Jason Miller
My buddy Dave showed up last Friday with a bag of fresh Gulf shrimp and exactly zero plans for dinner. I told him to grab a seat and watch — ten minutes later we were eating the best garlic butter shrimp either of us had ever made. No fancy techniques, no long ingredient list, just perfectly seared shrimp swimming in a garlicky, buttery sauce with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Dave still texts me about it.
aka The Dave-Approved Butter Swim Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 lb large shrimp (16-20 count), peeled and deveined
- 3 tablespoons grass-fed butter
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep the shrimp: Pat shrimp completely dry with paper towels — this is the secret to getting a good sear instead of steamed, rubbery shrimp. Season both sides with sea salt and black pepper.
- Heat the skillet: Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the avocado oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Once the butter is melted and foaming, you’re ready to cook.
- Sear the shrimp: Add shrimp in a single layer — don’t crowd the pan. Cook undisturbed for 2 minutes until the bottoms turn pink and golden. Flip and cook for 1 more minute.
- Build the sauce: Push shrimp to one side. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the minced garlic to the open side of the pan. Cook the garlic for 30 seconds until fragrant, then toss everything together.
- Finish: Remove from heat. Add the red pepper flakes, squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the top, and toss with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
Tips
- Drying the shrimp thoroughly is the most important step — wet shrimp will steam instead of sear, and you’ll miss out on that beautiful golden crust.
- Don’t move the shrimp once they hit the pan. Let them sit and develop color before flipping.
- Serve over cauliflower rice for a low-carb meal, or with crusty sourdough bread to soak up every drop of that garlic butter sauce.
- This recipe works great with frozen shrimp — just thaw them completely in cold water for 10 minutes and pat dry before cooking.
