Served over cauliflower rice, spinach, or arugula, it makes a quick and tasty weeknight dinner. I regularly make several shrimp recipes, including sauteed shrimp, grilled shrimp, boiled shrimp, and broiled shrimp. This garlic butter shrimp recipe is especially flavorful and is one of the recipes I make most often. It’s the simplest recipe - shrimp cooked with garlic, butter, and lemon juice - and it’s ready fast. Most importantly, it’s delicious, and my entire family enjoys it.
Ingredients
You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need:
Unsalted butter. I love using creamy European butter, but any butter will work. Fresh garlic. I use fresh garlic cloves, peel them, and thinly slice them. Kosher salt and black pepper. I use kosher salt almost exclusively in my cooking. If you use fine salt, you’ll need to use about half of the amount listed. Cayenne pepper. A small amount adds a subtle kick to this dish. Raw shrimp. I like to use extra-large shrimp in this recipe (21-25 pieces per pound). Large shrimp (31-40 pieces per pound) work too. Lemon juice. It’s important to use fresh lemon juice. Chopped parsley. It’s not just a pretty garnish; it adds wonderful flavor to this dish.
Variations
Use ghee or olive oil instead of butter. I’m a big fan of ghee! It adds creaminess and a nutty flavor. Sprinkle dry-grated parmesan on the finished dish. Sometimes, I use cilantro instead of parsley. Cook 2 slices of bacon until crispy. Cook the garlic and shrimp in the bacon grease (instead of butter) and sprinkle the finished dish with the crumbled bacon.
Garlic Butter Shrimp Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
Melt butter in a large skillet. (Photo 1). Add the shrimp and garlic. (Photo 2). Cook for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring often (Photos 3-4). Stir in lemon juice (Photo 5). Divide the shrimp between plates and sprinkle them with chopped parsley. That’s it! Dinner is served. (Photo 6).
Expert Tips
The butter will brown and caramelize as you cook, giving the dish a fantastic flavor. If it browns too much, reduce the heat to medium. Another trick for preventing the milk solids in the butter from burning is to add a tablespoon of olive oil in addition to the butter or use ghee (clarified butter) instead of butter. In the video, I add the garlic with the shrimp. However, I have found that allowing the garlic to cook for a couple of minutes before adding the shrimp is better. This enables the garlic to brown without overcooking the shrimp. The recipe below is written accordingly. It’s best to sprinkle the dish with chopped parsley after you’ve plated it. Adding the parsley to the pan will cause it to wilt. It looks and tastes better when sprinkled on the finished dish. So, in the video, I add parsley directly to the pan but sprinkle more on the finished dish.
Serving Suggestions
Storing Leftovers
More Shrimp Recipes
Recipe Card
Another option is to serve it with thick slices of almond flour bread to soak up the buttery sauce. It’s also delicious when served on raw spinach or arugula leaves. The hot buttery sauce wilts the leaves just enough, so they’re not completely raw: Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power. Or use them in a shrimp salad!
