Super fast and easy, lemon pepper shrimp is hard to beat! Serve it with pasta, on a simple lemon and arugula salad, or just chow it down right out of the pan.
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: It comes together in minutes, is packed with flavor, and is packed with protein!
How long it takes: Only 15 minutes!
Equipment you’ll need: A skillet or frying pan, a lemon zester, and a knife. Tongs help, too!
Servings: 4
Delicious Lemon Pepper Shrimp
Garlic, lemon, cracked black pepper, and butter dress this shrimp perfectly, enhancing its seafoody flavor, and enchanting your tastebuds. A few minutes in a hot skillet and the shrimp is ready to dive into your mouth. Who needs sides, anyways! Just give me the shrimp!
I always have frozen shrimp in my freezer. It thaws quickly under running water for quick and easy meals. Keep reading for more shrimp recipes.
What To Serve with Lemon Pepper Shrimp
Lemon pepper shrimp is perfect with an easy arugula salad dressed with a luscious lemon vinaigrette. Serve it with spaghetti squash with herbs and Parmesan cheese. Lemon roasted broccoli with Parmesan is a great side, too.
Ingredient List
- Shrimp: deveined, tails on, shelled raw or frozen shrimp, thawed under cold running water
- Salt and coarsely ground black pepper: The shrimp is simply seasoned. Omit the salt if you’re watching your sodium intake.
- Oil, for frying: I like olive oil but grapeseed or avocado oil are good choices, too.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter if you can.
- Garlic: Two cloves of fresh garlic add plenty of garlicky zest. Increase or omit, depending on how much you like garlic.
- Fresh lemon juice and zest: Buy a lemon so you have freshly squeezed lemon juice and zest. It makes all the difference in the world.
- Fresh chopped parsley: The parsley not only adds flavor, it adds a nice touch of color.
How To Make Lemon Pepper Shrimp
All you need is a good hot skillet and about 5 minutes. Make sure everything is ready before you get started because this goes really fast!
Choose a pan that’s large enough to accommodate all the shrimp in a single layer. We don’t want to crowd ’em!
Cook, flip, add seasonings. Sizzle the shrimp for a couple of minutes, flip them over as quickly as you can with tongs, and add butter, lemon, and garlic. Cook two more minutes and hey, presto! you’re done. Dinner is served.
Make It Your Own
This is such a simple and perfect recipe that it’s difficult to imagine a different way to make it. That being said, you could:
- Substitute extra large shrimp or scallops. Keep in mind that the cooking time will change..
- Omit or increase the garlic.
- Make it spicy: Add ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes.
- Okay, that’s all I’m giving you. I really want you to experience this shrimp in all its perfect glory. (If you’re looking for a meal idea, try shrimp with chimichurri rice or one of the recipes listed below.)
Lemon shrimp is best served immediately. Refrigerate leftover shrimp for up to three days. Reheat gently in the microwave.
Free Meal Plan
Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at Meal Plan #55. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. We add a new meal plan weekly.
Loving shrimp?
Shrimp is so tasty, and it’s low calorie, convenient, and good for you. What more can you ask for? Try:
- Shrimp Salad with Mango and Avocado
- Air Fryer Breaded Shrimp or Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas — cook everything in the oven!
- Grilled Shrimp Kabobs with Pineapple — you’ll need skewers for this one.
- Shrimp Tacos with avocado, mango and pineapple salsa
- Grilled Shrimp Salad with garlic parmesan Italian vinaigrette
- Shrimp Alfredo
- Sweet and Sour Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
Lemon Pepper Shrimp Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp, de-veined, shelled, tail-on, thawed and patted dry (size 16-20)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from ½ lemon)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- Chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Toss shrimp with salt and pepper. Prepare the rest of the ingredients, making sure they are ready to put in the pan when you flip the shrimp.
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add shrimp in a single layer.
- Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, quickly flip, and add garlic, lemon juice, butter, and lemon zest. Cook for 1 to 2 more minutes or until shrimp is cooked through. Cooking time will vary depending on size of shrimp used. Shrimp should be firm, pink, and curled slightly.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley.
Notes
- Lemon pepper shrimp is best served immediately. Refrigerate leftover shrimp for up to three days. Reheat gently in the microwave.
- Serving suggestions: Serve on pasta or salads.
- To reduce sodium, omit salt from recipe.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Can you use already cooked shrimp for this recipe?
No, that won’t turn out well.
sounds delicious
So irresistible!