Garlic and lemon shrimp Easy recipe in the pan / plancha

Raw shrimp briefly pan-fried in garlic-flavored butter. A squeeze of lemon and fresh herbs and it’s a treat. Ultra easy, can also be made on the plancha.

Focus on freshness and quality. The shrimp must be firm, without brown spots and without unpleasant odor.
It is recommended to purchase shrimp whole with head and shell and consume them within 24 to 48 hours. Otherwise, it is in your best interest to freeze them immediately and defrost them slowly before cooking them.

First of all rinse the shrimp thoroughly and blot them with absorbent paper.

To dissect them, remove the head by cutting it at the base between the head and the flesh.

Then remove the carcass separating it from the flesh between the pasta.
You can either remove the entire carcass and tail, or leave the tail and the first carcass hoop that holds the tail. It’s prettier and if you taste the shrimp in snack mode or by hand as an aperitif, you can take the shrimp in your hand by the tail.
But for a faster method of preparation and tasting, do not hesitate to remove everything, carcass and tail.

Then there is the little black line to remove. This tube corresponds to the intestine. It is located along the entire length of the shrimp body on the inside, pasta side.
Make a small incision along the length and using the blade of a knife, pass under the black tube and gently pull it to remove it.
This operation is not not obligatory but it is said that this can give bitterness to cooking. Personally, even if it’s a bit long, I always remove it.

Rinse and pat dry the shrimp one last time so that they are well cleared of any remains of organs or impurities that may still be there.

Don’t throw away the headsyou can do with a perfect shellfish aroma. You can freeze them to make this aroma later. The carcasses have no taste interest, you can throw them away directly.

Although this recipe offers you cook the shrimp in a pan or on the grillI propose to give you a little focus on the methods of cooking shrimp.

Cooking shrimp in a pan or on the plancha

Pan frying is the quickest and easiest method to cook shrimp. To do this, simply heat a little fat (neutral oil or olive oil, butter, coconut oil, etc.) in a pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the peeled shrimp and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side until pink and opaque.
Use the same method for grill cooking.

Cooking in boiling water

Heat a large volume of water. When the water boils, immerse the shrimp and let them cook for 2 to 4 minutes depending on their size. The shrimp will change color very quickly. The gray color will turn pink and the translucent appearance will become opaque. They will then be cooked.

Steam Cooking

Steaming is the healthiest method of cooking shrimp while preserving its natural flavor. To do this, fill a large saucepan or steamer with water and bring to the boil. Add the shrimp to the steam basket and place it above the water without touching it. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until similarly pink and opaque.

Grilled on the barbecue

Brush the shrimp with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the shrimp on a grill rack or possibly put them on skewers. Sear them for a few minutes on each side until they change color.

You can possibly marinate them beforehand. by mixing a little olive oil with lemon zest (a little juice would cook them), grated fresh ginger, minced garlic, herbs or spices. Soy sauce too. There are plenty of possible marinades.

Some information about the recipe

• First of all, follow the advice given above to wash properly, peel and remove the black gut from the shrimp. Here I remove the head and the shell but I keep the end of the tail, it’s prettier to serve. You can absolutely remove everything. Dry them well.

• Start with melt the butter with the oil while you peel and mince the garlic. We use a lot of garlic in this recipe, but don’t worry, your shrimp will be fragrant but not overpowering.
• We then do gently brown the garlic in the butter-oil mixture. This will flavor the fat in which we will fry the shrimp.
• Then add the shrimps, brown them 2 to 3 minutes, maximum 5 minutes on each side over medium heat until they change from translucent to opaque and from gray to pink.

• Then pour lemon juice, mix. Your shrimp are ready.
• You can then sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs such as chives, parsley or coriander. Serve immediately.

A variation: you can add cream or coconut milk to make a delicious sauce.

Serve with rice or pasta and some vegetables and you will have a complete dish.

For this recipe I bought large shrimp. I had 32 shrimps for 1.2 kilos, whole weight. Perfect quantity for 4 people, that makes 8 large shrimp per person.

If you have shrimp left, you can make small skewers with a few cubes of mango or lychee, you will see the contrast is nice. Or place them on avocado toast for a brunch or lunch on the go.