Simple Garlic Shrimp Recipe: 3 Ways to Serve Garlic Shrimp

Garlic shrimp is a dish consisting of shrimp marinated or cooked in a garlic butter sauce. You can sauté garlic shrimp in olive oil or lightly poach them in a garlic butter sauce with various herbs and spices. Serve this gluten-free recipe as an appetizer, side dish, or low-carb main entrée.

The best shrimp only takes a few minutes to cook, so much of the planning comes well before the recipe itself. Here are some tips to consider when buying and preparing shrimp, whether it's your first time or you’re a seasoned pro:

1. 1. Buy frozen shrimp. The best way to guarantee freshness when purchasing raw shrimp is (perhaps contrary to popular belief) to buy them frozen. In many cases, grocery stores receive frozen shrimp deliveries that they thaw and sell at the seafood counters.
2. 2. Thaw frozen shrimp in the fridge overnight. Properly defrosting frozen shrimp takes a little extra preparation, but it allows you to avoid waterlogged texture and diluted flavor. Place the shrimp in a strainer set over a bowl and thaw them in the refrigerator overnight. Alternatively, completely seal the shrimp in a plastic bag, and run it under cold water to thaw.
   
3. 3. Clean the shrimp. Shrimp have a dark blue or black digestive tract that runs like a vein along their back ridges. “Deveining” is the process of removing this tract, and it can be time-consuming. Depending on the size of your shrimp and how you decide to cook them, deveining can eliminate any leftover grit in the final dish. Many grocery stores sell deveined shrimp, but you can perform the task yourself by using a paring knife or pair of kitchen shears to cut away the shell and open up the ridge to remove any waste.

You can serve garlic shrimp as an entrée, stand-out side dish, or instant garlicky, buttery upgrade to other dishes. Here are a few ideas for lunch or dinner:

1. 1. In tacos: Use garlic shrimp to fill Mexican shrimp tacos, then top the flavorful street food with a citrusy lime crema topping, red cabbage slaw, and fresh cilantro. Learn how to make homemade Mexican crema.
2. 2. On grits or white rice: Shrimp and grits are a classic combination: Soft, creamy grits absorb the butter sauce and lend sweetness to the spice of the shrimp. Serve with roasted veggies or sautéed dark, leafy greens. Cooking the grits with chicken broth will add an extra bit of savory contrast. Learn how to cook grits.
3. 3. On pasta: Classic Italian-American style shrimp scampi is an easy weeknight meal that traditionally features fresh shrimp cooked in a sauce made with butter, garlic, olive oil, dry white wine, crushed red pepper flakes, and lemon juice. Serve it on a bed of linguine or angel hair pasta alongside some crusty bread, topped with Parmesan cheese.