Garlic Butter Shrimp
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An amazing flavor combination of garlicky, buttery goodness – so elegant and easy to make in 20 min or less!
Featured Comment
Garlic and butter. The two greatest pleasures in life. The two ingredients I could probably live off of for the rest of my life. And when you combine these two in a glorious shrimp skillet, well, it’s nothing short of perfection.
why i love this recipe
- Fast, weeknight dinner. Made in just 20 minutes or less, the shrimp cooks very quickly, convenient for any night of the week.
- Simple but fancy. Even with its quick time stamp, garlic butter shrimp is still fancy and impressive enough to serve for company or date night in, serving with some crusty bread and a side of rice, orzo or pasta.
- Easy recipe to halve or double. Need a treat-yourself dinner or feeding a big crowd? This recipe can easily be halved or doubled as needed.
types of shrimp
Wild caught shrimp vs. farmed shrimp
Farmed shrimp are raised in controlled environments, whereas wild caught shrimp have been caught in their natural habitats by fishermen. Wild caught shrimp is generally preferred over farmed shrimp primarily due to taste.
Frozen vs. fresh shrimp
Unless you reside in a coastal area, the “fresh shrimp” on display at your local grocery store have already been previously frozen at sea. Frozen shrimp offers ultimate freshness (flash-frozen as soon as they are caught) and flexibility, using only what you need for dinner. Bottom line, frozen shrimp will taste better and cook better.
tips and tricks for success
- Know your shrimp size. Shrimp size is calculated on number of shrimp per pound. The smaller the number, the larger your shrimp. There are about 40-50 medium shrimp per pound.
- Buy frozen shrimp. For superior quality and freshness, using frozen shrimp is ideal (but avoid the bags with freezer burn), opting for a quick thaw under cold running water.
- Cook in batches. Overcrowding the pan will lead to poor searing and chewy, rubbery shrimp.
- Reheat in the oven. Leftover shrimp can be rubbery when reheated in the microwave. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the oven at 325°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
what to serve with garlic butter shrimp
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Garlic Butter Shrimp: Frequently Asked Questions
Unsalted butter allows you to add as much salt (or as little) salt in your dish, allowing for more control and consistency.
You can replace unsalted butter with salted butter in a pinch, reducing the amount of salt indicated in the recipe, and adding to taste.
You can thaw frozen shrimp overnight, transferring it from the freezer to the fridge the day before. For a quick thaw, you can run them under cold water until completely thawed, about 5-10 minutes. Pat them dry as thoroughly as possible to remove any excess moisture (so they can brown nicely and evenly).
The lemon juice helps balance out the flavors and richness of the butter.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 day.
Garlic Butter Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Season shrimp with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Working in batches, add shrimp, and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
- Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken stock and lemon juice. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half, about 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in remaining 6 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until melted and smooth.
- Stir in shrimp and gently toss to combine.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley leaves, if desired.
Video
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You can substitute white wine for chicken stock
That just looks insanely delicious. I love a good shrimp dish!
pictures are great again–they say eat—eat now–only thing is I don’t have the makings in the house,,,so I will just have to droooool at the pictures until the stores open—thanks for another great looking recipe…..
The only thing I would add to this yummy recipe is to use grass fed butter. It is so good can’t wait to make this again!!!
I’m salivating as I print this recipe. It’s morning but I want this dish now. Can’t wait to make it. I know how good it will be because most of your recipes are at the top of my menu rotation. Thank you!
I like the fact that you give the nutrition information, but as far as the calories go, you say how many calories per serving, but not the serving size. Any way that can be added to your damn delicious recipe’s?
This was so delicious. Made it for dinner tonight. Thank you so much for this post. I will certainly be making it again.
I don’t have unsalted butter in the house, do you think I can use salted? Thanks.
Yes.
I’m so mad and sad. I tried it for dinner last night and it came out really salty because of the chicken broth :/ had to just reinvent but it does not look anything like the picture. So dissapointed in myself.
I’m sorry that this recipe did not turn out the way you had imagined. I only post recipes that have been successfully tested in my own kitchen, and as you can see from the comments here, many of these readers have had great outcomes in the final dish as well.
But with a little bit more information, we can troubleshoot what went wrong to have a successful turnaround next time. Did you follow the recipe exactly as written without any substitutions?
I’m really lost. The picture on the Pinterest says “Garlic Chicken and Brown Sugar” . Something is wrong or it’s me?
Anyway this Shrimp looks good. Thanks
I’m not too sure! I am not able to replicate the issue on my end. Are you still seeing the same pin?
I made this tonight and it was delicious! It’s very similar to a shrimp scampi that I make, but I don’t have any white wine, so I was happy to see that this only needed lemon juice and chicken stock. The only thing I changed was that I added diced onions and sautéed them in the beginning. I served it over linguine with Italian parsley and Parmesan. Yum!!
Made this tonight. It was delicious. Thanks!
Hi Chungah,
I made this last night for a girl’s night dinner with my daughter. It was simple and sooo good. Thanks!
Hi.looks great.thanks for sharing.I’m going to try it tonite.plz let me know if anyone tried it with fish.thanks
Thanks for this awesome recipe! We loved it with shrimp; I’m going to try it with white fish. Thanks again!
I’ve never told my boy friend that I didn’t know how to cook (My little secret). He came home last night from the market with raw shrimps and placed it on the kitchen counter and said “babe let’s have shrimps tonight”. OK Hun, I said almost immediately. I quickly searched on the Internet for a recipe and did as instructed. Luckily he kept inside of the room watching television so he didn’t see my readings. I was nervous at 1st, but once I completed the meal the shrimps looked yummy and the kitchen smelled like heaven. I paired the shrimps with cheesy grits. I watched in joy as my boyfriend devoured the food on his plate and once he was finished I received 3 compliments of “That ish was really good!” Followed with “can you make more in the morning?”. Thank you for this simple and quick recipe. It’s most definitely a great life saver. : D
I used fresh basil instead of parsley, it came out fantástico! Thanks
This was delicious!!! So easy and quick. Had shrimp in freezer which i thawed in 5 min in water,had dinner on the table in less than half hour. I only used 2 T of butter for the sauce, that was plenty. I served it with tri color quinoa and broccoli. Very good. Can’t wait to make it again.
My family and I love it.
Actually this is perfect for bikini season…fat doesn’t make you fat…sugar and grains do!