Perfect Every Time
How to Cook Shrimp (Pan-Seared in 4 Minutes, Never Rubbery)
Shrimp overcook in a heartbeat. Nail this timing and technique and you'll never end up with rubbery shrimp again.
- Total time
- 8 minutes
- Yields
- 1 pound (serves 4)
What you need
- 1 pound large shrimp (21–25 count), peeled and deveined
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Juice of half a lemon
Step-by-step
1. Pat completely dry
Dry shrimp thoroughly with paper towels. Wet shrimp steam and turn gray instead of browning.
2. Season
Toss with salt and pepper right before cooking, not earlier - salt draws out water.
3. Sear hot
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add shrimp in a single layer, don't crowd (work in batches if needed).
4. 2 minutes, flip, 1 minute
Cook undisturbed 2 minutes until the underside is pink and starting to curl. Flip and cook 60–90 seconds more, until just opaque.
5. Add butter, garlic, lemon
Off the heat, toss with butter, garlic, and lemon juice. Residual heat cooks the garlic without burning it.
Pro tips
- Perfect shrimp form a loose 'C' shape. A tight 'O' means overcooked.
- Frozen shrimp are often fresher than 'fresh' at the counter - thaw under cold running water for 5 minutes.
- Save the shells to simmer into a quick 20-minute shrimp stock.
FAQ
Peeled or shell-on?
Shell-on has more flavor; peeled cooks faster and eats easier. Both work with this method - add 60 seconds for shell-on.
How do I know when it's done?
Opaque throughout, pink outside, curled into a loose C. Total time is under 4 minutes for large shrimp.
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