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Serve these flavorful lemon garlic butter shrimp for an easy dinner that’s ready in less than 30 minutes! Season the shrimp with Old Bay, sauté them in a skillet with garlic, butter and shallots, and pair them with a simple green salad and a loaf of crusty bread, rice, or pasta to soak up the delicious sauce.
Shrimp recipes are so great for easy weeknight meals, since they’re quick-cooking and versatile. This garlic butter shrimp recipe is a perfect solution for family dinners because the simple, flavorful ingredients pair well with a variety of different sides. From bread, rice, pasta, and grits, to salad, broccoli or green beans, pick your favorites and enjoy a fast, satisfying meal with very little effort!
Ingredients
This is a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a pan of garlic lemon butter shrimp. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Butter: gives the sauce its rich flavor.
- Minced shallot: for a delicate taste that’s more subtle than onion.
- Garlic: another key ingredient for a flavorful butter sauce.
- Old Bay: this classic seafood seasoning gives the shrimp a bold, zesty flavor and a bit of spicy zip. For a more mild dish, reduce the Old Bay to 1 teaspoon.
- Low-sodium chicken broth: combines with the butter to form the base of the sauce. I prefer the low-sodium variety in this dish because the Old Bay and Worcestershire sauce are already quite salty.
- Chili sauce: I like Heinz brand, which is made with tomatoes, garlic and other spices. It’s like a kicked up version of ketchup!
- Lemon: for a bright, tangy, acidic touch.
- Worcestershire sauce: gives the sauce a more complex, umami flavor.
- Rosemary and thyme: fresh herbs bring the sauce to life!
- Shrimp: I prefer the meaty texture of large or extra large shrimp, but you can use any size that you like.
How to Make Garlic Butter Shrimp
This easy weeknight meal is like a zippier, more flavorful version of garlic butter shrimp scampi. Have all of your ingredients ready to go, because it moves quickly!
- Sauté shallot and garlic in butter.
- Add the shrimp and season with Old Bay.
- Cook the shrimp until they are opaque, about 5-6 minutes. Remove to a large bowl.
- Add broth to the skillet, and boil until slightly reduced.
- Stir in chili sauce, lemon slices, Worcestershire sauce, and herbs.
- Remove from the heat and pour the sauce over the shrimp.
What Goes Well with Garlic Butter Shrimp?
Serve the delicious shrimp with any of these easy sides:
- French Baguette, a loaf of crusty Dutch Oven Bread, Skillet Cornbread or Honey Cornbread to sop up that extra sauce in your bowl.
- Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits, Aunt Bee’s 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits or Drop Biscuits
- 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
- Pasta
- Homemade Coleslaw or Vinegar Coleslaw
- Tomato Salad
- Cucumber Dill Salad
- Hush Puppies or Hoe Cakes
- Charleston Red Rice, or Rice Pilaf
- Sauteed Spinach with Garlic
- Southern Collard Greens
- Southern-Style Green Beans
- Okra and Tomatoes
- House Salad with Candied Pecans, Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, or a Classic Caesar Salad
Storage
Leftover cooked shrimp will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. You can also freeze the leftover shrimp and sauce for up to 2 months.
Recipe Variations for Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp
- Swap out the Old Bay and use Creole or Cajun seasoning instead.
- As written, the sauce is not too spicy. It has a hint of “kick” from the Old Bay, but is still very kid-friendly. If you like a spicier dish, add a dash of cayenne or some hot sauce. For a more mild dish, reduce the Old Bay to 1 teaspoon.
- Cooking for a smaller family? Cut all of the ingredients in half and prepare just 1 pound of shrimp.
Tips for the Best Garlic Butter Shrimp Recipe
- Use low-sodium broth since the Old Bay and Worcestershire sauce already contribute a good amount of salt to the sauce. You can always add extra salt at the end, if necessary.
- Use fresh or frozen shrimp. If starting with frozen shrimp, you can quickly thaw them by placing them in a colander and rinsing under cold water for a few minutes.
- Keep a close eye on the shrimp. The total cooking time will vary depending on the size of your shrimp, so remove them from the skillet as soon as they are pink and opaque. If you overcook shrimp, they become rubbery and tough — not ideal!
- Fresh herbs are always best, but you can substitute with dried herbs when necessary. If using dried herbs, reduce the amounts to ¼ teaspoon for both the rosemary and thyme.
More Shrimp Recipes to Try
- New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp
- Mexican Shrimp
- Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- Crispy Fried Shrimp
- Southern Shrimp and Grits
- Easy Shrimp Scampi
Garlic Butter Shrimp with Old Bay
Ingredients
- ¼ cup salted butter
- ¼ cup minced shallot
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced (about 1 tablespoon total)
- 2 lbs. large shrimp, peeled, deveined and patted dry
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
- 1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ⅓ cup chili sauce (such as Heinz brand)
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- Optional, for serving: crusty bread, rice or pasta
- Garnish: additional fresh herbs
Instructions
- In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring constantly, until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.
- Add the shrimp to the skillet; sprinkle with Old Bay. Cook the shrimp for 5-6 minutes, flipping once, until they are opaque and cooked through. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shrimp to a large bowl.
- Add broth to the skillet, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook until slightly reduced, 8-9 minutes.
- Stir in chili sauce, lemon slices, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary and thyme; cook for about 30 more seconds. Remove from heat and pour the sauce over the shrimp. Serve immediately with pasta, bread or rice; garnish with fresh herbs.
Notes
- Use low-sodium broth since the Old Bay and Worcestershire sauce already contribute a good amount of salt to the sauce. You can always add extra salt at the end, if necessary.
- Use fresh or frozen shrimp. If starting with frozen shrimp, you can quickly thaw them by placing them in a colander and rinsing under cold water for a few minutes.
- Keep a close eye on the shrimp. The total cooking time will vary depending on the size of your shrimp, so remove them from the skillet as soon as they are pink and opaque. If you overcook shrimp, they become rubbery and tough — not ideal!
- Fresh herbs are always best, but you can substitute with dried herbs when necessary. If using dried herbs, reduce the amounts to ¼ teaspoon of both rosemary and thyme.
- Recipe adapted from Taste of the South magazine.
Any chance this recipe could be used with scallops instead of shrimp – any ideas would be helpful
Hi, Kathy! Sure, I think that would work well! I would season the scallops with a little bit of Old Bay (or just salt and pepper if you prefer), then sear them in a hot skillet over high heat with a little butter and olive oil until they have a nice crust on each side, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. I would not add the garlic and shallots to the skillet until after the scallops are done, since you don’t want those ingredients to burn over high heat. The scallops should still be slightly opaque inside — you don’t want to overcook them. Hope that helps!