Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp (Printable)

Succulent shrimp in lemon garlic butter sauce with linguine for a vibrant, easy dinner.

# Ingredient List:

→ Seafood

01 - 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails optional

→ Pasta

02 - 12 oz linguine

→ Sauce

03 - 4 tbsp unsalted butter
04 - 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
05 - 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
06 - 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
07 - Zest of 1 lemon
08 - Juice of 1 large lemon (approx. 3 tbsp)
09 - 1/3 cup dry white wine or seafood/chicken broth
10 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Garnish

12 - Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
13 - Lemon wedges

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add linguine and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain and set pasta aside.
02 - Pat shrimp dry and season lightly with salt and black pepper.
03 - In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tbsp butter with 2 tbsp olive oil. Add shrimp in a single layer and cook 1-2 minutes per side until pink and opaque. Remove shrimp and set aside.
04 - Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining butter and olive oil to skillet. Cook garlic and red pepper flakes for 1 minute until fragrant, avoiding browning.
05 - Pour in white wine or broth, scraping up browned bits. Simmer for 2 minutes to reduce slightly.
06 - Stir in lemon juice and zest. Return shrimp and any accumulated juices to skillet. Toss gently and heat through for 1 minute.
07 - Add linguine and half the parsley to skillet. Toss thoroughly, adding reserved pasta water as needed to create a silky sauce coating the pasta.
08 - Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately garnished with remaining parsley, Parmesan cheese, and lemon wedges.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours cooking when you actually spent thirty minutes, which is the kind of magic that saves weeknights.
  • The lemon and garlic sauce is so silky and bright it makes simple shrimp feel like the star of something special.
  • Everything happens in one skillet, which means fewer dishes and more time enjoying your meal with people you like.
02 -
  • Shrimp cook incredibly fast—the moment they're pink is the moment to pull them, not a suggestion to keep going until they're curled into little rubber balls.
  • Never let garlic brown in the butter; it turns bitter and ruins the whole sauce, so keep the heat medium once the garlic goes in and stir constantly.
  • That pasta water isn't just starch, it's an emulsion that turns your lemon-butter into something that actually coats the noodles instead of sliding off.
03 -
  • Have everything prepped and at the stove before you start cooking; this dish moves fast and there's no time to mince garlic once the pan is hot.
  • If you've never zested a lemon, do it over the pan so none of that precious oil is wasted—a microplane makes it easier than any other tool.
  • The secret that changed everything for me was understanding that pasta water is not waste, it's an ingredient that fixes sauces that seem too thin or too thick.

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