Garlic Butter Shrimp

Plump, succulent shrimp sautéed in an aromatic garlic butter – a perfect dinner in minutes. Watch for these visual cues for perfectly cooked soft shrimp!

This’s got to be one of the easiest shrimp recipes out there!

While it’s simple to prepare, you’ll definitely enjoy an amazing result: plump and succulent shrimp, infused with aromatic garlic butter through and through.

What makes this shrimp recipe so special?

SPEED!

• The key to buttery soft shrimp is not to over-cook them!

Over-cooking shrimp results rubbery tough shrimp, aka overcooked beyond recovery. That’d be a crime! Promise, you won’t let that happen.

And luckily, the whole cooking process takes mere minutes!!! Just stand by and keep a close eye while cooking.

HOW TO COOK GARLIC BUTTER SHRIMP:

1. Infuse the butter with garlic over medium low heat, about 1-2 minutes. 
2. Add shrimp in one layer and cook for about 1 minute, or until they just turn opaque and pink. Then flip them and cook for another minute.
3. Season with salt and cook for another minute or so, stirring frequently.

Watch for these visual cues:

Cooked shrimp turn:

• opaque
• pink
• curl into a perfect C shape

That’s it! This quick garlic butter shrimp will be your go-to weeknight meal, when you need to get the dinner on the table like 10 minutes ago.

Serve the sautéed shrimp over pasta for a complete meal. Or double the batch and serve it for a game day as an appetizer.

Hope you’ll try this recipe soon and enjoy that sizzling aroma of garlic butter! The BEST!

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Garlic Butter Shrimp

Plump, succulent shrimp sautéed in an aromatic garlic butter – perfect dinner in minutes. It’s also perfect for snacking!

Yield: 3-4 servings

Prep Time:5 minutes

Cook Time:5 minutes

Total Time:10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1lb large raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Chopped parsley for garnish, optional
• Angel hair pasta, cooked according to box directions, for serving

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes, or until nice and fragrant. (TIP: Don’t let the garlic burn. If garlic slices start to brown too quickly, reduce the heat!)
3. Add shrimp in one layer and cook for about 1 minute, or until they just turn opaque and pink. Then flip them and cook for another minute.
4. Sprinkle salt and cook for another minute or so, until all shrimp are opaque and pink, stirring frequently. Don’t overcook them, or they’ll become tough and chewy.
5. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve with pasta, or as an appetizer.

All images and text ©Shinee D. for Sweet & Savory

All photographs and content on Sweet & Savory by Shinee is copyright protected, unless otherwise noted. Please do not use any of my photos without my authorization. If you would like to share my recipe, you may re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the full directions. Thank you for your cooperation!

This recipe was originally published on September 12th, 2017, and last updated on April 28th, 2020.