Lemon garlic shrimp pasta is the perfect dish to make when you want to make an impression, with minimal effort. Shrimp are gently sauteed and then tossed with al dente pasta, in a buttery, garlicky concoction of parsley, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Whether you’re a shrimp cooking veteran or a beginner, this is the perfect recipe, and the best part is this can be made in about 30 minutes!
This post may contain affiliate links. Our disclosure policy.
Editor’s Note: Originally Published on January 24, 2019. Updated with full process shots and expanded info.
For the most part, this recipe requires household staples, such as lemon, butter, and garlic.
This combination is great and I use it often with seafood like this lemon garlic scallop pasta and cod piccata.
Shrimp is also a staple in our home since I use it all the time for recipes like shrimp scampi, gambas al ajillo, and shrimp tacos.
Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta is a quick one so it’s great for weeknights but impressive enough for gatherings!
Want To Save This Recipe?
Enter your email and we'll send it to you. Plus, get great new recipes from us every week!
How to make it
- Place clean and dry shrimp in a bowl with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Mix well and set aside.
- Zest the lemon and give any longer strands a chop. Also, save the lemon juice.
- Chop or slice the garlic.
- Mince the fresh parsley. Also, start boiling the pasta in salted water (2 tablespoons kosher salt per gallon of water) to 1 minute less than al dente. Be sure to reserve at least 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
- Heat a large pan to medium heat with a 1/4 of extra virgin olive oil, then add the shrimp.
- Saute the shrimp until cooked through. Roughly 3-4 minutes depending on their size. A good way to cook shrimp is to spread them out and flip them after 2 minutes. Don’t be afraid to cut one open to check if they’re done. They will be opaque and very firm and plump when touched. The objective is to cook the shrimp right to the done point but not overcook them.
- When finished place the shrimp on a plate, tent with foil, and set aside.
- To the same pan add the garlic and saute until nicely golden (about 2-3 minutes). If the pan is dry, feel free to add a touch more oil.
- Reserve 2 cups of pasta water and set aside right before draining the pasta. You won’t need all the pasta water, but it’s good to save just in case.
- Add 1/2 cup of pasta water to the pan and mix with a wooden spoon. Use the spoon to scrape up the good flavor bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Add the pasta into the pan and 4 tablespoons of butter. Coat the pasta well, cooking for about 1 minute longer. If you can flip a pan, do it now to emulsify the pasta water and butter so that it clings to the pasta. Otherwise, coat it as well as you can with a wooden spoon.
- Add the shrimp, parsley, lemon juice and zest to the pasta, mix and toss together. Taste test right now and adjust salt, pepper, and crushed pepper levels before serving. If the pasta is dry add a couple of ounces of pasta water to loosen it up. Serve right away. Enjoy!
Top tips
- Shrimp. Make sure they are completely thawed and that the baking soda trick is used. You will have great shrimp every time!
- Pasta water. With any pasta dish, I recommend reserving some pasta water. In this particular dish, the sauce is actually made from the pasta water and butter combination. The starchy pasta water and butter concoction cling to the pasta and coat it so well during the last minute of cooking. Save the remaining pasta water, and if required, use a few ounces to loosen everything up if you’re not serving immediately. I do however recommend you serve right away.
More shrimp pasta recipes
If you’ve enjoyed this Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta Recipe or any recipe on this site, give it a 5-star rating and tell us about it in the comments below.
We strive to satisfy a number of learning styles. If you are someone who prefers to learn by watching, you can find most of our recipes on YouTube and our Facebook Page.
For more never-before-seen FULL MEAL RECIPE VIDEOS, become a Patreon member today!
Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
For brining the shrimp
- 1 pound (454g) large shrimp 21/25 count
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
Remaining ingredients
- 1/2 pound (227g) spaghetti
- 4 tablespoons (60g) extra virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic sliced
- 2 cups (480g) reserved pasta water will most likely not need all of it
- 4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter
- 1 large lemon zested and juiced
- 1/4 cup minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For brining the shrimp
- Place the shrimp and remaining brining ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Wait 10 minutes before sauteing.
Completing the dish
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta to 1-minute less than al dente.
- Heat a large pan to medium heat with the olive oil. Once shimmering, add the shrimp and saute for about 3 minutes or until done (when the shrimp are firm and pink). Remove the shrimp to a plate and set aside tented with foil to keep warm.
