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.
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but why use chicken stock? when its seafood based dish. so does it come out tasting of shrimp of chicken? its confusing.
I would’ve normally used white wine in this type recipe but was out. Chicken stock is a great neutral base for almost any recipe and worked fine in this one. With all the butter, garlic and lemon you don’t taste the stock. Hope this helps.
Prepared this dish last night and served it with rice.
It was delicious! My husband and I loved it. Loved that it was so quick and easy to prepare. Thank you!
I usually have this dish with pasta, but I haven’t cooked it myself. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.
Just made this. It looked beautiful, tasted great!!!
This is such a lovely recipe. Your shrimp looks really delicious and so healthy too. Great job.
Pointless setting the shrimp aside. Do step 2 then 1. They came out great. Quick and easy.
Do you think this would still work with Dairy-free butter or do you think it’ll throw if the taste completely? Recipe sounds delicious by the way!
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Great recipe! I love the formula because of its simplicity. Simple materials, easy to process. Thanks for your sharing
I made this for lunch today and it is absolutely delicious!
Simple. Quick. Tasty.
Definitely a crowd pleaser in our house!
Made this recipe for someone else. I don’t even eat shrimp. But after tasting these results, I have changed my mind about shrimp. This recipe is indeed “Damn Delicious!!!”
Could I just use frozen cooked shrimp and cook it for a shorter amount of time?
I do worry that the shrimp will get overcooked but unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
I used thawed, drained and patted dry cooked shrimp. Just heat through only a minute or so covering with all that buttery, garlicky goodness. Mine turned out great. Hope this helps you.
This is one easy recipe for a beginner like me to follow. Yummy! Thanks for sharing. Bob
Garlic butter shrimp sounds totally yum … but too much lemon!!
I added only 1 juice of lemon as the recipe states but now I can’t taste any butter or garlic ☹️
Going to have to try again another day when I buy shrimp again. Some of the family like it as is
Judene, you can always reduce the amount of lemon as needed. 🙂
A great recipe. We made it and devoured it, wished we had more instantly. The base sauce turned out to better than the shrimp. My children begged for more.
Easy and everyone from my husband to my one year old loved it!
Awesome!! It’s better than my fav shrimp scampi and you can also use it as a wing flavor. Thanks for the recipe. It’s delicious!!
The colors look so eye-catching, I will definitely make it for the weekend party, I hope my friends will like it.
Nervous feeling
Thank you for sharing
Awesome Garlic Shrimp dish and very similar to the way I make it. I add a splash of good quality white wine and a few Red Thai Chili peppers for an out of this world experience!! Lastly sprinkle some fresh cut parsley and cilantro (Bc I love both) and lemon juice!!!
Yes there are. They are optional. I just sprinkle less than 1 teaspoon.
Amazing! I love the sweet and savory taste.