This juicy, flavor-popping lemon garlic shrimp recipe is perfect for a quick and easy weeknight meal! It takes just 10 minutes to pull together—serve with broccoli, asparagus, or orzo for a simple meal. This one’s on repeat over here!
Why we love this recipe
We have a lot of shrimp recipes over here at A Couple Cooks—over 50, in fact! So you won’t be surprised that this protein is one of our favorite easy dinner ideas for two reasons: it’s so quick to cook and it’s easy to make taste juicy and delicious.
And what’s better than garlic, butter, and lemon combined with this juicy shellfish? Sauté it all up in a pan, and there’s really nothing better. It tastes restaurant quality, but you don’t worry: you don’t need to let people know how easy it is. Serve with sautéed broccoli, garlic bread, or orzo or couscous for a quick and simple meal.
“My 7 year old made this! She placed each shrimp on the pan and flipped it and stirred around the butter, garlic, and zest. This one was a clear winner at our house! We all loved this, I mean what’s not to love about garlicky shrimp?! Even my 4 year old ate a bunch and claimed she loves shrimp the best of all!” -Tanvee
Ingredient notes for lemon garlic shrimp
Simple skillet shrimp is our vibe for many weeknight dinners, like this Old Bay shrimp or this sauteed shrimp. When shopping for this recipe, make sure to find the best shrimp you can. Then you’ll need only a handful of additional ingredients:
- Medium shrimp: Deveined shrimp are best, either shelled or tail on. We prefer tail on for the look—make sure to serve with a bowl for discarded tails. We like medium size (usually labeled 41 to 50 count), but any size works. We find fresh shrimp tastes slightly better than frozen—and if you can, buy wild caught.
- Olive oil and butter: Combining these two cooking fats makes a rich, luxurious flavor. For dairy-free, you can use all olive oil or substitute with vegan butter.
- Garlic: Use only fresh garlic! Jarred garlic has compromised flavor. Garlic powder can work in a pinch (use ½ teaspoon), but doesn’t have nearly the robust flavor.
- Lemon: Lemon juice lifts the flavors and adds a citrus zing: you’ll use both the juice and zest. No bottled juice allowed!
🍋Tip
Make sure to zest the lemon before juicing it! It’s nearly impossible to zest after it’s juiced. For zesting, we like using a microplane grater. How much juice and zest is in 1 lemon? One regular lemon yields about 1 tablespoon zest and 3 tablespoons juice.
Make it a meal
What to add to lemon garlic shrimp to make it a meal? Our favorite side dishes are quick and don’t interfere with the sauteing process. Here are a few ideas:
Storing leftovers
This lemon garlic shrimp is best freshly made. In general, Alex and I find that shrimp is best the day of cooking it, though you can store leftovers for 2 to 3 days refrigerated. We like turning leftover shrimp into something new, like Shrimp Salad or Shrimp Rolls.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can use frozen shrimp, but make sure to thaw the shrimp completely before cooking. Pat them dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. We find the flavor is usually best with fresh shrimp.
The shrimp is cooked when it turns pink and opaque. Be careful not to overcook it, as it will become rubbery.
Absolutely! Adjust the amount of garlic and lemon to suit your taste preferences.
Description
This juicy, flavor-popping lemon garlic shrimp recipe is perfect for a quick and easy weeknight meal! It takes just 10 minutes to pull together—serve with broccoli, asparagus, or orzo for a simple meal. This one’s on repeat over here!
- 1 pound medium shrimp, deveined (tail on or peeled)*
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice and zest of 1 lemon
- Finely chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
- Pat the shrimp dry. Place it in a bowl and sprinkle it with the kosher salt and a few grinds of fresh ground black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Prepare all the remaining ingredients as noted above.
- In a very large aluminum or cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the shrimp in a single layer (without stacking it) and cook for about 1 to 1 ½ minutes, until cooked on one side.
- Flip the shrimp with tongs. Add the salted butter and allow it to melt. Add the minced garlic and lemon zest. Cook for another 1 to 1 ½ minutes until the shrimp is opaque and just cooked through. Remove shrimp to a bowl.
- Add the lemon juice to the pan and cook on low heat for 1 minute, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan to pick up flavor. Pour sauce over shrimp and serve immediately. Leftovers store well for up to 2 days.
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Seafood
- Diet: Gluten Free