Easy Garlic Shrimp Recipe
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You won’t believe how quick and easy these delicious Garlic Shrimp are to prepare. With only a few simple ingredients, you will have a restaurant-quality meal in no time. They can be served as a party appetizer; you can make a light meal with them and serve with a tossed salad or as a topping on pasta for a heartier dish.
There are a few things that make this Easy Garlic Shrimp unique and pretty straightforward to make. First is the simple but winning combination of spices – lightly seasoned with ground cumin, a bit of red pepper, and of course, salt. Then comes the olive oil combined with lemon and minced garlic, giving a vibrant taste to the shrimp.
In the end, baking under the broiler makes the recipe even easier to put together while getting way better results than frying. Simple seasonings combined together make a crowd-pleasing dish, not to mention super duper easy.
When was the last time you were able to get dinner cooked in under 5 minutes? With a little prep ahead of time, this quick and easy Garlic Shrimp can be cooked in a few short minutes. By the time you walk in the door, turn on the broiler, spread the shrimp in a pan, place them under the broiler, you hardly have time to change into your yoga pants before it’s done and ready to enjoy.
HOW TO MAKE THIS GARLIC SHRIMP RECIPE
Marinade – Make the marinade in a large bowl, by mixing in garlic, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper, add the olive oil and lemon juice, and whisk everything well together. Then add the shrimp and toss to coat. Set aside to marinate for around 20 minutes.
Baking – Preheat the oven broiler on high for 10-15 minutes. Once ready, transfer the shrimp to a baking pan or ovenproof skillet and bake for around 3 minutes or until the shrimp gets pink. Once out of the oven, optionally sprinkle some parsley on top and enjoy!
You can also prepare garlic shrimp ahead of time. It consists of whisking together a simple marinade, adding the shrimp and letting them camp out in the fridge, marinating (up to a day ahead) until ready to cook. So easy! I do appreciate recipes that can be prepped ahead, especially when entertaining.
SERVINGS SUGGESTIONS
When it comes to side dishes that go well with shrimp, there are plenty of them, and they take as little time to prepare as this recipe. Garlic shrimp is perfect as a recipe on its own, but if you are looking to add something more, Sauteed Green Beans Recipe or Garlicky Orange Kale Salad Recipe are nice compliments to serve with the shrimp, as well as, orzo salad, roasted asparagus, or roasted broccoli with lemon, lemon zest, and olive oil goes very well with shrimp. Of course the quickest side dish would be a simple tossed salad, and you’ve got yourself one satisfying yet light meal. If you have a little bit more time on hand, you can also boil some pasta while you wait for the shrimp to marinate, then toss with the garlic shrimp once it’s done.
This easy garlic shrimp is not only perfect for dinner but fabulous for a quick party appetizer too! I would consider doubling or tripling the recipe if serving these shrimp for a party because they will disappear quickly.
If you love garlic recipes like me, I highly recommend checking out this handy kitchen tooltip: A microplane is the perfect tool for grating garlic directly into any dish. It works like a charm!
MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES YOU’LL ENJOY AS MUCH AS THIS EASY GARLIC SHRIMP
- Shrimp Cocktail Recipe
- Easy Shrimp Scampi Recipe
- Shrimp Creole Recipe
- Bacon And Lentil Soup Recipe
- Quick Shrimp and Grits Recipe
Easy Garlic Shrimp
A flavorful shrimp dish that can be ready in a few minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime or lemon juice
- 6 garlic cloves, grated or minced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound large shrimp, shelled (except for tails) and deveined
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together olive oil, juice, garlic, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Set aside and marinate for 20 minutes.*
- Preheat oven broiler on high.**
- Spread shrimp along with marinade in single layer in an oven-proof skillet or baking pan.
- Place in center of oven and broil for 3 minutes, until pink.
Notes
*Shrimp may be marinated for longer, up to a day. If marinating longer than 20 minutes, omit lime/lemon juice, then add juice just before cooking.
**If needed, shrimp may also be cooked stove top. Cook over medium heat for until done (about 3 minutes), turning halfway through.
Originally published October 23, 2015.
looks so delicious! I love easy shrimp dishes!
Amy, This dish looks wonderful. It’s nice to have a light, quick recipe to make after a long day!
Is there parsley or something added? Did I miss something? The picture looks like there’s green maybe parsley or cilantro mixed in
The parsley is just a garnish. You can add it if you’d like.
What type of sauce would go good on pasta with this?
A simple garlic, butter, olive oil would go nicely with this, something like a scampi.
Are the shrimp fresh or frozen?
It does not matter. If frozen are used, they should be thawed first.
Can you use vegetable oil?
Yes, you can.
Can I use cooked shrimp or does it need to be uncooked
I use this for meal prep every week I love it so much!
I use precooked with no tail and I use garlic powder instead (1/8 tbsp per clove)
If served with spaghetti, what do you suggest as the pasta sauce?
I would serve with a basic beurre blanc (butter, white wine, lemon juice), scampi type sauce or a basic alfredo would be delicious too!
Hi Amy,
I prepared your shrimp dish for dinner tonight and it was amazing! So delicious. My husband said, ” that’s better than any restaurant.” Thank you for sharing!
Susan
YAY! I’m so happy to hear that, Susan. It’s such an easy recipe and certainly quicker than heading out to a restaurant.
Can i add a side to this? If so what will go nicely with this?
No, this shrimp must be eaten plain without any sides otherwise you risk tainting the palate. If you must have a side I suggest making a side of more shrimp (this same recipe of course)
you are silly!
I use minced garlic how much does 6 garlic cloves equals measuring spoon wise?
Garlic cloves vary is size, but I think about 4 teaspoons of minced would be a good guess. You can always adjust to your preference.
The minced garlic I buy/use says 1/2 teaspoon = roughly 1 clove… I’d use roughly 3 teaspoons.
Can it be done on a frying pan?
Yes it can.
Made this for dinner tonight and we all loved it! Thank you for these simple yet tasty recipes!!
I made this last night…man it was awesome…great recipe. I will definitely make again real soon????
So happy to hear it, Salena! It is one of our easy go-to favorites.
This was perfect. I made it with a side of brown rice (cooked in chicken broth). I halved the recipe. The only thing I did differently was instead of the olive oil, I used 1/4 chicken broth. (watching my calories). Marinated for 10 mins. Then sautéed for a few mins (and added water as needed). Fabulous and healthy
Where is the recipe??
The recipe is at the bottom, but above where you left this comment.
Omg so perfect and tasty. Like the texture from broiling versus on the stove.
I do too! I’ve done it both ways when an oven wasn’t available but I really think broiling them is so much better.
Hi, before putting this in the oven, how deep should the shrimp be in the marinating juices?
They don’t have to be covered, just coated well.
My husband made this tonight. I don’t know what he did wrong, but it was really gross. Too much garlic, and too much heat. Did anyone else make this and think the same? I read these comments and it seems like only 2 or 3 people actually made it. Thanks.
Hi, I actually made this on yesterday and although it was not gross, I didn’t like it. I usually love a little heat but all the spices together just didn’t work for me. I came back to the recipe today to see if I did something wrong. Nope, I didn’t. I followed the recipe. I guess this was recipe just wasn’t for me.
made this recipe last night, had all of the ingredients on hand, even added in some old bay! absolutely DELICIOUS. I’ve made shrimp many times before and they have never been so flavorful. marinated them for about 35 min. will certainly make these again!!! thank you!
Yay! Glad to hear it, Amanda.