Garlic Butter Shrimp

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This Garlic Butter Shrimp has such an addicting sauce, you won’t want to leave any of it behind! Grab a crusty loaf of bread and dinner is done!

We love serving this shrimp with Crispy Homemade French Fries or a side of Spicy Mushroom Rice to soak up all the delicious butter and garlic sauce!

garlic butter shrimp in a white crock with forks

A 15 Minute Shrimp Recipe!

You guys, I’m telling you, it doesn’t get much easier than this garlic shrimp recipe. Even though it looks super fancy and restaurant worthy, it’s only going to take you 15 minutes form start to finish.

Maybe even less.

 Buy shrimp that’s already peeled and deveined to save yourself TONS of time. That’s probably my least favorite job in the kitchen, deveining shrimp. I’ll pretty much do anything to not have to do that, even if it’s a few more bucks for the shrimp.

Most seafood counters will do it for you if you ask them to, for free or for a very small fee. And I do believe that it’s money well spent! To have a seafood dinner on the table like this in 15 minutes is definitely worth a few extra dollars!

shrimp in a skillet on a marble board

How To Perfectly Sear Shrimp

We get a lot of questions about food sticking to the pan, and how to keep that from happening. For one, you have to make sure you have enough oil or butter coating that bottom of your skillet. It doesn’t have to be a deep fry, a light coating will do, but an even coating.

Often your cooktop will be slanted to one side so you’ll have one side of your skillet that’s dry and one side that has more oil. Swirl the pan to make sure you have a layer of oil on the dry side before adding the shrimp.

The other trick to getting a perfect sear on the shrimp is to get them into a skillet in a single layer and leave them alone for at least 2 minutes. If you try and move the shrimp around before they are ready they will stick to the pan.

When the shrimp release from the skillet easily that means they are ready to turn. You can see from the picture above that we didn’t use a lot of oil at all, just a thin layer that evenly covered the bottom of the skillet.

Don’t be afraid to use stainless steel, either. I do think that you get a better sear on most any food using stainless steel as opposed to a non-stick skillet so do try it if you ahve one. This giant 14″ stainless steel skillet is our new favorite pan these days!

Garlic Butter Shrimp in sauce

What Size Shrimp Should I Buy For This Recipe?

Definitely not the giant shrimp like we used in our Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Recipe, this shrimp recipe is more about the sauce. Of course you want to buy the freshest shrimp you can find, or good quality frozen shrimp but they don’t need to be huge.

We got a 21-30 count shrimp, which means there are approximately 21-30 shrimp per pound. You can even go smaller especially if you’re making this garlic shrimp for appetizers instead of dinner.

So I would say to buy the best quality shrimp that’s in your budget! Sometimes frozen is better, just check around to see what your area has to offer.

garlic butter shrimp recipe in a bowl

Can You Make This Garlic Shrimp Ahead Of Time?

Nope. I’m going to just stick with a no on this one.

This Garlic Butter Shrimp is best served sizzling hot right from the pan, there’s really no other way to do it. Yes, we have had a few leftover shrimp and heated them up quickly in the microwave but it’s just not the same flavor.

Since this recipe is SO quick and easy to make, just save yourself about 15 minutes before you need to serve and you’ll be all set. The only thing you can really do ahead of time is chop the garlic and parsley!

Here’s a not on the chopped garlic, too. Don’t buy the pre-chopped garlic in those jars, that stuff is pretty awful. They add a solution to the garlic to preserve it and it just doesn’t taste like fresh garlic. And when you have a recipe like this on with only a few ingredients, you have to make sure they are all the best.

So grab that garlic press and put it to good use!

piece of bread being dipped into garlic butter sauce

Honestly, the bread that you serve with this Garlic Butter Shrimp is almost as important as any other ingredient. Make sure to get a nice, crusty bread that will soak up all that buttery, garlicky, goodness.

Long after the shrimp is gone you’ll still be sopping up all the sauce, I can promise you that. If you’re serving this shrimp for happy hour or appetizers at a party it goes perfectly with a crisp, dry champagne or white wine, even a nice cold beer!

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garlic butter shrimp in a white crock with forks

Garlic Butter Shrimp

  • Author: Dan
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 6 Servings 1x

This shrimp is served in the most addicting garlicky butter sauce that’s made for dipping!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 12 tablespoons olive oil, depending on the size of your skillet {*see note}
  • Kosher salt and fresh black pepper for seasoning the shrimp
  • 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
  • 1 pound 21-30 count shrimp, peeled and deveined {*see note}
  • 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
  • 1 stick of butter
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Instructions

  1. Season the shrimp generously with salt, pepper and Old Bay Seasoning on both sides.
  2. Add enough olive oil to evenly coat the bottom of a 12 inch skillet. You might need more or less depending on the size of the skillet that you’re using.
  3. Add the shrimp in an even layer, if you’re pan isn’t large enough to do this all at once just cook the shrimp in two batches. Sear the shrimp for 2 minutes on each side, then remove to a plate and cover with foil.
  4. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the pan, then add the garlic. Stir to cook the garlic in the butter for 1 minute, then carefully pour the wine into the pan.
  5. Scrape up the bottom of the pan as the wine cooks down, then bring the wine to a simmer for 3-4 minutes until it reduces slightly.
  6. Add the rest of the butter to the skillet along with the cooked shrimp and the parsley. Stir to combine the shrimp with the sauce and cook for 2 minutes to warm the shrimp. Add the lemon juice to the pan right before serving.
  7. Serve immediately with bread for dipping.

Recipe Notes

You can use smaller shrimp too for this recipe, just use about a pound.

You’ll want a thin, even coating on the bottom of your skillet so add enough oil depending on the size of your pan.

This recipe will serve 6 for appetizers and 4 for dinner.

  • Category: Appetizers
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: American

 

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7 Responses
  1. Anna

    This is one of the recent best recipes on your blog, Dan. I tried this out last day on some king prawns the spouse had bought from the local fish market festival (?!) and it came out really well. The garlic and wine combination startled me a bit, but then when it all came together, I was smacking my lips. So was him. Yay!






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