Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta (Printable)

Juicy shrimp and delicate angel hair pasta coated in a fragrant garlic butter sauce with lemon and white wine.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Seafood

01 - 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

→ Pasta

02 - 12 oz angel hair pasta

→ Sauce

03 - 4 tbsp unsalted butter
04 - 2 tbsp olive oil
05 - 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
06 - 1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
07 - 1 lemon, juiced and zested
08 - 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
09 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Garnish

10 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
11 - 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
12 - Lemon wedges, for serving

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook angel hair pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain through a colander, reserving 1/2 cup of starchy pasta water. Set aside.
02 - Pat shrimp thoroughly dry with paper towels. Season lightly on both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
03 - In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tbsp butter with 1 tbsp olive oil. Arrange shrimp in a single layer and sear for 1 to 2 minutes per side until pink and opaque throughout. Transfer shrimp to a plate and set aside.
04 - In the same skillet, add the remaining 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil. Sauté sliced garlic and red pepper flakes for about 1 minute until fragrant, taking care not to let the garlic brown.
05 - Pour in the white wine or chicken broth along with the lemon juice, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes to reduce slightly, then stir in the lemon zest.
06 - Return the seared shrimp to the skillet and toss gently to coat evenly in the garlic butter sauce.
07 - Add the drained angel hair pasta to the skillet along with splashes of reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce. Toss everything together using tongs until the pasta is well coated and the sauce clings to the noodles.
08 - Taste and adjust with additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice as desired. Serve immediately, garnished with chopped fresh parsley, grated Parmesan cheese, and lemon wedges on the side.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The garlic butter sauce comes together in the same pan as the shrimp, so every single bit of flavor ends up on your plate.
  • Angel hair cooks in three minutes, which means this dish is faster than waiting for delivery.
02 -
  • If the garlic turns even slightly brown, it will taste bitter and spread that bitterness through the entire sauce, so watch it like a hawk and err on the side of pale.
  • Reserving the pasta water is not optional, because the starch in it is what transforms butter and wine into a silky sauce that actually coats the noodles instead of pooling at the bottom.
03 -
  • Always salt your pasta water until it tastes like mild seawater, because that is your one chance to season the noodles themselves from the inside out.
  • Grate the Parmesan fresh from a wedge rather than using the shelf stable kind, because the difference in how it melts into the hot pasta is striking and immediately noticeable.

Return