Baked Lemon Butter Shrimp
Our Baked Lemon Butter Shrimp has the perfect combination of creamy garlic lemon butter sauce with tender baked shrimp. This delicious seafood recipe is so easy to prepare and ready in minutes! All you need are 4 ingredients and about 20 minutes for this simple dish.
Lemon Butter Baked Shrimp
Seafood plus melted lemon butter makes the best flavor combination! This is especially true when it’s light, delicate seafood like cod, flounder, tilapia, or shrimp.
We use the same flavors on our baked flounder, and it’s a reader favorite. If you’re one of the readers that love our flounder recipe, you’ll want to try this lemon butter shrimp!
Think of a baked shrimp scampi of sorts. Buttery, lemony, and garlicky! This recipe checks off all of those boxes. You’ll love this shrimp as an appetizer, as a side dish, or as an entree.
Check out our other easy seafood recipes including more shrimp dishes.
Ingredients for Lemon Butter Baked Shrimp
All you need are 4 simple ingredients for our delicious baked shrimp. There are 3 optional ingredients, two of which are salt and pepper. This recipe is super versatile making it easy to modify.
- Shrimp: 1 pound of large-sized, fresh, or frozen shrimp. Make sure it’s peeled and deveined.
- Unsalted Butter: You’ll need ¼ cup butter. Salted butter works, just omit the added salt to prevent the shrimp from becoming too salty.
- Fresh Garlic: 4 garlic cloves finely minced. This is about 2 to 3 tablespoons total. If the garlic is really strong, use less.
- Lemon Juice: 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, or about 1 good-sized lemon. Skip the bottled stuff and opt for fresh lemon juice for the best taste.
- Salt and Pepper: While optional, these ingredients enhance the flavor of the shrimp. You’ll need ¼ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper or adjust to taste.
- Parsley: Freshly chopped parsley makes a great garnish and adds a pop of color. It’s optional, so feel free to leave it off if desired.
How to Make Baked Lemon Butter Shrimp:
This baked shrimp recipe couldn’t be easier. After making the garlic butter, the rest of the time is hands-off.
See the recipe card below for the ingredient amounts and full instructions.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and arrange the shrimp in an even layer in a 9×13-inch dish.
- Melt the butter then add the garlic, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking for 30 seconds to 1 minute then remove from heat.
- Stir in the lemon juice and drizzle the sauce over the shrimp.
- Bake for 9 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and enjoy!
Tips and Variations:
- Watch the shrimp closely as they bake. It will turn pink, opaque, and curl when it’s finished baking. If the shrimp overcook, the texture turns rubbery and unappealing.
- Shrimp are naturally salty, so use extra salt sparingly. If needed, omit the salt from the lemon butter and salt the shrimp to taste once it bakes.
- Don’t overlap the shrimp in the pan; otherwise, they won’t bake properly. You’ll end up with raw or undercooked spots.
- Baked lemon shrimp cooks in my oven in 10 to 11 minutes. This is approximate since every oven is different. Adjust the baking time as needed.
How to Store Baked Shrimp:
Refrigerator: Store any leftover shrimp in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezer: This shrimp recipe doesn’t hold up well to freezing.
Reheating: Reheating shrimp can result in an unappetizing texture. However, reheating in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat yields the best outcome.
Other Tasty Shrimp Recipes to Try:
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined (thawed if using frozen)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or adjust to taste; optional
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper, optional
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible.1 pound large shrimp
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and arrange the shrimp in an even layer in a 9×13-inch dish.
- In a small pan, melt the butter then add the garlic, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking for 30 seconds to 1 minute then remove from heat.¼ cup unsalted butter4 garlic cloves¼ teaspoon salt⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Stir in the lemon juice and drizzle the sauce over the shrimp.2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Bake for 9 to 12 minutes until the shrimp are pink in color, opaque, and begin to curl.
- Sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately!
- Scroll up and see the post for tips, FAQs, and storage recommendations.
