Every bite of this Shrimp Zucchini Stir Fry is pure shrimp-loving heaven – and you can make it start to finish in under 15 minutes!
Garlic butter shrimp is one of my top 5 favorite foods. So naturally, when I had the idea to pair some shrimp with perfectly tender-crisp zucchini and toss it in a mouthwatering lemon garlic butter sauce, that had to happen immediately.
Shrimp Zucchini Stir Fry
As it turned out, a couple of zucchini and a pound of shrimp added up to a garlicky lemon butter skillet of deliciousness that I simply could not stop eating! It would be embarrassing if anyone else had been here to witness my lunch, but since I was on my own? It’s all good.
I did call my husband after I tasted it to tell him he should probably get home to help me eat it before I polished off the entire recipe by myself. (I easily could have done that. It proved irresistible to me.!)
Full disclosure, this recipe makes four servings for normal, non-shrimp-addicts, who practice a wee bit more self-control than I did. Served over rice or pasta this will be a great dinner option. Me? I ate it exactly as pictured, nothing else was required.
Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp
For a very long time, I was intimidated by the idea of cooking shrimp at home. The first time I tried it, I bought the least expensive shrimp I could find, spent what felt like forever peeling and deveining them, and then overcooked them. Sigh. The learning curve felt like too much and I didn’t try again for several years.
Well, I’m here to walk you through just how incredibly EASY it is to cook shrimp perfectly and to make sure you skip any kind of experience like my first one! I’ve been cooking shrimp this way for at least 15 years now and it really is simple.
First, I have a couple of shrimp cooking tips for you. Watch for a sale and buy your shrimp peeled and deveined. It usually isn’t much more expensive, and when it’s on sale it’s often the same price as shrimp in the shell. Just pay attention to what you’re buying and save yourself the extra work.
Second, you’re going to cook the shrimp FAST and then get it out of the pan. I’m not kidding here. The shrimp needs barely a minute on each side and then you’ll transfer it to a plate and toss it back in the stir fry at the end.
Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:
- raw shrimp peeled and deveined
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- zucchinis
- butter
- garlic
- lemon juice
- Italian parsley
Shrimp and Zucchini Stir Fry
Rinse the shrimp and lay them out on a paper towel-lined tray. Pat them dry. Prep the other ingredients and set them next to the stove. (Remember that this is a FAST recipe and you need to have everything ready to go when you begin.) Set an empty plate next to the stove.
Heat a large stainless steel pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and when it is hot, add the shrimp. Spread the shrimp across the pan and sprinkle with about a ¼ teaspoon of salt and a smaller amount of pepper.
Let the shrimp cook for about 1 minute, just until the side touching the pan begins to turn pink.
Stir and then quickly flip the shrimp to the other side. Sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Cook about 1 minute longer, just until pink and barely cooked through. Take care not to overcook. Remove from the pan to the plate.
Add the remaining oil to the pan and then add the zucchini. Stir to coat and then sprinkle with the remaining salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the squash barely begins to soften.
Add the butter along with the garlic and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook for another minute or two, until the butter has melted and the pan is fragrant.
Return the shrimp to the skillet, along with the lemon juice. Stir to mix and then sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.
Shrimp and Zucchini
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Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 pound large raw shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper divided
- 2 medium-large zucchinis halved and sliced ½-inch thick, about 4 cups
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 6-8 cloves garlic minced, about 2 tablespoons
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice about ½ medium lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley chopped small
Instructions
- Rinse the shrimp and lay them out on a paper towel-lined tray. Pat them dry. Prep the other ingredients and set them next to the stove. (This is a FAST recipe and you need to have everything ready to go when you begin.) Set an empty plate next to the stove.
- Heat a large stainless steel pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and when it is hot, add the shrimp. Spread the shrimp across the pan and sprinkle with about a ¼ teaspoon of salt and a smaller amount of pepper. Let the shrimp cook for about 1 minute, just until the side touching the pan begins to turn pink.
- Stir and then quickly flip the shrimp to the other side. Sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Cook about 1 minute longer, just until pink and barely cooked through. Take care not to overcook. Remove from the pan to the plate.
- Add the remaining oil to the pan and then add the zucchini. Stir to coat and then sprinkle with the remaining salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the squash barely begins to soften.
- Add the butter along with the garlic and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook for another minute or two, until the butter has melted and the pan is fragrant.
- Return the shrimp to the skillet, along with the lemon juice. Stir to mix and then sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Gregory says
Doesn’t say how much butter
Mary says
I have no idea how I missed that, Gregory. Thanks for catching it! Apparently, I just make this recipe on autopilot at this point. You’ll need 1 tablespoon of butter for this recipe.