There's a small trattoria near Naples where I once ate a plate of garlic shrimp so good I asked the owner for the recipe. He laughed, poured me more wine, and said, "Butter. Garlic. Shrimp. No secret."
He was right — and he was wrong. The ingredients ARE that simple, but the order matters. Get the pan smoking hot, cook the shrimp for 90 seconds a side (any longer and they turn to rubber), and finish the sauce off the heat so the butter stays glossy instead of splitting.
This is my emergency dinner when guests are 30 minutes away and I have nothing planned.
Why home cooks love this recipe
- From fridge to plate in 15 minutes. Genuinely.
- Works with frozen shrimp — just thaw and pat very dry.
- The sauce is so good you'll drink it. Serve with bread.
Ingredients
- 500g large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 tsp chilli flakes (or to taste)
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup dry white wine (or chicken stock)
- Salt and cracked black pepper
- Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
- Crusty bread, to serve
Method
- Pat shrimp completely dry with paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. Wet shrimp will steam, not sear.
- Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add 2 tbsp butter. When it foams, lay shrimp in a single layer. Cook 90 seconds without touching.
- Flip shrimp, cook another 60 seconds. Move to a plate — they'll finish cooking in the sauce later.
- Turn heat to medium. Add remaining butter, garlic and chilli flakes. Cook 30 seconds, stirring, until fragrant but not brown.
- Pour in wine and lemon juice, let it bubble for 1 minute to burn off the alcohol and reduce slightly.
- Kill the heat. Return shrimp and any juices to the pan. Toss to coat. Sprinkle lemon zest and parsley. Serve immediately with lots of crusty bread.
Chef's tip
Take the shrimp out slightly under-cooked — they carry on cooking in the residual heat of the pan. A shrimp curls into a tight "O" when overdone; you want a loose "C".
If you make this recipe, we'd love to see it — tag @saveur or drop a photo in our reader gallery. Happy cooking.