Garlic butter shrimp pasta
Spaghetti with shrimp in a light butter, garlic and lemon sauce.
Serving illustration.
Spaghetti with shrimp in a light butter, garlic and lemon sauce. This version is written for two people, with ingredient quantities that you can scale using the recipe card. Read the whole method before heating your pan so you can prepare the ingredients in the order they are used. Cooking times are estimates and should be checked against the doneness cues in the instructions.
What makes this dinner work
Patting shrimp dry keeps excess surface water from thinning the butter sauce. Garlic should remain pale; reduce the heat if it starts browning before the shrimp go in.
The pasta water helps carry the butter and lemon across the spaghetti. Add it gradually so the dish stays lightly sauced instead of soupy.
Before you start
This recipe contains shellfish and wheat. Frozen shrimp must be thawed safely first; thawing time is not included in the cooking estimate.
Measure the sauce ingredients and prepare the vegetables before handling any raw meat or seafood. Keep the ingredient list beside you: changes in thickness, pan size and stove output can affect the cooking time. When multiplying servings, a second pan or separate batches may work better than crowding everything into the original pan.
Cooking and handling notes
Cook shrimp until the flesh is opaque and pearly throughout. Large shrimp take longer than small shrimp; do not rely only on a timer.
The CDC guidance linked below covers keeping hands and surfaces clean, separating raw foods and refrigerating perishable food promptly. Check ingredient labels for allergies, including wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts and seafood where relevant.
Garlic butter shrimp pasta
Prep and cooking times are estimates.
Ingredients
How to make it
- Cook pastaCook spaghetti according to its package. Reserve ½ cup cooking water before draining.
- Prepare shrimpUse fully thawed shrimp, pat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Keep raw shrimp and its utensils separate from cooked food.
- Cook gentlyMelt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic for about 30 seconds, then add shrimp in one layer. Turn as they cook until the flesh is opaque and pearly throughout.
- Toss the pastaAdd drained pasta and lemon juice. Toss gently, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time until the sauce lightly coats the strands.
- FinishRemove from heat, add parsley and serve immediately. If shrimp differ in size, check the largest pieces rather than using a single fixed cooking time.
Make it work for you
Patting shrimp dry keeps excess surface water from thinning the butter sauce. Garlic should remain pale; reduce the heat if it starts browning before the shrimp go in. The pasta water helps carry the butter and lemon across the spaghetti. Add it gradually so the dish stays lightly sauced instead of soupy.
Sources & editorial notes
Follow ingredient labels and the cooking guidance below. Food-safety references are listed for further reading.
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