Garlic Butter Shrimp Linguine (Printable)

Tender shrimp in a silky garlic butter sauce paired with perfectly cooked linguine. An elegant, easy weeknight dinner.

# What You Need:

→ Seafood

01 - 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

→ Pasta

02 - 12 oz linguine pasta

→ Sauce

03 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
04 - 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
05 - 6 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
07 - Zest of 1 lemon
08 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

→ Finishing

09 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
10 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
11 - Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the linguine according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta.
02 - Pat the shrimp dry and season lightly with salt and pepper.
03 - In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with olive oil. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes; sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant, but not browned.
04 - Add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook for 2 minutes per side until pink and just cooked through.
05 - Stir in the lemon zest and juice. Add the drained linguine and toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time if needed to loosen the sauce.
06 - Remove from heat and toss in the chopped parsley. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
07 - Serve immediately, topped with grated Parmesan if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It tastes like a restaurant splurge but uses pantry staples and comes together faster than most takeout orders.
  • The garlic butter clings to every strand of pasta, and the shrimp stay tender and sweet if you don't overcook them.
  • You can dress it up with wine and extra herbs or keep it dead simple, it works either way.
02 -
  • Don't walk away from the garlic while it cooks, it goes from perfect to burnt in seconds and there's no coming back from that.
  • Reserve more pasta water than you think you need, you can always skip it, but if you forget and the sauce is dry, you're stuck.
  • Shrimp cook fast, so have everything else ready before they hit the pan or you'll end up with overcooked rubber while you scramble.
03 -
  • Use a microplane to zest the lemon directly over the skillet so the aromatic oils fall right into the sauce.
  • If you're nervous about overcooking the shrimp, pull them off the heat when they're just barely opaque, they'll finish cooking in the residual heat.
  • Buy shrimp that's already peeled and deveined if you're short on time, it's worth the extra dollar to skip the prep work.
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