- Add the garlic to the pan and saute for 2-3 minutes or until lightly golden. If the pan is dry, add a touch more olive oil.
- Add a 1/2 cup of pasta water to the pan. Also, add the butter and the almost-cooked pasta. Cook for 1 minute tossing to coat well so the sauce absorbs and clings to the pasta. Add the shrimp, parsley, lemon juice, lemon zest, and toss/mix again.
- Turn off the heat and taste test. Make final adjustments to salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. If the pasta becomes too dry add a couple more ounces of pasta water. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- The recipe easily doubles or triples.
- Always reserve extra pasta water just in case the pasta dries out while sitting and or waiting to serve.
- Salt is kept to a minimum so adjust according to taste.
- Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days and reheated in the microwave. Though, I recommend eating all the shrimp on the same day. Shrimp doesn’t reheat too well.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Follow Me
This recipe was originally published on January 24, 2019. It was completely updated on July 13, 2021.
A perfect shrimp pasta dish! As always, easily obtained ingredients and easy to follow directions. It is also a very quick dish to prepare. Everyone in my family loved it and we’ll be making it again.
We’re so happy you all enjoyed, Tina!
This was so simple but so delicious.
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Cory!
I added peas and arugula at the end. Forgot to save pasta water but used white wine
Delicious! Used fresh meyer lemon from my tree, the zest just made it so fresh and light! Recipe is perfect as is, I just added spinach.
Not only was the pasta excellent, the leftovers made a great spaghetti frittata for lunch the next day.
Your chicken dishes are incredible and following your directions and hints make it very easy to prepare a great meal. I love the chicken paprikas, the chicken with mushrooms and spinach and chicken scarpariello. One by one I am committed to making them all. Thanks a million for being a great chef and generously passing them along to us.
Fabulous, make this all the time. Love it.
This dish was easy and delicious. I made it for the two of us, and we ate all of it! I followed the directions for enhancements and added white wine.
When I have a dish with shrimp in it that needs to be reheated I remove the shrimp and let it come to room temperature. Reheat the remaining dish and when heated add the shrimp. The heat of the dish warms the shrimp.
Delicious. I’ve tried several variants of this recipe across the internet, and this one is my favorite so far. Personally, the serving size was more fitting for 2 dudes in their mid 20s. No way it would serve 4 of us.
Delish!!
Thanks for the great parsley tip! Great recipe and tip.
Wow … SO GOOD! I skipped the baking soda because, out of habit, I had already put some olive oil on the shrimp and it was still great (but I will try to remember next time). I doubled the shrimp so it would be a fuller meal for our family with 2 teenagers, so I also used a bit more butter, pasta water, and red pepper. I love how the sauce is so flavorful, but light and the pasta isn’t swimming in it. A high quality pasta really shines with this recipe
Food becomes too dry . Not enough sauce. Sorry don’t like it at all.
Hi Charles, a very important part of this dish and many other of our pastas is pasta water. We mention multiple times in the post that pasta water should be saved and used in the event that the sauce dries out.
I have a big bag of frozen cooked shrimp. Can they be heated?
Hi Patti, we recommend using raw shrimp for this recipe and not pre-cooked shrimp.
We absolutely love this recipe! It is absolutely restaurant worthy…probably my favorite pasta recipe ever! I love the suggestion of using a bit of anchovy…you are right, it gives it some extra zip and kicks it up a notch. It is comfort food at its best!
Hi Lesley, we’re so happy you enjoyed and thanks for the comment!
what is the purpose of the baking soda
Hi Roselyn, please refer to the section in the post titled “What’s the deal with baking soda” for more info, but it helps to keep the shrimp plump.
Your recipes / program often has the capability of doubling or tripling the ingredients. Is there a way you can also show the changes to the ingredient list for a smaller sized recipe… for one or two eaters only?
Love your recipes!
Hi Linda, from within the printable recipe card you can reduce the recipe. Thanks for the comment!
This was really flavorful for a meal that came together this quickly. I used a tad more red pepper flakes, and it really balanced out the brightness of the lemon and parsley. I will definitely make this one again.
Hi Brad, we’re so happy you enjoyed and thanks for the comment!
Awesome easy & quick Pasta with a boat load of lemon and garlic flavor!! Made just as the recipe described, and this was fabulous!!
Thank you James & Tara
Hi Cindy, we’re so happy you enjoyed and appreciate the comment!