Buttered Garlic Shrimp (Print Version)
Succulent shrimp sautéed in a rich garlicky butter sauce with lemon zest and fresh parsley.
# What You Need:
→ Seafood
01 - 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
→ Butter Sauce
02 - 6 tbsp unsalted butter
03 - 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
04 - 1 tsp lemon zest
05 - 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
06 - 1 tsp paprika
07 - 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
08 - 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
09 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
# Directions:
01 - Pat the shrimp thoroughly dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt and pepper.
02 - In a large skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant but not browned.
03 - Add the shrimp to the skillet in an even layer. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp begin to turn pink on the underside.
04 - Sprinkle paprika and lemon zest over the shrimp, then pour in the lemon juice. Stir well to coat every piece evenly.
05 - Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and continue cooking for another 1 to 2 minutes, swirling the pan gently, until the shrimp are fully opaque and the sauce becomes glossy.
06 - Remove from heat, toss with chopped parsley, and serve immediately, spooning the pan sauce generously over each portion.
# Insider Tips:
01 -
- The entire dish is done in twenty minutes, which makes it a weeknight hero that tastes like you spent an hour.
- That glossy garlic butter sauce is so good you will want to drag crusty bread through every last drop on the plate.
- It works as a quick appetizer with toothpicks or as a full main course ladled over rice or pasta.
02 -
- Overcrowding the pan is the number one mistake, so if your skillet is not large enough cook the shrimp in two batches to get proper searing instead of steaming.
- Carryover cooking is real and shrimp go from perfect to rubbery in under a minute, so pull them off the heat when they are just barely opaque in the center.
03 -
- Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels on both sides and let them sit uncovered in the fridge for fifteen minutes before cooking, because bone dry shrimp develop a far better crust than damp ones.
- Serve this directly from the skillet at the table because the cast iron stays hot enough to keep the butter sauce liquid and pooling, and the presentation makes people gasp every single time.