Garlic Butter Shrimp Skillet Recipe (2024)

This Garlic Butter Shrimp makes an easy and quick meal orappetizerthat looks fancy. In just a few minutes, your garlic butter shrimp recipe will be perfectly cooked with garlic butter seasoning,making this a delicious dinner for weeknightand entertaining.

Looking for more shrimp skillet recipes? I have lots of shrimp recipes for you here: Shrimp Asparagus Skillet Recipe, Shrimp and Sausage Skillet and Air Fryer Shrimp Recipe.

Garlic Butter Shrimp

I’ve been preparing shrimp recipes for years now, and each time I make one, my family and I enjoy it more and more. Shrimp recipes are the best because they’re quick and easy to prepare, and they’re incredibly flavorful.

What Makes This Garlic butter Shrimp So good?

1. Rich and Savory Flavor: Garlic butter shrimp is known for its rich flavor just like my other garlic butter recipes such as Baked Chicken Breast, Baked Chicken Thighs and Garlic Butter Lamb Chops.
2. Quick and Easy Preparation: It’s a quick and easy dish to prepare, making it perfect for busy weeknight dinners just like my Sweet Potato Kale Shrimp Skillet, Shrimp Broccoli Skillet and Pesto Shrimp Salad.
3. Versatility: Garlic butter shrimp is incredibly versatile. You can serve it as an appetizer like my Shrimp Guacamole Bites, a main course with rice or pasta.
4. Crowd-Pleaser: Garlic butter shrimp is a crowd-pleaser. My family and I love it so much. Whether I’m cooking for family or guests, it’s a dish that tends to receive rave reviews.

How do I prepare shrimp?

For a quicker meal, I like to use shrimp that is peeled and deveined to make this garlic butter shrimp. It may cost a little more, but will save you a lot of prep time. If you use shrimp that needs to be cleaned first, you will have a few extra steps before cooking.

1. Defrost the shrimp overnight in a bowl of cool water in the refrigerator.
2. As an option, sometimes I like to soak the shrimp in salt water for a short time to refresh them after being thawed.
3. Wash the shrimp and discard any that look slimy or discolored.
4. Pull off the legs and continue pulling back the shell, then remove the tail.
5. Cut down the back of the shrimp and pull out the black vein. To remove the vein easily, slide a toothpick underneath to help lift the vein up and out.
6. Allow the shrimp to soak in cold water until you are ready to use them to make this garlic butter shrimp.

Ingredient to make Garlic Butter Shrimp

The garlic butter saucebrings this garlic butter shrimp recipeto another level. So, you can use as much butterand garlic as you wish. Ingredients here and on the recipe card below:

• Olive oil — I like using extra virgin olive oil but you can use a neutral oil of your choice.
• Shrimp — raw, peeled, and deveined
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Garlic — I prefer freshly minced garlic over buying pre-minced.
• Butter — I recommend unsalted grass-fed butter. You can swap for Ghee if you’re doing Whole30
• Italian seasoning
• Juice of 1 lemon — or more, to taste. Citrusalways add more flavour to a seafood dish.
• Fresh parsley — or herb of your choice. Cilantro and basil work as well.
• Optional: add a pinch of red pepper flakesin this garlic butter shrimp recipe for some heat. You can also add some ground onions. But for me only salt and pepper with the garlic butter sauce is already enough and very flavorful.

How to cook shrimp

1. Thaw shrimp completely in the refrigerator before cooking.
2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with olive oil. Add the shrimp and season well.
3. Cook until the shrimp is pink and opaque. Depending on the size of the shrimp, it should only take four to five minutes to cook fully.
4. Add garlic to the skillet, and cook and stir few times for about 1 minute. Add butter, Italian seasoning and lemon juice or lime juice. Stir in shrimp and gently toss everything to combine. Cook for another minute.

How long to cook shrimp

The cooking time for shrimp recipes depends on the method you’re using and the size of the shrimp. Take a look below to general guidelines:

1. Boiling: Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the shrimp, and cook for about 2-3 minutes for small shrimp and 3-5 minutes for medium-sized shrimp. Large shrimp may take 7-8 minutes. I love this Shrimp Boil recipe. The best!
2. Grilling: Shrimp on the grill usually takes about 2-3 minutes per side. They cook quickly, so keep an eye on them to prevent overcooking and becoming rubbery.
3. Sautéing: In a hot pan with oil or butter, sauté shrimp for 1-2 minutes per side for small or medium-sized shrimp. Larger shrimp may need 3-4 minutes per side. This Shrimp and Vegetable Skillet is a good recipe for a sautéed shrimp.
4. Baking: When baking shrimp in the oven at 350°F (175°C), it typically takes about 10-12 minutes for medium-sized shrimp. Adjust the time slightly based on the size. Try my Baked Potatoes with Shrimp recipe. It’s so good.

What goes well with this shrimp recipe?

This perfectly seasoned garlic butter shrimp needs side dishes to create a complete meal and a light dinner. I love to serve this shrimp recipe with:

• Pasta: It’s a classic choice
• Roasted asparagus for a healthy and delicious side dish.
• Tacos (Think about delicious shrimp tacos)​.
• Salad (I love shrimp salad)
• This Tomato salad goes so well with any type of protein and especially shrimp.
• Carrot Quinoa Salad and garlic butter shrimp makes a delicious combo.
• Rice or cauliflower rice is always a good choice or you can enjoy this shrimp recipe with fried rice or cauliflower fried rice
• Sweet potatoes and green beans
• Grits
• Crackers as a good appetizer with this garlic butter shrimp recipe too.

How To Store Leftovers

• To Store: This garlic butter shrimp can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days, or you can freeze the shrimp after cooking it and allowing it to cool.
• To Freeze:This garlic butter shrimp will last in the freezer for about three months. I like to use an airtight container, so the shrimp doesn’t take on any odors from the fridge.
• To reheat:To reheat the meal, I prefer to toss it in a pan over low heat. If it has been frozen, be sure to thaw it before reheating. Shrimp does not reheat well in the microwave.

More Shrimp Recipes:

If you love easy shrimp recipes, they’re so flavorful like this Shrimp Tomato Salad or this Cajun Shrimp. I also always make this curry coconut shrimp. So good. And I highly recommend you thy this shrimp scampi recipe, shrimp skewers, this shrimp avocado cucumber salad and this parmesan shrimp skillet made with coconut milk.

Frequently Asked Questions