Pan-Seared Shrimp with Garlic, Chili and Lemon
⏱ 10 min prep · 🍳 10 min · 🍽 4
Pan-seared shrimp with garlic, chili and lemon gets from freezer to table in about 25 minutes, and most of that is thawing, not cooking. Ten minutes in the pan is all the shrimp need, so while they sizzle you've got just enough time to set the table or get rice going.
Bagged frozen shrimp sit in the freezer aisle of pretty much every supermarket, which makes this an easy fixture on a weeknight meal plan for the days you already know will be tight. Pull the bag into the fridge the night before and dinner is basically decided before you've thought about it — the pan does the rest.
The only thing worth adding to the shopping list is an extra lemon. Garlic, chili and butter are things most kitchens already have on hand, so this one rarely needs a special trip.
Ingredients
- 600.000 g scampi
- 4.000 stk hvitløk
- etter smak krydder (diverse)
- 120.000 g sitron
- 30.000 ml smør
- 30.000 ml olivenolje
- etter smak fersk persille
- etter smak paprika
Instructions
Rens scampiene om nødvendig og tørk dem med kjøkkenpapir.
Finhakk hvitløk og chili. Skjær sitronen i båter.
Varm olje og smør i en stor stekepanne på høy varme.
Ha i scampiene og stek dem 1–2 minutter på hver side til de er rosa og gjennomstekte.
Tilsett hvitløk og chili og stek i ytterligere 1 minutt under omrøring.
Press over sitronsaft og smak til med salt og pepper.
Dryss over hakket persille og server umiddelbart, gjerne med brød eller pasta.
In our house, chili is the dividing line between everyone eating the same dinner or not, so we keep it in a small bowl on the side instead of stirring it into the pan — each kid can add as much or as little heat as they want. Frozen shrimp is one of those things we always keep stocked, because it thaws fast and bails us out on nights the fresh seafood counter has nothing worth buying. This is also a dinner that survives being interrupted halfway through — pull the pan off the heat, referee a fight or find a missing shoe, then put it back on. It's best on a night when there's leftover rice or pasta from the day before, since that turns a ten-minute pan of shrimp into a full dinner without any extra cooking.
FAQ
Can I cook frozen shrimp straight from the freezer, or does it need to thaw first?
Thaw the shrimp in cold water or overnight in the fridge — going straight from freezer to pan releases too much liquid and they end up boiled instead of seared. If you forgot to pull them out the night before, a cold-water thaw takes about 15-20 minutes.
How do I make this milder for kids who can't handle chili?
Cook the shrimp without chili altogether, then stir the chili into a small bowl of the hot butter that the adults spoon over their own plates. Everyone gets the same garlic and lemon flavor, but only the people who want heat get it. If you'd rather have some chili in the pan itself, the seeds are the hottest part — scrape them out and use just the flesh.
How long do cooked shrimp keep in the fridge, and can I refreeze them?
Cooked shrimp keep for 1-2 days in a sealed container in the fridge. Reheat gently in a pan on low heat rather than the microwave, which turns them rubbery fast. Never refreeze shrimp once they've been thawed and cooked — the texture suffers and they can pick up a fishy edge. If you're planning for leftovers on purpose, it's better to cook a slightly smaller batch and round it out with bread or rice at the next meal.
Can I swap shrimp for chicken or something else in this recipe?
Diced chicken works well here but needs 6-8 minutes in the pan before you add the garlic and chili, or it won't cook through. Pre-cooked shrimp go the other direction — they only need warming through in the last couple of minutes, any longer and they turn tough. Garlic, chili and lemon work as a flavor combination no matter which protein you land on.
What should I serve with garlic chili lemon shrimp?
A simple loaf of bread to mop up the lemon butter is the fastest side and doesn't need a second pan going. Toss the shrimp through freshly cooked spaghetti with a splash of the pan juices if you want to stretch a smaller batch into a full family dinner. Rice or couscous also works well if someone in the house prefers something to soak up the sauce.
Can I prep anything ahead for a faster weeknight dinner?
Chop the garlic and chili and slice the lemon into wedges the night before, so the actual cooking is just the ten minutes the shrimp need in the pan. Move the frozen shrimp into the fridge the day before too, so it's thawed and ready the moment you get home. That way dinner is essentially done before anyone's had time to ask what's for dinner.