Lemon Garlic Shrimp Rice (Print)

Tender shrimp cooked with lemon and garlic atop fluffy white rice for a vibrant meal.

# What You Need:

→ Rice

01 - 1 cup long-grain white rice
02 - 2 cups water
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Shrimp

04 - 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
05 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
06 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Sauce

07 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (or olive oil for dairy-free)
08 - 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
09 - 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
10 - Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
11 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
12 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Garnish

13 - Lemon wedges
14 - Extra parsley, chopped

# How To Make It:

01 - Rinse rice under cold water until clear. Combine rice, water, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
02 - Pat shrimp dry and season evenly with salt and black pepper.
03 - Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes; sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
04 - Add shrimp in a single layer. Sauté 1 to 2 minutes per side until pink and just cooked through.
05 - Add lemon zest and juice to skillet. Stir in remaining tablespoon butter and half the parsley. Toss to coat shrimp evenly and remove from heat.
06 - Place lemon garlic shrimp atop cooked rice. Garnish with reserved parsley and lemon wedges.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Dinner is ready in 25 minutes, which means you can actually enjoy your evening instead of being stuck at the stove.
  • The lemon-garlic butter creates this incredible sauce that tastes restaurant-quality but requires almost no skill to pull off.
  • It's naturally impressive enough to serve guests but casual enough for a Tuesday night when you're tired.
02 -
  • Don't skip patting the shrimp dry—I learned this the hard way when I threw wet shrimp into the pan and got steamed instead of seared shrimp, and the whole texture suffered.
  • Let the rice rest covered for those final 5 minutes; it finishes cooking in its own steam and tastes infinitely better than if you dive right in.
  • Remove the pan from heat the moment you add the lemon and butter, or the sauce will break and turn greasy instead of silky.
03 -
  • Keep your shrimp cold until the last second—room temperature shrimp doesn't develop that golden exterior the same way.
  • If you're nervous about timing, cook the rice first, set it aside in a warm spot, and then do everything else at your leisure; reheating rice is forgiving.

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