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    Home » Recipes » Main Dish

    Easy Sautéed Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp

    By Lily・Published: Apr 28, 2023・Updated: Jul 16, 2021・Post may have affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This easy sautéed lemon garlic butter shrimp recipe is a 15-minute weeknight meal. It's full of flavor and very easy to make. There's not much that can go wrong with this dish. You can also serve this lemon garlic butter shrimp with some pasta and freshly grated parmesan. A simple chopped salad compliments this dish too, like this Persian Shirazi Salad.

    sautéed garlic butter shrimp in a nonstick pot

    Anytime you put garlic and butter in the same sentence, I'm sold like this Roasted Steelhead Trout Recipe with Lime Garlic Butter Sauce. This lemon garlic shrimp recipe is great for fresh shrimp (or previously frozen). I don't recommend using pre-cooked shrimp for this delicious dinner.

    What I Love About This Recipe

    This is one of the easiest shrimp recipes ever. The buttery lemon garlic sauce has the best flavor, and this can hit the dinner table within 15 minutes flat.

    This easy lemon garlic shrimp is a great go-to recipe for busy weeknights. Not to mention, it is so dang delicious. I haven't had a single person not love this sautéed lemon garlic butter shrimp recipe.

    Ingredient Notes

    ingredients laid out for lemon garlic butter shrimp
    • Large Shrimp or Prawn: The best shrimp for this lemon garlic butter shrimp is jumbo shrimp, large shrimp, or prawn. Prawns are similar to jumbo shrimp but a little larger and meatier in texture. Prawns are very common in Southeast Asia. I recommend high-quality wild-caught fresh raw shrimp to make the very best lemon garlic butter shrimp. Also, make sure to use uncooked shrimp.
    • Olive oil: I add just a little bit of high-quality extra virgin olive oil. My favorite olive oil right now is the Whole Foods 365 unfiltered Greek extra virgin olive oil.
    • Fresh garlic: For a delicious garlicky sauce, use fresh garlic cloves.
    • Kerrygold butter: My favorite butter is Kerrygold butter. You can find it in many US grocery stores and at Costco (it looks like below). It has a very nice flavor for cooking.

    See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for quantities.

    kerrygold butter in its package

    How To Make Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp

    raw shrimp in a bowl

    Wash and devein the shrimp. Remove the tail and outer shell.

    pat dry raw shrimp

    Pat dry the shrimp with a paper towel.

    add salt to the garlic cloves

    Slice the end off the garlic cloves. In a bowl, add the fresh garlic cloves and some salt.

    mashed garlic in a bowl

    Mash the garlic with a pestle. Alternatively, use a garlic press to finely mince the garlic. A third option is to finely mince the garlic with a chef's knife and cutting board. Set the mashed garlic aside.

    melted butter and olive oil in a pan

    Add the olive oil and butter to a large skillet on medium-high heat.

    pan-fry the shrimp

    Place the deveined shrimp in a single layer (if possible) on the skillet. Add some freshly cracked black pepper and salt.

    garlic butter shrimp in a pan

    Once the shrimp has changed colors on the bottom side (after about 1 to 2 minutes), add the mashed garlic to the pan by moving some of the shrimp.

    squeeze lemon on top of garlic butter shrimp

    Flip each of the shrimp over one by one. Squeeze fresh lemon juice as the shrimp cooks.

    cover the pot so the shrimp can cook through

    Cover the nonstick skillet with a lid for the shrimp to cook through (about 2 to 3 minutes). The shrimp is finished once the color has changed on all sides.

    add some chopped parsley to the sautéed shrimp after it has been cooked

    Add lemon wedges and some chopped fresh parsley on top to garnish. Serve this succulent shrimp with some roasted potatoes, pasta, steamed couscous, or rice.

    Tips and Tricks

    Don't overcook the shrimp. Sautéed shrimp does not take long to cook. Once the shrimp has changed colors on all sides, it needs just a minute or two more for it to be completely cooked through. If the shrimp is overcooked, the texture will become rubbery.

    Use large to medium shrimp. Don't use small-sized shrimp.

    I recommend using fresh garlic to make the lemon garlic butter sauce.

    sautéed lemon butter shrimp

    Variations and Substitutions

    • Substitute lime for lemon.
    • Add fresh herbs or lemon zest.
    • Add spicy pepper. If you like a bit of spice, add some chili red pepper flakes or some freshly chopped spicy peppers.
    • Mix in some cooked angel hair pasta. This can be a one-pan lemon garlic shrimp pasta by mixing in some cooked angel hair pasta. Just add ½ cup of shredded parmesan cheese and 16 oz. of cooked angel hair pasta.
    • Serve this lemon-garlic shrimp with cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, or a side salad.

