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    Recipes » Main Course Recipes » Fish And Seafood Recipes

    Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp

    Published: Jun 11, 2021 · Modified: Aug 17, 2021 by Marissa Stevens · 23 Comments

    Gluten FreeLow CarbQuick MealsPescatarian

    This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Succulent shrimp tossed in a rich blend of melted butter, abundant garlic and fresh lemon juice, Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp may be the ultimate 20-minute meal.

    Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp with lemon slices in a cast iron skillet

    With just 6 simple ingredients, this flavorful, juicy shrimp not only makes an easy weeknight meal, but a welcome appetizer for your next dinner party or game day get-together.

    Ingredients You Need to Make Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp

    Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp Ingredients on a white marble board
    • Shrimp: Medium or large raw shrimp (fresh or thawed frozen shrimp) that are peeled and deveined, ideally shrimp with tails.
    • Butter: salted or unsalted butter
    • Olive Oil: ideally good, extra-virgin olive oil
    • Fresh Garlic: Look for a firm, fresh head of garlic with large cloves and smooth skin.
    • Lemon: Ideally organic as you'll need both juice and zest.
    • Parsley: Fresh, flat leaf parsley (Italian parsley) - dried parsley is not a good substitute in this dish.
    • Crushed Red Pepper
    • Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

    Fast, easy and tasty — that's how I would describe shrimp. It cooks in minutes and lends itself to a wide variety of flavor combinations. Here sweet, tender shrimp is pan fried and bathed in a bright, aromatic, lemon garlic butter sauce. A truly restaurant-quality meal on your dinner table in less than half an hour. Serve it with bread, pasta (see this Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta recipe) or rice because you won't want to miss a drop of the rich, silky sauce.

    Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp with lemon slices in a cast iron skillet

    More Must Try Shrimp Recipes

    • Shrimp Piccata
    • Shrimp Tacos
    • Spicy Grilled Shrimp
    • Shrimp Fra Diavolo
    • Shrimp Creole
    • Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

    Perfectly Paired With

    • Arugula Salad
    • Strawberry Spinach Salad
    • Greek Salad

    How to Make Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp

    Step 1: In a large skillet, heat butter and olive oil until sizzling. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes; cook and stir 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add shrimp; cook and stir until shrimp is just cooked through.

    melting butter in a cast iron skillet
    adding crushed red pepper to butter in skillet
    stirring melted butter with raw garlic in skillet
    adding raw shrimp to skillet
    cooked shrimp in a skillet

    Step 2: Add fresh lemon juice and zest, and parsley; stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to platter and serve.

    adding parsley and lemon zest to shrimp in skillet

    Recipe Video

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    Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp with lemon slices in a cast iron skillet

    Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp

    Marissa Stevens
    Succulent shrimp in a buttery, bright lemon garlic butter sauce!
    4.89 from 9 votes
    Save Recipe Saved! Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 20 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 266 kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
      

    • 3 tablespoons butter
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 5 large garlic cloves minced
    • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or more
    • 1 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined, leave tails intact if desired
    • 1 large lemon juice and zest
    • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
    • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until sizzling. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add shrimp; cook and stir until shrimp is just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.
    • Stir in fresh lemon juice and zest, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl or platter and serve.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 266kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 24gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 308mgSodium: 962mgPotassium: 169mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 622IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 186mgIron: 3mg
    Keyword comfort food, date night, dinner party, easy, quick
    Tried this recipe?I'd love to see it! Tag me on Instagram at @pinchandswirl or leave me a comment and rating below.

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    • tuna tartare served on a white plate.
      Tuna Tartare
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      Grilled Tuna Steaks

    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Rhonda Scott says

      August 29, 2023 at 3:07 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely Delicious. I added a small splash of white wine & the flavors were amazing. Quick and delicious. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        August 29, 2023 at 3:44 pm

        My pleasure, Rhonda! I'm so glad you enjoyed this and added your own touch.

