Garlic Butter Shrimp from Frozen Shrimp

A bag of frozen shrimp can become a quick, satisfying dinner with very little preparation. Once the shrimp are safely thawed and dried, they need only a few minutes in a hot skillet. Garlic, butter, lemon, and parsley make a sauce you can spoon over pasta, rice, or crusty bread.

The supplied image shows frozen, raw, peeled shrimp with their tails attached. It does not show a finished dish or give ingredient quantities. The garlic butter recipe below is therefore developed from the ingredient in the photo, rather than presented as an exact recreation of an unseen recipe.

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The most useful step happens before the pan gets hot: thaw and dry the shrimp. Excess ice and water cool the skillet, causing the shrimp to steam and dilute the sauce. Get that part right, and the cooking itself is fast.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It starts with a freezer staple. You can keep shrimp on hand and decide what to make later.
• Cooking takes minutes. Once thawed, the shrimp cook quickly on the stovetop.
• The sauce uses familiar ingredients. Butter, garlic, lemon, and parsley do plenty of work without a complicated ingredient list.
• It fits several meals. Serve it over pasta or rice, tuck it into warm bread, or pair it with vegetables.
• You can control the garlic and lemon. The recipe gives you a balanced starting point that is easy to adjust at the table.

What Makes This Garlic Butter Shrimp Work?

Garlic butter shrimp sounds simple because it is—but the order of the steps matters. Shrimp go into a warm skillet first so they cook without sitting in a pool of watery sauce. Garlic goes in later, where it can become fragrant without spending enough time over heat to burn. Lemon juice is added near the end so its fresh flavor remains noticeable.

Using part butter and part olive oil gives the skillet a flavorful cooking base. A spoonful of water helps turn the melted butter and lemon into a light sauce that coats the shrimp. It is a small amount of sauce, designed to cling to each piece rather than cover them.

The recipe calls for raw shrimp. If your package says cooked or the shrimp are already fully pink and opaque before you begin, use the adjustment in the FAQ. Fully cooked shrimp need warming, not a second full cooking time.

Ingredients

Servings: 4
Prep time: About 15 minutes after thawing
Cook time: About 6–8 minutes, depending on shrimp size and skillet capacity

• 1½ pounds (680 g) frozen raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on or off
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, divided
• 5 garlic cloves, finely minced
• ½ teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Ingredient Notes

Frozen shrimp: Look at the package before starting. “Raw” shrimp may appear gray, pale, or translucent; appearance can vary when they are frozen. Choose peeled, deveined shrimp for the easiest preparation. Tails can be left on for presentation or removed for easier eating.

Shrimp size: Large shrimp are a practical choice because they give you a little more control in the skillet. Smaller shrimp may finish faster; very large shrimp may need another minute or so. The visual signs of doneness matter more than an exact number of seconds.

Garlic: Five cloves create a noticeable garlic flavor. Chop them finely so they distribute through the butter. Keep the garlic ready beside the stove; there will not be much time to chop it once the shrimp start cooking.

Butter: Unsalted butter lets you adjust the salt after the sauce has reduced. Dividing it between the beginning and end helps build flavor and gives the finished sauce a glossy texture.

Lemon: Fresh lemon juice brightens the butter. Start with the listed amount, then offer wedges at the table for anyone who wants more.

Parsley: This adds freshness and color at the end. If you do not have it, the shrimp will still taste good; there is no need to substitute a large quantity of dried herbs.