Garlic Butter Shrimp
Shrimp cook faster than a kettle boils, which is exactly why they're so easy to overdo. We sear them hard on one side only and add the butter and garlic after flipping, so the garlic doesn't burn and the sauce comes out fragrant and silky.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Total
- 10 min
- Servings
- 2
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 345 kcal
Ingredients
Makes: 2 servings
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
-
Step 1: Dry the shrimp
Spread the shrimp on kitchen paper and pat the tops thoroughly dry — wet shrimp steam instead of searing. Season with salt and pepper.
-
Step 2: Sear one side
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat until it shimmers. Add the shrimp in a single layer and leave them alone for 1–1½ minutes, until the undersides are pink with browned edges.
-
Step 3: Add butter and garlic
Flip the shrimp and lower the heat to medium. Add the butter, garlic and chilli and cook for 1–2 minutes more, stirring constantly, until the butter foams and the garlic smells fragrant and is barely golden.
-
Step 4: Check for doneness
Cooked shrimp are pink and white all over, opaque in the middle and curled into a loose C. If they've tightened into an O, they've gone too far, so it's better to pull them half a minute early.
-
Step 5: Finish with lemon
Take the pan off the heat, pour in the lemon juice, add the parsley and stir so the butter and juice come together into a sauce. Serve at once, spooning the pan sauce over the shrimp.
Tips & variations
-
Tip
Frozen shrimp are best thawed overnight in the fridge. If you forget, put them in a sealed bag in a bowl of cold water for 10–15 minutes — that falls outside our 15 minutes, but it works.
-
Tip
Serve with toasted bread to mop up the sauce, with rice, or toss with 200 g freshly cooked pasta for a more filling dinner.
-
Variation
Add 2 tbsp dry white wine with the lemon juice and let it bubble for 30 seconds for a deeper, more rounded sauce.
-
Storage
Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheat very briefly over low heat — overheated shrimp turn rubbery.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 2 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 345 kcal | 690 kcal |
| Protein | 36 g | 72 g |
| Fat | 21 g | 42 g |
| Carbohydrates | 3 g | 6 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
Cooked it? Rate the recipe
No ratings yet — yours will be the first.
