Ultimate Creamy Garlic Shrimp (Printable)

Succulent shrimp cooked in a rich garlic cream sauce with fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese.

# What You Need:

→ Seafood

01 - 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

02 - 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
03 - 1 small shallot, finely chopped
04 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

→ Dairy

05 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
06 - 1 cup heavy cream
07 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

→ Other

08 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
09 - 1/2 teaspoon paprika
10 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 - Juice of 1/2 lemon

# How To Make It:

01 - Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and season evenly with salt, black pepper, and paprika.
02 - Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp in a single layer and cook 1 to 2 minutes per side until just pink. Remove shrimp and set aside.
03 - Reduce heat to medium and add remaining butter, shallot, and garlic to the skillet. Sauté 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant and translucent.
04 - Pour in heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir in Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper flakes, whisking until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes.
05 - Return shrimp and any accumulated juices to the skillet, tossing to coat. Cook another 1 to 2 minutes until heated through.
06 - Stir in lemon juice and chopped parsley. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately, garnished with extra parsley and optional lemon wedges.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent an hour in the kitchen but you only dirtied one pan and barely broke a sweat.
  • The garlic cream sauce is so silky and rich it turns plain rice into something you actually look forward to eating.
  • Shrimp cook fast enough that you can start this after work and still eat before eight.
02 -
  • Do not skip drying the shrimp, wet shrimp will never get a good sear and the sauce will turn watery.
  • Pull the shrimp early because they keep cooking in the residual heat and overcooked shrimp taste like rubber bands no matter how good your sauce is.
  • Use freshly grated Parmesan because pre-grated has anti-caking agents that make the sauce gritty instead of smooth.
03 -
  • Use a large skillet so the shrimp have space to sear properly, crowding them makes them soggy and sad.
  • Let the cream simmer gently and reduce naturally instead of cranking the heat, high heat can break the sauce and make it grainy.
  • Taste the sauce before adding the shrimp back in so you can adjust seasoning while it's still easy to fix.
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