This sautéed lemon garlic butter shrimp 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 honestly. I 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.

Honestly, anytime you put garlic and butter in the same sentence, I'm sold. Like this Roasted Steelhead Trout Recipe with Lime Garlic Butter Sauce.

sautéed garlic butter shrimp in a nonstick pot

What I Love About This Recipe

I love easy, quick, delicious meals. This sautéed lemon garlic butter shrimp is perfect for the weeknight when life gets busy. 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 a high quality wild caught fresh shrimp to make the very best lemon garlic butter shrimp.
Olive oil: I add just a little bit of a high quality extra virgin olive oil. My favorite olive oil right now is the Whole Foods 365 unfiltered Greek extra virgin olive oil.
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.

How To Make Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp

Wash and devein the shrimp. Remove the tail and outer shell. Pat dry the shrimp with a paper towel.

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

mash the garlic with a mortar and pestle

Add the olive oil and butter to a nonstick pan on high heat. Place the shrimp in a single layer (if possible) on the skillet. Add some freshly cracked pepper and salt.

melt the butter and olive oil in a nonstick 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. Flip each of the shrimp over one by one. Squeeze the lemon over the shrimp.

squeeze lemon juice on top of the cooked shrimp

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.

cover the pot so the shrimp can cook through

Add some chopped parsley on top to garnish.

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

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.

Variations and Substitutions

Substitute lime for lemon.
Add spicy pepper. If you like a bit of spice, add some chili pepper flakes or some freshly chopped spicy peppers.
Mix in some cooked angel hair pasta. This can be a one pan 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.

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

This lemon garlic butter shrimp can be stored 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.

Quick Weeknight Recipes

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