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By a show of hands, I want to see all of the shrimp lovers out there. If you are a fan of fast + easy shrimp recipes, this one is for you. My favorite part of this Lemon Garlic Shrimp? You get all of the delicious flavor of a great shrimp dish with a few ingredients.
Shrimp is a special occasion at our home. Not because we don't love it. We do. My daughters and I are all 100% crazy about shrimp. When we go out to eat (especially on beach vacations), we can eat our weight in shrimp!
This recipe was made one day when me and the girls had the house to ourselves.
When dad's away, the girls will...eat Lemon Garlic Shrimp. Yay!
The bright fresh lemon combines with the savory garlic for a perfect sauce for the shrimp. Plus we added one of our favorite vegetables, snow peas.
More good news about this lemon garlic shrimp? This shrimp recipe is low calorie for anyone watching their waistline. (But you'd never know it, and we are going to show you how.)
Ingredients Needed to Make Lemon Garlic Shrimp:
- PAM Spray Pump Olive Oil
- Fresh snow peas or sugar snap peas
- Salt + pepper
- Lemon - We will use the lemon zest and the juice.
- Larg Shrimp - You'll need them peeled, deveined, rinsed, drained, patted dry.
- Cajun seasoning
- Garlic
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Vegetable or chicken broth
Lemon Garlic Shrimp - Fast, Easy and Full of Flavor
You will want to hang on to this easy recipe for lemon garlic shrimp. It is fast + fun to make but tastes like a restaurant quality meal.
I think the secret is the simplicity. Using simple ingredients and flavors highlights the natural yumminess of the tender shrimp. No heavy sauces or breading required.
For perfectly cooked shrimp and vegetables, we used NEW PAM® Spray Pump Olive Oil. You can control exactly how much you want and where you want it.
First we sprayed our wok with PAM Spray Pump Olive Oil. Perfect for non-stick cooking, this is NOT oil in a spray bottle. It is a cooking spray for superior performance. (Just what you would expect from a product from PAM.)
While supplies last, you can earn $1 when you buy one (1) PAM Spray Pump Olive Oil or Canola Oil. Click here for the Ibotta offer.
How to Make Lemon Garlic Shrimp:
- Spray a wok or non stick skillet with several pumps of PAM Spray Pump Olive Oil. Heat the skillet over medium high until hot.
- Add the fresh snow peas to the pan. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper and lemon zest (of whole lemon). Cook and stir quickly until the snow peas start to blister and are heated through, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a dish and set aside.
- Sprinkle the prepared shrimp with the seasoning and stir to coat well.
- Add more PAM Spray Pump Olive Oil to the pan. Working quickly, add the garlic to the pan. Stir quickly until just golden then add the shrimp.
- Let the shrimp cook (untouched) for 3 minutes on one side. Flip and cook and additional 2 - 3 minutes. You want the shrimp to be pink and no longer gray in the middle.
- Squeeze the juice of half the lemon directly into the pan. Slice the remaining lemon half thinly and toss the slices into the pan. Add the snow peas back to the pan and stir to combine. Pour in the broth. Reduce heat.
- In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water. Stir it into the pan quickly. Add more broth as needed until the sauce is a desired consistency.
- Remove from heat and serve warm. Great with your favorite pasta or rice
Once the pan is super hot, toss in fresh snow peas and sprinkle with salt + pepper + lemon zest. You want to quickly cook them until they are just heated through. The outside of the pea pods will start to blister + they will be firm and have that yummy snap to them.
Step two? Season your shrimp. Start with peeled and deveined large shrimp. Take the tails off if you'd like, but I think leaving them on is a prettier presentation. Simply stir the shrimp together with your favorite cajun spiced seasoning. We use 3 teaspoons, but adjust to your preference.
Use a good non-stick pan to make our recipe for lemon garlic shrimp. We use a wok, but you can use a large skillet if you don't have one. Also, turn that heat up a little on the stove top. Start at medium high to high on your stove setting. The quick searing technique locks the seasoning onto the shrimp and gives a beautiful pink color.
TIP: No matter what, don't overcook the shrimp. It only takes a few minutes to cook them. My method? I throw them in the hot pan and let them sit for 3 minutes. I don't stir them, I don't touch them. I let them sizzle. (Remember, I'm cooking with pretty high heat.)
Then I flip the shrimp around and do the same thing for another 2 minutes. The amount of time depends on the size of your shrimp and temperature of your pan. The shrimp are done when they have that gorgeous color and are no longer "gray" inside.
