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As much as I love cooking and being in the kitchen I am a bit of a picky eater. One food group that I am really picky about is fish. Mostly because I just don’t love fish. When it comes to protein I am definitely a meat and potatoes kinda gal. It’s probably because growing up we didn’t eat a lot of fish. Even as an adult I really never acquired a taste for it.
I do actually love shrimp though. I remember as a kid, I had a slight obsession with shrimp cocktail. To the point that I would try and order it every time I saw it on the menu. Even though it was a bit expensive, my mother always let me get it. Even when I ordered it in the most absurd locations like Serendipity in New York City – which was known for its hot chocolate and ice cream sundaes. I’m not really sure if it was the actual shrimp I loved or the beautiful colors in the presentation, but I do remember really loving that first crisp, cool bite combined with the spice from the cocktail sauce and the bitterness from the lemon.
As an adult I still love shrimp cocktail, but I’ve expanded my palate a little. One dish in particular I really enjoy making is this this quick shrimp sauté made with olive oil, butter (everything is better with butter, right!), garlic, lemon juice, parsley and a hint of red pepper flakes. Although it’s a warm shrimp dish, it holds that same flavor combination that I loved so much as a kid. It’s also another one of those dishes that just brings me back to the fond memories of my childhood which always include my Mother.
Besides the memories this dish gives me, it is really quite good and easy to make. It’s perfect for a quick go to weeknight meal. A few tips I like to use in speeding up the prep time is purchasing peeled garlic from the grocery store and cleaned shrimp. When I say peeled garlic I’m talking about fresh garlic from the produce section not minced garlic that comes in a jar. I always purchase this because I use tons of garlic in my cooking and with my busy schedule, it’s just one less thing to prep at dinner time (and maybe I’m a little lazy). The other thing I highly recommend is purchasing cleaned shrimp from your fish market or grocery store. Cleaned shrimp while slightly higher in price is well worth the extra cost in the time saving department. I don’t eat shrimp that often so I don’t mind spending a little extra for this convenience.
If you use the quick tips from above, you can definitely make this dish in 3 easy steps and in under 20 minutes. The most prep work in this dish comes from chopping some fresh garlic cloves, cutting some fresh parsley and cutting the lemons. This dish will cook quickly so have everything prepped and ready to go:
STEP 1: Heat butter, olive oil and pepper flakes in a Medium Saute Skillet. I like to add the pepper flakes in the beginning to infuse it into the oil as it heats up. Add garlic when butter melts and sauté on medium heat until lightly browned.
Step 2: Turn up the heat on the stove to high and add the shrimp. The key to this dish is to just keep it moving while it sautés and cooks. Shrimp in general do not take long to cook. Sauté and stir until shrimp are no longer translucent in color and turn a bright pink.
Step 3: At the very end of the cooking process lightly season the shrimp with salt, squeeze the juice from 2 lemons right into the pan (catching the seeds if you can), mix through and then add the fresh parsley. That’s it – Quick and easy. So good too….
Give it a try and Happy Cooking!
Skillet Shrimp Arrabbiata
Ingredients
- 1 lb cleaned and devained shrimp medium shrimp
- 1/2 stick butter
- 2-3 tablespoons evoo
- 3-5 cloves of crushed garlic
- teaspoon of red pepper flakes more or less to you rliking
- Juice from 2 lemons
- Handful of chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat butter, olive oil and pepper flakes in a Medium Saute Skillet. Add garlic when butter melts and sauté on medium heat until lightly browned.
- Turn up the heat on the stove to high and add the shrimp. Sauté and stir until shrimp are no longer translucent and turn bright pink. Lightly season with salt, add the lemon juice and fresh parsley. Saute a few moments more to ensure shrimp are cooked through.