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!
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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!
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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.
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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
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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.
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This recipe was originally published on January 24, 2019. It was completely updated on July 13, 2021.
This is amazing and easy!! I love how you test your recipes – it makes a real difference. I’ve made many of James and Tara’s recipes and they have all been outstanding. Thank you for the videos and written recipes. I’m a Bro Glove convert too!
We’re so happy you’re enjoying the recipes, Laura and appreciate the comment! LOL on the bro gloves!
excellent recipe. my husband & i both loved it.
That’s great to hear and thanks for the comment, Jackie!
What can be substituted for baking soda??
You can omit it if you prefer to not use.
Perfect Friday night meal, instead of going out. Hit the spot–thank you!
So happy you enjoyed, Brian!
I learned how to make a liquid that can be absorbed by the al dente pasta and coat the ingredients with flavor but the end result was way too salty and oily.
Made it today, everyone absolutely loved it! I’m adding it to the rotation.
Awesome! It’s great to hear that it was a hit, Anna!
This dish looks so impressive, is absolutely delicious and is quick and easy. It is full of flavor with very simple ingredients. The garlic is lemon, and parsley combination is fresh and light but very satisfying. I thought it might need some capers or white wine but resisted the temptation to alter the recipe. It was perfect!
We’re happy to hear you enjoyed!
This was the best recipe I have gotten, and the shrimp was juicy and tasty. I only added Italian seasoning at the end. I can’t wait to make more, now I don’t have to go to a restaurant because this recipe was perfect. My mom has CKD and we did not include any salt and it was perfect and full of flavor!! We used Red Lentil Pasta instead of regular pasta and again, HI five!!!
So happy you enjoyed, Lacretia!
The best tasting ever
So happy you enjoyed, Diane!
I chose this recipe because I had all of the ingredients, and it was appealing because it didn’t take very long. DELICIOUS! My husband said “This is dinner party worthy!” I’ll make this often.
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Cindy!
I made this for my husband and myself and it was so amazing, we tripled it for a birthday feast for friends. Everyone loved it! We loved the strong lemon & garlic flavour – nothing shy about this recipe. A couple of things I did – I replaced some of the pasta water with white wine and I used a little bit of my lemon flavoured EVOO when cooking the shrimp. We also grated parmesan cheese on top. This is going to be part of our weekly dinner menu. I already can’t wait to eat it again.
We’re so happy you loved it, Michele!
I made this with linguini & they loved it!
Amazing, easy and tasty. a crowd pleaser each time!
So happy you enjoyed, Genevieve!
Easy. One of the first of your recipes I tried and it encouraged me to make more.
So happy you enjoyed!
Fast, easy and great!
Added capers & Parmesan at the end for extra flavor. Mmmm.
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Cyndi!
This recipe was absolutely delicious. I did not understand why baking soda would be needed to marinate the shrimp. Looked it up online. It helps tenderizing and I must say it did a good job. Everything about the recipe delicious. It calls for 2 tablespoons olive oil to finish off the recipe. I have some lemon olive oil that I had shipped from Italy when I was visiting there in Puglia. I think it added a lot. If you are preparing this recipe for company, it is easy to do a lot of the prep ahead of time. Kudos to the chefs for this recipe. I highly recommend it.
I wanted to post a photo of the olive oil that I used for finish but it isn’t working.
We’re so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Alicia!
Easy, fast, and very tasty.
Thanks for the comment, Isabel, and so happy you enjoyed!
Having dinner guests tonight and can’t wait to try this recipe
? Can I make it about an hour ahead of time?
Hi Jane, I’d suggest prepping everything ahead of time including getting your water for the pasta up to boiling, then turn the heat off and keep covered. Then make the meal when you’re ready to eat. It should go quickly as long as all your ingredients are prepped and ready to go. Shrimp aren’t as good when they’re reheated and this dish is so much better when made fresh.
Made but in the shrimp mix we used no salt lemon pepper as we love lemon. Came out great
So happy you enjoyed, Helene!
Really good! Used 3/4 of pasta and it worked well.
Thanks for the comment, Christy, and so happy you enjoyed!
Love all your pasta dishes and so easy to make,