It is 100% approved for the chef to sample while cooking, too.
Once the shrimp are just cooked, add the snow snap peas back to the pan and finish with the easy lemon garlic sauce. (Get the how-to at the end of this post! We will tell you exactly how we did it.)
TIP: You can also spritz on a little PAM Spray Pump Olive Oil before serving for a gorgeous finish and light extra virgin olive oil flavor. (Great for photography.) It is also great to use a little on your pasta.
To me, the best part is that you can control EXACTLY how much you want to use. No over pouring, no over spray, no mess. Just point and pump for a light flavor that has no artificial flavors or preservatives.
How perfect is this? The sauce clings to the shrimp so every single bite is loaded with the zesty lemon garlic taste.
Loving this recipe? Check these out, too.
Grilled Fresh Salmon Patties with Lemon Dill Mayo
Roasted Stuffed Tomatoes
Marinated Cheddar Cheese Appetizer
You can make this recipe with so many variations. Get the basic recipe at the bottom of this post.
Here are some idea starters on making this recipe several different ways:
- Swap out the snow peas for fresh strips of colorful bell peppers.
- Not a big fan of cajun spice? How about sprinkling the shrimp with fajita seasoning instead for a festive flavor.
- Love Asian flavors? Use garlic powder and ginger in place of the cajun spice and add a dash or two of soy sauce when you add the lemon.
- Don't stop with lemon. How about a delicious Orange Garlic Shrimp? Yeah, why not? Swap out the fresh lemon juice with fresh orange juice and add a little brown sugar to the party for a nice sticky sweetness.
Lemon Garlic Shrimp is great served alone. We served ours with simple angel hair pasta. Rice or cauliflower rice would be a great combo, too.
By using PAM Spray Pump Olive Oil you can create lighter and flavorful recipes in your kitchen.
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📖 Recipe
Lemon Garlic Shrimp
Ingredients
- PAM Spray Pump Olive Oil
- 1 lb fresh snow peas or sugar snap peas washed, drained, patted dry
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- 1 ½ lbs large shrimp peeled, deveined, rinsed, drained, patted dry
- 3 teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend
- 4 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon water
- ¼ cup vegetable or chicken broth more as needed
Instructions
- Spray a wok or non stick skillet with several pumps of PAM Spray Pump Olive Oil. Heat the skillet over medium high until hot.
- Add the fresh snow peas to the pan. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper and lemon zest (of whole lemon). Cook and stir quickly until the snow peas start to blister and are heated through, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a dish and set aside.
- Sprinkle the prepared shrimp with the seasoning and stir to coat well.
- Add more PAM Spray Pump Olive Oil to the pan. Working quickly, add the garlic to the pan. Stir quickly until just golden then add the shrimp.
- Let the shrimp cook (untouched) for 3 minutes on one side. Flip and cook and additional 2 - 3 minutes. You want the shrimp to be pink and no longer gray in the middle.
- Squeeze the juice of half the lemon directly into the pan. Slice the remaining lemon half thinly and toss the slices into the pan. Add the snow peas back to the pan and stir to combine. Pour in the broth. Reduce heat.
- In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water. Stir it into the pan quickly. Add more broth as needed until the sauce is a desired consistency.
- Remove from heat and serve warm. Great with your favorite pasta or rice.
Renee @ The Good Hearted Woman
Surprisingly, shrimp has become one of our favorite weeknight meal proteins. This recipe sounds light and quick to prepare, making it a great option.
Teri
I'm trying to lighten up a little...although my Southern tendencies of using butter and sugar get the best of me. This was very light but full of flavor, hope you have a chance to try it.
Allison - Celebrating Sweets
So easy! I love meals like this!
Teri
Thanks so much, Allison.
Danielle
Seriously - the best weeknight protein, right? I literally just posted a similar thought early this week - great minds 🙂
Teri
I could eat shrimp three times a week, without a doubt. One of my all time faves. Maybe we should start a Bring Shrimp Back campaign...??
Megan Marlowe
I absolutely love lemon and garlic with shrimp. It's such a bright, delicious flavor. This dish is packed with so much flavor, I cannot wait to try it!
Teri
Girl it is one of my faves! Thank you so much. From you this is a high compliment. 🙂
Soniya
Oh my goodness.. love the flavors you have going on in this shrimp recipe! Yum
Teri
Thank you so much!