Buttered Shrimp with Garlic (Printable Version)

Juicy shrimp in a rich garlic butter sauce with lemon and parsley. Quick, elegant, and ready in just 20 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Seafood

01 - 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

→ Dairy

02 - 4 tbsp unsalted butter

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

03 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
05 - 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about ½ lemon)

→ Seasonings

06 - ½ tsp kosher salt
07 - ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

→ Optional Accompaniments

08 - Lemon wedges, for serving
09 - Crusty bread or steamed rice, for serving

# How to Make It:

01 - Pat shrimp thoroughly dry with paper towels. Evenly coat with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
02 - Set a large skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Add minced garlic and sauté for approximately 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant and pale golden—take care not to let it brown.
03 - Arrange shrimp in a single, even layer across the skillet. Sear undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes until the undersides turn pink. Flip each piece and continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes more until fully opaque throughout.
04 - Remove skillet from heat. Drizzle in the lemon juice and scatter chopped parsley over the shrimp, tossing gently to coat every piece in the buttery pan sauce. Serve at once with lemon wedges alongside your choice of crusty bread or steamed rice.

# Expert Insights:

01 -
  • It goes from fridge to plate in twenty minutes flat, which means you can actually relax after dinner instead of recovering from cooking it.
  • The butter sauce is so good you will want to drag a piece of bread through every last drop, and no one should judge you for that.
02 -
  • Overcooked shrimp turn rubbery in seconds, so pull the pan from heat the moment they curl into a C shape and are just opaque.
  • Wet shrimp will boil instead of sear, so take the extra thirty seconds to pat them completely dry before seasoning.
03 -
  • Use the largest skillet you own so the shrimp have room to sear rather than steaming in a pile, because crowding is the enemy of that golden caramelized edge.
  • Let the butter foam and just begin to quiet down before adding garlic, that brief pause means the butter is hot enough to bloom the garlic instantly without scorching it.