Sautéed Shrimp with Garlic and Chilies

Name: Sautéed Shrimp with Garlic and Chilies
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 pound shrimp (raw, peeled and deveined ); 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 4 cloves garlic (thinly sliced); 2 red chili peppers (thinly sliced); salt and pepper (to taste); lemon wedges and fresh parsley (optional garnish)

Sautéed shrimp with garlic and chilies is an easy, 10–minute recipe. Serve it on its own, over pasta or with crusty bread for sopping up the fragrant, garlic-infused oil.

Quick-cooking, versatile and low calorie, seafood is one of my favorite forms of protein on busy weeknights. This is why I always keep a bag or two of shrimp stashed in my freezer.

In fact, whether you’re cooking fish or shellfish, most seafood cooks in 15 minutes or less.

A few of our favorite seafood recipes include:

Most recently I was inspired by my local tapas restaurant where my girlfriends and I shared an order of shrimp sautéed in fragrant garlic and spicy chilies. I left wanting more which is always my sign it’s time to try making it at home!

To start, thinly slice garlic cloves and chili peppers. Add as much garlic and heat as your little heart desires. Remember friends, you can’t mess up most of my recipes. We are cooking, not baking.

To release the flavor of the garlic and chilies, add them to a warm pan coated with olive oil and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring frequently.

Cooking Tip: Be careful not to burn the garlic. This can happen very quickly so don’t walk away from the pan. The minute you smell the garlic, it is fragrant and it’s time to add your next ingredients. Burnt garlic is hard to come back from so this is an important step.

Before adding the shrimp to the hot pan, be sure to pat it dry with paper towel removing any excess moisture.

Patting the shrimp dry will also ensure that the salt and pepper can stick, resulting in a more flavorful dish.

This quick and easy shrimp recipe is delicious on its own, over rice, in warmed tortillas or with crusty bread for sopping up the garlic-infused oil.

How do I know when shrimp is fully cooked?

You’ll know shrimp is cooked through when it turns bright pink and firm to the touch. It cooks extremely fast and is typically done in around 4-6 minutes.

Is there a way to make this dish mild if we don’t want it to be too spicy?

Most of the heat resides in the seeds and pith of the chili pepper so simply remove before mincing the chilies. Of course, you can also omit the chilies completely to keep mild.

What’s the best way to prep and clean shrimp before cooking?

If you can find peeled and deveined shrimp it will save you time! If you can’t, start by lightly cutting along the top of the shrimp down to the tail. Use the knife to remove the vein in the shrimp. Discard the shells and veins. Rinse the shrimp with clean water then pat dry on a paper towel to remove excess moisture.

Your fork is waiting.