Simple Garlic Shrimp with Lemon-Butter Pan Sauce
A quick and flavorful garlic shrimp recipe served with a creamy lemon-butter sauce, perfect for busy nights and impressive for date nights.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1.5 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb extra jumbo shrimp (16–20 count), peeled and deveined (tails on optional)
- 0.25 tsp salt
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 0.25 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp caper brine (If skipping brine, increase lemon juice to ¼ cup total.)
- 1.5 tsp cold butter
- 1.5 Tbsp cold butter
- 0.33 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
Optional Ingredients
- Cooked linguine (or another base)
- Extra lemon wedges for serving
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Grated Parmesan (not traditional, but tasty)
Instructions
Preparation
- If serving with pasta, start boiling salted water and cook linguine until al dente.
- Pat shrimp dry with paper towels (this helps them sear instead of steam). Mince garlic, chop parsley, and measure lemon juice and brine so everything is ready—this recipe moves quickly.
Searing the Shrimp
- Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking.
- Arrange shrimp in an even layer. Sear 1 minute without stirring to get color. Sprinkle with salt. Stir and cook about 1 minute more, just until shrimp start turning pink.
Building the Sauce
- Add minced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly so the garlic doesn’t burn.
- Stir in lemon juice, caper brine, 1½ tsp butter, and half the parsley. Cook about 1 minute, just until the butter melts.
Emulsifying / Finishing
- Turn heat to low. Add the remaining 1½ Tbsp cold butter and swirl the skillet continuously until the butter melts into a creamy, glossy sauce and the shrimp are fully cooked through (about 2–3 minutes).
- Sprinkle with remaining parsley. Serve immediately—over linguine, polenta, spaghetti squash, or cauliflower rice.
Notes
For best texture: Don’t overcook shrimp—pull them as soon as they’re pink and opaque. Use freshly squeezed lemon for the brightest flavor. Avoid keeping heat too high when adding the final butter—low heat + swirling prevents an oily sauce. If you don’t have caper brine, just use more lemon juice.