Lemon Pepper Shrimp – straightforward recipe!

fast and straightforward, 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.

At a glance

What stands out: 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

Rich Lemon Pepper Shrimp

Garlic, lemon, cracked black pepper, and butter dress this shrimp evenly, 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 us the shrimp!

We always have frozen shrimp in our freezer. It thaws quickly under running water for speedy and straightforward meals. Keep reading for more shrimp recipes.

What To Serve with Lemon Pepper Shrimp

Lemon pepper shrimp is reliable with an straightforward 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: we 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 it comes together

All you need is a good hot skillet and about 5 minutes. Make sure everything is ready before you get started because this goes 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 reliable 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 we're giving you. We want you to experience this shrimp in all its reliable glory. (If you’re looking for a meal idea, try shrimp with chimichurri rice or one of the recipes listed below.)

Keeping leftovers

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.

Browse Meal Plans

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

• Yield: 4 servings
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 5 minutes
• Total: 15 minutes

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

Method

1. 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.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add shrimp in a single layer.
3. 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.
4. 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.