Sautéed Garlic Butter Shrimp is a quick and flavorful entrée that will be on the table in less than 15 minutes. Shrimp are sautéed in a buttery garlic sauce and finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
You're going to love this recipe for Sautéed Garlic Butter Shrimp. These garlicky, buttery shrimp only take 15 minutes to prepare. Best of all, they are absolutely delicious and full of flavor.
On a busy weeknight, garlic butter shrimp is a quick and easy meal to prepare. Serve alongside a side salad for a complete, low calorie meal. Or, serve with Pan-Seared Ribeye with Garlic Butter for a surf and turf style meal.
To make this recipe more like a classic shrimp scampi, add a splash of white wine after you flip your shrimp.
Using frozen shrimp
To make this recipe even easier, buy a bag of fresh frozen shrimp from your local grocer. Look for shrimp that are peeled and deveined, unless you like to do the extra work yourself.
Frozen shrimp will thaw in just a few minutes if you've pulled them straight from the freezer. Simply place in a strainer in the sink and run warm water over your shrimp. After a few minutes, they'll be ready to cook.
What size shrimp do I need?
I buy large size shrimp for this recipe, but feel free to use what you have on hand. I've also made this shrimp recipe with medium and jumbo shrimp, depending on what was available at my local store that week.
Keep in mind that your cooking times will vary with different sized shrimp. Smaller shrimp will cook much more quickly (maybe 1-2 minutes per side at most), while jumbo shrimp may need an extra minute of cook time.
Cooking shrimp
The best indicator of a fully cooked shrimp is the color. Your shrimp will turn pink and opaque, and begin to curl up slightly.
Cooking shrimp this way will only take about 4 minutes total to cook through, so keep an eye on them.
Overcooking shrimp will make them tough and rubbery, so take care not too cook for too long - just until their color changes and they begin to curl up.
📖 Recipe
Sautéed Garlic Butter Shrimp
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lemon, sliced in half
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- In a sauté pan over medium heat, add butter. Once melted and hot, add shrimp. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes, then flip shrimp over.
- Cook for 1 more minute, then add minced garlic, stirring to combine. Cook for 1 additional minute, or until shrimp have turned pink and begin to curl up slightly. Remove from heat.
- Squeeze lemon over shrimp and add fresh parsley. Toss to coat. Serve immediately.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Medium or jumbo shrimp can be used instead of large shrimp. Keep in mind that smaller shrimp will cook more quickly, and large shrimp may need another minute or so of cooking time.
- To make this dish more like a traditional shrimp scampi, add a splash of white wine when flipping your shrimp. The wine will cook down and reduce while your shrimp finish cooking.
I've made this twice now. I used the Jumbo Shrimp. It was absolutely easy and absolutely delicious.