Garlic butter shrimp in a cast iron skillet with golden sear marks, fresh parsley, and lemon slices on a wooden cutting board

15-Minute Garlic Butter Shrimp

Name: 15-Minute Garlic Butter Shrimp
Prep time: 8 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 ½ lbs large shrimp (16/20 count), peeled and deveined, tails on or off; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 6 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tablespoons); ½ teaspoon kosher salt; ¼ teaspoon black pepper; ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional); 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon); 1 teaspoon lemon zest; 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped; Crusty bread or pasta, for serving

Published by Fork Around & Find Out Kitchen — presented in the Lila editorial voice. Editorial standards

Quick Answer

15-Minute Garlic Butter Shrimp is exactly what it sounds like: shrimp seared hard and fast in a hot skillet, then tossed in a garlic lemon butter sauce built in the same pan while it's still sizzling. From fridge to plate, you're looking at about 15 minutes.

Jump to Recipe

Fifteen-minute shrimp only works if the “fifteen minutes” includes flavor and not merely the legal definition of cooked seafood. Large shrimp make that easier because they can take a quick sear without turning rubbery while you build the sauce. Here they cook in olive oil and part of the butter with salt, pepper, and optional red pepper flakes, then get reunited with the rest of the butter, six cloves of garlic, fresh lemon juice, zest, and parsley.

Drying the shrimp before they hit the pan is the small step that changes the result. Surface moisture creates steam; a dry shrimp hitting a hot skillet gets the lightly browned edges you actually want. Garlic goes in late enough that it stays fragrant rather than burnt, while lemon juice and zest cut through the butter and keep the sauce bright. From there, crusty bread or pasta can handle whatever buttery garlic sauce remains in the skillet, assuming somebody does not start dragging bread through it directly over the stove like a person who has abandoned table manners for practical reasons. Shrimp cook fast, so have the garlic chopped, lemon ready, and parsley waiting before the pan gets hot. Once the first shrimp hits the skillet, dinner has officially stopped waiting for you.

Prep8 minutes

Cook7 minutes

Total15 minutes

Serves4 servings

DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

Servings

1 ½ lbs large shrimp (16/20 count), peeled and deveined, tails on or off
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Crusty bread or pasta, for serving

Instructions

1Pat the shrimp completely dry with paper towels. This step matters more than it sounds — wet shrimp steam instead of sear, and you want a sear. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using.
2Heat a large skillet (12-inch) over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and the olive oil. Wait until the butter foams and subsides, about 1 minute — the pan needs to be genuinely hot before the shrimp go in.
3Add the shrimp in a single layer. Do not overcrowd. If your pan isn't large enough, cook in two batches rather than stacking them. Cook undisturbed for 1 to 2 minutes until the bottom turns pink and lightly golden.
4Flip each shrimp and cook for another 1 minute on the second side. The shrimp are done when they're pink all the way through and just barely curled into a loose C shape. A tight curl means overcooked. Remove from the pan and set aside.
5Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the same pan. Once melted, add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 60 to 90 seconds until fragrant and just barely golden. Watch it closely — garlic goes from perfect to burnt in about fifteen seconds.
6Add the lemon juice and lemon zest, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it bubble for 30 seconds.
7Return the shrimp to the pan and toss to coat in the sauce. Remove from heat immediately. Stir in the fresh parsley.
8Serve over pasta, with crusty bread for the sauce, or over rice. Eat while it's hot — this dish does not improve from waiting around.

Nutrition Information

Estimated per serving: 1 of 4 servings.

290Calories

41 gProtein

3 gCarbohydrates

13 gTotal Fat

6 gSaturated Fat

0 gFiber

0 gTotal Sugars

490 mgSodium

345 mgCholesterol

Estimated from the ingredients and quantities in this recipe using standard food-composition values. Brand choices, trimming, cooking loss, optional ingredients, and actual portion size can change the numbers. How we calculate nutrition estimates.

Pro Tips

Use 16/20 count shrimp if you can find them. That's the size per pound, and larger shrimp are more forgiving on timing than small ones, which overcook before you've even turned around.
Dry your shrimp. I know I already said this in the instructions but I'm saying it again because I ignored this step for two years and wondered why my shrimp were pale and sad. Dry them.
The garlic goes in after the shrimp come out. If you add garlic to a screaming hot pan at the start, it will burn, and burned garlic tastes like a decision you regret.

Substitutions

fresh parsley → fresh basil or chives Basil gives it a slightly sweeter, more summery finish. Chives are milder. Either works if parsley isn't what you've got.

unsalted butter → vegan butter or additional olive oil For dairy-free. The sauce will be slightly less rich but still works well with a good quality vegan butter.

fresh lemon juice → dry white wine (2 tablespoons) plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice Adds depth to the pan sauce. Use a wine you'd actually drink — not cooking wine from the back of a cabinet.

large shrimp → medium shrimp or jumbo shrimp Adjust cook time: medium shrimp cook in about 1 minute per side, jumbo in 2 to 3 minutes per side. Watch the color, not the clock.

Storage Instructions

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a skillet over low heat with a small splash of water or butter — the microwave will overcook them. Shrimp do not freeze well once cooked; they turn grainy and sad.

Make Ahead

You can peel, devein, and dry the shrimp up to 24 hours in advance. Store uncovered on a paper-towel-lined plate in the refrigerator. The garlic can be minced and stored in a small bowl covered with plastic wrap. Don't make the full dish ahead — this one's meant to be eaten immediately.

Build the plate