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Home » Course » Quick and Easy

Quick and Easy

Browned Butter Shrimp

Published: July 4, 2015   |   Updated: June 30, 2022   |   12 Comments

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5 from 1 review
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This quick and easy browned butter shrimp makes perfectly seared, sweet and savory shrimp with a buttery nutty flavor!

This quick and easy browned butter shrimp skillet is smoky, sweet and savory with a buttery nutty flavor!

Today we’re making some browned butter shrimp. Now there’s something magical that happens to butter when you simmer it for a long time. It turns brown which is nothing special in and of itself. The magical part is the nutty aroma and flavor that comes with the browning. It’s crazy addictive! So count this meal as something to indulge in and treat yourself with because you’ve earned it.

The recipe has about five main ingredients, kinda like my honey garlic shrimp skillet. It’s easy and you should have most of the stuff in your pantry already. There’s the browned nutty butter, garlic for that garlicky taste, brown sugar to caramelize flavors a little and smoked paprika to make it smoky! Sounds good? Then let’s get started!

This quick and easy browned butter shrimp skillet is smoky, sweet and savory with a buttery nutty flavor!

BROWNED BUTTER SHRIMP RECIPE TIPS

I used jumbo shrimp and a big stainless steel skillet. As much as I wanted some cast iron pics (cause they turn out so beautiful), the trick to making browned butter is to have a light-colored pan so you can see the change in hues from bright yellow to brown.

Do this over medium to medium-low heat so you don’t burn the butter. If you’re not confident or a little nervous, brown it over medium-low or low heat. It will just take a little longer. Once it starts frothing, it should take 3-5 minutes to brown. Some dark golden flecks will start to appear. If you’re interested in the science of it, here’s a great guide to learn more. It helped me understand what I was aiming for. You’ll want to stir the butter once it starts foaming. I did this with a silicone spatula to get to all the corners.

This quick and easy browned butter shrimp skillet is smoky, sweet and savory with a buttery nutty flavor!

Once the butter has browned, remove about 3/4 of it from the pan and let it sit. This will be your drizzle later. With the remaining butter start cooking your shrimp. Mix the shrimp with garlic, brown sugar, paprika and salt and pepper to taste and cook over medium heat until pink. This should take about 1 minute per side but if you want a nice sear, cook it slightly longer. I generally use some tongs to grip the shrimp and rub them into the caramelized bits sticking to the bottom of the pan while it’s cooking for this.

This quick and easy browned butter shrimp skillet is smoky, sweet and savory with a buttery nutty flavor!

One thing to note is the longer shrimp cooks, the smaller it gets. If this is an issue for you and you want big, juicy shrimp don’t cook it too long. If you want it charred but want big shrimp, remove the shrimp from the skillet after 2 minutes of cooking and wait until browned bits start to form in the pan. Reintroduce it to the skillet and start rubbing your shrimp into the browned bits.

And that’s really all there is to it! Use the browned butter as a drizzle while serving. You can use as little or as much as you want but this should yield enough for 4 servings. Serve with other stuff like some greens and enjoy!

MORE SHRIMP RECIPES TO TRY

  • Honey Garlic Shrimp
  • Easy Shrimp Scampi
  • Cilantro Lime Honey Garlic Shrimp
  • Coconut Shrimp
  • Lemon Garlic Butter Baked Shrimp

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This quick and easy browned butter shrimp skillet has is smoky, sweet and savory with a buttery nutty flavor!

Browned Butter Shrimp


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5 from 1 review

  • Author: The Cooking Jar
  • Total Time: 20 mins
  • Yield: 4 1x
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Description

This quick and easy browned butter shrimp makes perfectly seared, sweet and savory shrimp with a buttery nutty flavor!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1. lb jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a skillet.
  2. Once the butter begins to foam, reduce heat to medium-low and start stirring.
  3. Stir and simmer for about 3-5 minutes until butter browns.
  4. Remove from heat and pour 3/4 of the butter into a bowl and set aside.
  5. Return pan to heat and increase heat to medium again. Add in garlic and saute for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  6. Toss in the shrimp and season with brown sugar, smoked paprika and salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Sear the shrimp on both sides until cooked, about 1-2 minutes per side.
  8. To blacken the shrimp, cook a little longer and use tongs to rub the shrimp into the caramelized bits on the bottom of the pan.
  9. Dish and serve hot drizzled with remaining browned butter.
  10. Enjoy!
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins

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Let me know how you liked it, what substitutions you made, or what you paired it with in the comments below. If you enjoyed it, help me out with a  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating!

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posted in: Main Dishes, Quick and Easy, Seafood, Stovetop

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Mandy says

    September 7, 2023

    Absolutely fantastic! Everyone loved the dish.

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      September 21, 2023

      I’m glad you like it! I had a hard time not digging in immediately once I smelled that nutty butter. It’s such a delicious smell!

      Reply
  2. Barbara Konopka says

    March 14, 2016

    Just found your website this afternoon. Your recipes sound delicious and I can’t wait to try them-especially the Honey Garlic Shrimp. One think I like about your recipes is that they only have a few ingredients and only take a few minutes to prepare. Can’t wait to try.

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      March 20, 2016

      Thanks for saying so, Barbara. That’s my general goal with this blog. To put meals on the table with minimal fuss for those new/new-ish to cooking or those short on time. With the exception of my older recipes, I now try to only use ingredients that can easily be found at local grocery stores to make things more approachable. Good luck trying out the recipes and I hope you enjoy them!

      Reply
  3. FoodGeekGraze says

    August 13, 2015

    i am feelin’ the clever addition of smoked paprika with browned butter. thank you for the genius combination lead 🙂

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      August 15, 2015

      Oh I love smoked paprika. I try to sneak it into recipes whenever I can 😉

      Reply
  4. Amallia @DesireToEat says

    July 6, 2015

    wow the butter shrimps looks so delicious. Nice pictures too 🙂

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      July 7, 2015

      Thanks, Amallia. Go try it, it’s so yummy. Browned butter = YUM.

      Reply
  5. Dorothy Dunton says

    July 5, 2015

    Hi Farah! I can almost smell this! I love brown butter sauce, especially with fish and now shrimp! I think I’d make some bacon fried rice and sugar snap peas to go with! Thanks!

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      July 7, 2015

      Heya Dorothy 🙂 I know, right? The smell is AMAZING. It just hits you and then you gotta taste it and just keep on tasting it till there’s almost nothing left! Those are yummy sides to go with it. Especially that bacon rice, yum!

      Reply
      • kenya Allison says

        March 14, 2016

        Hi Farah, I just discovered your site last night and found so many dishes I would love to make. I am definitely making the honey garlic shrimp tonight. Here is the thing. I am counting calories and I would like to know if I find a recipe is there a way for me to easily beak down calories, fat and carbs per serving.
        I don’t know if you will be able to help me with this but I would greatly appreciate it. I want to try all of your recipes but not gain a ton because everything looks so amazing! lol

        Reply
        • The Cooking Jar says

          March 20, 2016

          Heya Kenya. I generally put nutritional labels on the stuff that is healthy or moderately healthy. If it doesn’t have a nutritional label, you probably will want to stay away from them if you’re counting calories. That being said, I’ll email you a way to calculate the recipes here that don’t have a nutritional label so you can make an informed decision!

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