Meat & Seafood · American
Garlic Butter Shrimp
Cook Now623kcal82.8g protein31g fat6.3g carbs~$8.18/ serving*Estimates computed from the ingredient list; cost uses average US supermarket prices. Not a substitute for packaging measurements or your receipt.
PescatarianNo porkNo alcohol · without one
Contains: dairy, shellfish
Ingredients
Servings:
| 2 lb | shrimp (large, peeled and deveined, DRIED hard) |
| ¾ tsp | salt |
| ¼ tsp | black pepper |
| 1 tbsp | olive oil |
| 4 tbsp | butter (divided) |
| 6 clove | garlic (minced, a lot) |
| 1 unit | lemon (juice + wedges) |
| ¼ cup | parsley (chopped) |
| ¼ tsp | chili flakes (the heat pinch)optional |
| ¼ cup | dry white wine (a splash before the butter — the scampi lean)optional |
| 4 slice | crusty bread (the sauce's mandate)optional |
Method
- prep5 minshrimp dried HARD, seasonedthe shrimp pressed dry between towels until nothing glistens, then salt and pepper — the drying is the recipe's one non-negotiable: a wet shrimp cools the pan into a steam bath, and steamed shrimp in butter is a different, sadder dish
- sear4 minoil + 1 tbsp butter, high, single layer, 90 seconds a sidethe shrimp laid in one layer and left alone — turned once when the down side is pink-gold, out of the pan the moment both sides are; they are one minute from perfect and two from rubber at all times, and they'll return to the sauce for their final seconds
- sweat2 minheat down, remaining butter + garlic, foaming not browningthe garlic into the fresh butter at a gentler heat — fragrant, blond, never brown: the staging is the answer to the dish's central conflict, shrimp heat versus garlic heat, and the sequence lets each have the pan at its own temperature
- toss2 minshrimp back in with lemon + parsley, off the heatthe shrimp and their plate juices returned, lemon squeezed over, parsley through, one toss off the flame — the butter, lemon, and shrimp juice emulsify into the pan sauce that is the dish's actual point; served immediately with bread for the sauce, over pasta, or on rice, and the pan gets wiped with the last crust either way