    Equipment

    Sautéed shrimp is best prepared in a nonstick skillet with a lid. I recommend mashing the garlic with a mortar and pestle or using a garlic press.

    Storage

    Store this lemon garlic butter shrimp in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 to 3 days. I wouldn't go past that mark with seafood. I don't recommend freezing this dish.

    Seafood Recipes

    • roasted steelhead trout with garlic lime butter
      The BEST Baked Steelhead Trout with Garlic Butter Sauce
    • butterflied lobster tails with lemon and garlic butter
      Butterflied Steamed Lobster Tails With Herb Butter
    • steamed shrimp with homemade cocktail sauce.
      Perfectly Steamed Shrimp Cocktail
    • homemade fried calamari using fresh squid
      Italian Fried Calamari (Calamari Fritti)

    What To Serve With Shrimp

    • dried cranberries, pecans, gorgonzola cheese, apples, and baby spinach in a bowl
      Apple Gorgonzola Spinach Salad With Candied Pecans
    • quartered baby Yukon gold potatoes on a plate with herbs.
      Butter Roasted Baby Gold Potatoes
    • close up of middle eastern eggplant salad in a bowl
      Middle Eastern Fried Eggplant Salad (Betinjan Meqli)
    • batata harra garlic and cilantro fried potatoes
      Cilantro Garlic Fried Potatoes (Batata Harra)

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    📋 Recipe

    a close up view of sautéed lemon garlic butter shrimp

    Easy Sautéed Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp Recipe

    Author: Lily
    Course: Main Dish
    Cuisine: Mediterranean
    Prep: 10 minutes mins
    Cook: 5 minutes mins
    Total: 15 minutes mins
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate Email
    Servings 4
    This easy sautéed lemon garlic butter shrimp recipe is a 15-minute dinner made with freshly mashed garlic, lemon juice, butter, and large shrimp.

    Ingredients
     
    US Customary - Metric

    • 1½ lbs large shrimp or prawns
    • 2 medium lemons
    • 2 tablespoon butter
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 5 garlic cloves
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Wash, devein, and peel the shrimp. Pat dry the shrimp with a paper towel.
    • Mash the garlic with some salt with a mortar and pestle.
    • In a nonstick skillet, add the butter and olive oil on high heat. 
    • Add the shrimp to the skillet. Once the shrimp changes colors (about 1 to 2 minutes), add the mashed garlic. Flip the shrimp over to the other side. Squeeze the lemon juice on top of the shrimp. Cover the shrimp until cooked through (about 2 to 3 minutes).
    • Add some chopped parsley. 

    Notes

    • This shrimp can be eaten with some pasta. Just boil a 16 oz. bag of angel hair pasta. Drain. Add the pasta with ½ cup of shredded parmesan cheese.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 6shrimp | Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 0g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 10.3g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7.3g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 237mg | Sodium: 642mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g

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    About Lily

    Howdy! My name Lilian, but my friends call me Lily. I'm the founder and one of the recipe authors here at The Matbakh. I enjoy sunsets, long walks to the fridge, meaningful relationships, and anything related to food. I'm so happy you are here!

    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Andy

      June 25, 2022 at 2:30 pm

      I’m making this tonight. Can’t wait to try it! What brand of skillet is shown in the pictures? I like size and shape. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Lily

        June 25, 2022 at 3:53 pm

        I hope you like the recipe, it’s one of favorite ways to prepare shrimp and it’s super quick. I think the nonstick pan is a masterclass sauté pan I found at HomeGoods. It has a glass lid which makes the shrimp cook a bit quicker. I would recommend any nonstick pan that’s about 10” wide or so. Really any nonstick will work. Let us know how it turns out!

        Reply
    2. Johnny

      January 21, 2022 at 1:12 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Lily.
      Thank you for the Recipe, like you I love to cook and I like to eat, I’m going to make it your way tonight and I know I’ll enjoy it , especially with some pasta .
      Love always, Johnny
      P.S. looking forward to new Recipe in the near future from you! Be blessed and safe, and your family.

      Reply
      • Lily

        January 21, 2022 at 7:01 pm

        Hi Johnny, Thanks for the comment! Hope you like the recipe

        Reply
    3. Joanna

      July 23, 2021 at 4:36 pm

      5 stars
      Turned out excellent. Will be keeping this for the future.

      Reply

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    lily at the matbakh

    I'm Lily

    I'm an American Lebanese living in Texas. My kitchen, or matbakh, is a hodgepodge of recipes from the U.S. and Mediterranean region.

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