        Reply
    2. Buffy says

      August 09, 2023 at 6:24 pm

      5 stars
      OH MY GOODNESS!!! I used almost every shortcut in the book and this is WONDERFUL!!! I had some frozen shrimp that a neighbor gave me when moving... dehydrated parsley... reconstituted lemon juice and lemon essential oil... minced garlic in a jar... and it was AMAZING!!!
      looking forward to making it old school with fresh ingredients!!!!!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        August 10, 2023 at 10:35 am

        haha, wow! I'm so glad you enjoyed this, Buffy!

        Reply
    3. Fred says

      August 05, 2023 at 6:35 pm

      5 stars
      Tried tonight and everyone loved it. Only thing I did different was I added a small container of cherry tomatoes. I put them right after the shrimp so they cooked just until they started to bust open. It added a great little sweet bite and a nice addition to the sauce. Served over pasta for the win!!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        August 06, 2023 at 10:10 am

        I'm so glad this was a hit, Fred! And thanks so much for your cooking notes - cherry tomatoes are a nice addition, especially right now when they're at their summer peak.

        Reply
    4. Smiley3539 says

      May 27, 2023 at 4:29 pm

      5 stars
      Looked for a new recipe. This was the first one I found. Made my shrimp in and it was absolutely delicious!! Would recommend anyone try it!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        May 28, 2023 at 1:12 pm

        I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed them!

        Reply
    5. Kat says

      June 16, 2022 at 2:31 pm

      4 stars
      Very good. I added the shrimp first though and let it cook for a few mins then added the garlic and pepper so the garlic didn't burn. Then i removed the shrimp and added the lemon and let it reduce then added the shrimp back to toss in sauce.

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        June 22, 2022 at 10:58 am

        I'm glad you're enjoying the recipe, Kat. Thanks for your cooking notes.

        Reply
    6. aza says

      April 16, 2022 at 2:02 pm

      does this go well with rice?

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        April 16, 2022 at 8:45 pm

        Hi Aza! Yes, absolutely!

        Reply
    7. J. Stephens says

      February 23, 2022 at 8:52 am

      Looking forward to trying this. Saw a similar pic and was on the hunt for a recipe. So glad I found this one. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        February 23, 2022 at 2:09 pm

        My pleasure! Hope you love it.

        Reply
    8. Patti says

      February 08, 2022 at 4:40 pm

      5 stars
      I have tried so many scampi recipes but many seem to be swimming in butter. I make more of a sauce if putting over pasta, but at times I just want shrimp. This recipe is the best. Tons of garlic, simple and delicious. I have shared it with lots of friends. Thank you!!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        February 14, 2022 at 4:00 pm

        This is wonderful to hear, Patti! Thank you for coming back to let me know.

        Reply
    9. Jennifer says

      September 08, 2021 at 8:16 pm

      5 stars
      So good! And simple. Served over linguine noodles and a side salad with a glass of white wine. Took less then 30 minutes from start to finish, simple cleanup and my partner loved it. Will add this to our menu rotation!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        September 09, 2021 at 7:15 am

        This is wonderful to hear, Jennifer! Thank you!

        Reply
    10. David @ Spiced says

      June 14, 2021 at 5:43 am

      5 stars
      This shrimp is calling my name, Marissa! We just got back from Charleston, SC, and I think I ate my weight in seafood down there. Even so, I'm ready for this recipe now! It looks amazing!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        June 14, 2021 at 9:26 am

        Hope you had lots of fun in Charleston, David! As a fellow seafood lover, I know you'll enjoy these!

        Reply
    11. Ben | Havocinthekitchen says

      June 13, 2021 at 4:30 pm

      5 stars
      The combination of shrimp, oil/butter, garlic, lemon, and herbs means an ultimate summer vibes to me! Can imagine having this meal, outside (let's pretend these horrible mosquitoes don't exist haha!), with some bread and wine. Perfection!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        June 14, 2021 at 9:26 am

        You've described my ideal summer meal, Ben. (Less the mosquitos of course!)

        Reply
    12. angiesrecipes says

      June 11, 2021 at 6:52 am

      Garlic butter and shrimp...sign me up, Marissa :-)) They look lipsmackingly delicious!

      Reply

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