really dry
8. Silicone spatula or wooden spoon, to scrape browned bits and toss shrimp in the sauce
9. Small bowl, to hold minced garlic or the reserved butter while you cook
FAQ
Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Shrimp: swap with sea scallops, firm white fish like cod or halibut, or extra firm tofu for a vegetarian option. Texture and cook times will change.
- Unsalted butter: use salted butter (skip added salt), ghee or clarified butter for a nuttier flavor, or replace with extra olive oil to keep it dairy free.
- Fresh lemon juice/zest: bottled lemon juice works if you dont have fresh lemons, use lime juice for a slightly different brightness, or 1 tbsp white wine vinegar for acidity.
- Dry white wine or low sodium chicken broth: substitute extra chicken or vegetable broth, dry vermouth, or a splash of white grape juice plus a squeeze of lemon if you want no alcohol.
Pro Tips
1. Pat the shrimp super dry and let them sit at room temp for like 8 to 10 minutes before cooking, theyll sear way better and wont steam in the pan.
2. Get the skillet really hot and cook in a single layer, dont crowd it or youll end up steaming not searing, if you need to do batches thats fine just keep them warm.
3. Add the garlic only long enough to smell it dont let it brown, then finish the sauce with the last spoon of butter and lemon off the heat so it emulsifies and clings to the shrimp.
4. Deglaze the pan with wine or broth and scrape up the browned bits, reduce it quick, taste for salt at the end and add parsley last so it stays bright and fresh.
Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp Recipe
I’m sharing my Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp, juicy shrimp tossed in a simple garlic butter sauce and ready in just 10 minutes.
4
servings
255
kcal
Equipment: 1. Large skillet (10 to 12 inches), heavy bottom for even heat, youll sear shrimp here
2. Tongs or fish spatula, to flip shrimp without tearing them
3. Chef’s knife and cutting board, for mincing garlic and trimming shrimp if needed
4. Microplane or fine zester, for the lemon zest
5. Measuring spoons, for butter, oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes
6. Small liquid measuring cup, for the wine or chicken broth and lemon juice
7. Paper towels, to pat the shrimp really dry
8. Silicone spatula or wooden spoon, to scrape browned bits and toss shrimp in the sauce
9. Small bowl, to hold minced garlic or the reserved butter while you cook
Ingredients
-
1 pound (450 g) large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on or off, your call
-
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
-
2 tablespoons olive oil
-
4 garlic cloves, minced
-
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
-
1 teaspoon lemon zest
-
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
-
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
-
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
-
2 tablespoons dry white wine or low sodium chicken broth, optional
Directions
- Pat 1 pound shrimp dry with paper towels, season with salt and pepper (tails on or off, your call), devein if needed.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter, swirl until butter melts and foams; reserve the remaining 1 tablespoon butter for finishing.
- Add 4 cloves minced garlic, cook about 30 seconds until fragrant, dont let it brown.
- Add shrimp in a single layer and cook about 1 to 2 minutes per side until pink and opaque; sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes now if you want heat, and dont overcrowd the pan or cook in batches.
- Push shrimp to the sides, pour in 2 tablespoons dry white wine or low sodium chicken broth to deglaze, scrape up browned bits with a spatula and simmer 30 to 60 seconds to reduce.
- Stir in the reserved 1 tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and 1 teaspoon lemon zest, toss shrimp in the sauce to coat, taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- Remove from heat, sprinkle 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley and toss, let sit about 30 seconds so the sauce clings to the shrimp.
- Serve immediately, spoon the garlic butter sauce over the shrimp; great over pasta, rice, or with crusty bread to mop up every bit.
Notes
- Below you’ll find my best estimate of this recipe’s nutrition facts. Treat the numbers as a guide rather than a rule—great food should nourish both body and spirit. Figures are approximate, and the website owner assumes no liability for any inaccuracies in this recipe.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 151g
- Total number of serves: 4
- Calories: 255kcal
- Fat: 15.6g
- Saturated Fat: 6.3g
- Trans Fat: 0.25g
- Polyunsaturated: 1.2g
- Monounsaturated: 8g
- Cholesterol: 235mg
- Sodium: 170mg
- Potassium: 330mg
- Carbohydrates: 1.8g
- Fiber: 0.1g
- Sugar: 0.3g
- Protein: 27.1g
- Vitamin A: 125IU
- Vitamin C: 5.9mg
- Calcium: 88mg
- Iron: 1.6mg
