Easy garlic butter shrimp and rice

This easy shrimp and rice recipe takes less than 30 minutes to cook and is delicious drizzled with garlic butter. Perfect for dinner tonight!

I am relying heavily on easy, one-pot (where possible) recipes lately and this shrimp and rice recipe with garlic butter has been a delicious constant in my kitchen.

I love buying good quality frozen shrimp/prawns and having them on stand-by in my freezer for dinner emergencies. They come in super handy with easy recipes like this one paired with rice and another freezer staple, frozen peas. This shrimp and rice recipe has a strong paella influence because it is one of my all-time favorite recipes but this version is a gazillion times easier and doesn’t require as many ingredients. However, if you wanted to, you could totally add chicken, sausage and other seafood to this recipe.

How do you make shrimp and rice?

Any white rice will work well with this recipe. I used jasmine (because that’s what I had) but you can use basmati or arborio as well. Cook an onion and chopped garlic in a splash of olive oil until soft and translucent then add the rice, stock, tomatoes and peas and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes until the rice has absorbed the liquid and is just cooked. While the rice cooks, sear the shrimp/prawns in another pan until golden brown then use that same pan to make the garlic butter sauce.

When the rice is cooked, I add the prawns to the rice, switch off the heat and cover with a lid to allow the rice and shrimp to steam for a few minutes. Serve with fresh lemon sliced, parsley and the garlic butter for drizzling.

How do you thaw frozen shrimp?

It’s always best to thaw frozen food overnight in the refrigerator. Place the shrimp in its packaging in a bowl and place in the fridge to thaw. However if you want to speed up the process you can thaw the shrimp in a bowl of cold water for 10-20 minutes until the shrimp is thawed throughout.

How do I cook frozen shrimp?

Make sure your shrimp is completely defrosted/thawed before you cook it. Remove the shrimp from the packaging it thawed in then dry with kitchen towel/paper towel. This will help the shrimp sear and turn golden brown. If you don’t pat the shrimp dry they will most likely simmer in the pan instead of sear.

What can I make with shrimp/prawns?

• White wine garlic shrimp
• Creamy lemon garlic shrimp pasta 
• Prawn curry with homemade naan bread

Easy garlic butter shrimp and rice

This easy shrimp and rice recipe takes less than 30 minutes to cook and is delicious drizzled with garlic butter. Perfect for dinner tonight!

4.5 from 16 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner, Easy Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Rice recipe, Shrimp and rice, Shrimp recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Calories: 553kcal

Author: Alida Ryder

Ingredients

• 1 onion finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves crushed
• 2½ cups white rice
• ½ cup white wine optional
• 400g/14 oz crushed tomatoes
• 4 cups chicken/fish stock
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1 tsp salt
• pepper to taste

For the shrimp

• 500g/1lb shrimp/prawns shelled and deveined
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

for the garlic butter sauce

• 2 tbsp butter
• 4 garlic cloves crushed
• ½ cup white wine
• ½ cup chicken/fish stock
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

to serve

• chopped parsley
• lemon slices

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a large, deep sauté pan. Add the onion and garlic and fry until fragrant and translucent. 
• Add the rice, stirring to coat the rice in the oil then add the wine (if using). Allow to simmer for a minute or two then add the tomatoes, stock and peas. Season with salt and pepper.  
• Reduce the heat, cover and allow to simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice is just cooked and the liquid has been absorbed. 
  
• In the meantime, fry the shrimp in a very hot pan until golden brown on both sides (at this stage it's not necessary to ensure the shrimp are cooked through as they'll steam for another 5 minutes with the rice later). 
• Remove from the pan then add the butter and garlic and allow to cook for 30 seconds before deglazing the pan with the wine. Pour in the stock and lemon juice then allow to cook for 5 minutes until slightly reduced. 
• When the rice has absorbed the liquid, remove from the heat then add the shrimp. Cover with a lid and allow to steam for 5 minutes. 
• Serve the shrimp and rice with the garlic butter sauce, lemon slices and parsley. 

Nutrition

Calories: 553kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 220mg | Sodium: 1131mg | Potassium: 496mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 490IU | Vitamin C: 26.3mg | Calcium: 176mg | Iron: 3.7mg