Air Fryer Garlic Butter Shrimp Recipe

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This Air Fryer Garlic Butter Shrimp is so incredibly juicy and flavorful, it is certainly the perfect weeknight meal. A succulent stress-free recipe that takes less than 10 minutes in the air fryer. 

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When it comes to quick and easy, effortless, and stress-free meal, hands down, shrimp does it for me.

This succulent, garlicky, and lemony flavors blend so well together that at times it feels you are receiving a taste of heaven on earth.

Utilizing the air fryer to cook this recipe does not compromise on flavor, but simply reduces the fat content from cooking it in butter over a stove top.

It’s so versatile. And something as simple as this combination, which include melted butter, olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs, will turn the ordinary dinner to extraordinary!

Garlic Butter Shrimp with Fresh Herbs

I hope you guys have been enjoying the easy recipes we have been sharing with you. As a working mom and wife, I understand the need to have something quick on the table by dinner time. 

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Although the children are at home, now then ever we must continue to maintain normalcy while attending to them and working. 

What’s best about this recipe is that it requires about 5 minutes of prep time, that is if you purchased the already peeled shrimp; and 10 minutes if you did not. It calls for 10 minutes in the air fryer.

You can serve this as an appetizer for game night.  

Fresh or Frozen Shrimp 

If you’re wondering whether you should purchase fresh or frozen shrimp, I say, it is a personal preference. I personally would recommend fresh ones, but fresh seafood can be costly and not available everywhere. 

However, I have never steered away from frozen shrimp, or certain seafood. On the other hand, I do try my best to buy salmon steaks fresh when I can. You can always find good quality shrimp or fish in the freezer section at your local market. 

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If you are being conservative about the amount of money you spend on seafood, consider whiting fish as well. If considering frozen shrimp, think about getting wild frozen shrimp as they are instantly frozen the minute they arrive from the port. 

How To Thaw Frozen Shrimp?

Place the frozen bag of shrimp in the fridge to thaw out overnight. But if you’re like me and always forget to thaw out the meal for the next day, consider taking this route outlined below to thaw the frozen shrimp. 

Remove the frozen shrimp from the bag. Place the frozen shrimp in a bowl.  

Place the bowl in the sink then run room temperature water over the shrimp. The water should be at room temperature NOT hot. Let the shrimp soak in the water and periodically turn them until they are completely thawed.

Turning them by simply grabbing a handful and moving them to the top will help speed up the process. But this can take between 5-10 minutes.

Just a word to the wise, the water may be cold since the temperature will change as the frozen shrimp began to thaw out. 

That’s it. Now you can continue to handle the shrimp as needed. 

How To Make Air Fryer Garlic Butter Shrimp?

This garlic butter shrimp is easy to make! The air fryer will do all of the hard work for you. Plus, this will give you time to prepare a garden salad to accompany the shrimp. 

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How to make garlic butter sauce for shrimp?

To make the garlic butter sauce for shrimp, simply follow the steps below.

• Melt the butter in a bowl suitable to hold the large shrimp. 

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• Mince the garlic and chop the herbs. Add the garlic and herbs to the butter along with the oil to the bowl. Mix well. 
• Then add the shrimp. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat well. 

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• Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shrimp from the butter mixture to the air fryer basket. Reserving the butter mixture for later.

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• Cook the shrimp for 8 minutes. When the shrimp are almost done, about 4-minutes left, add the butter mixture to the shrimp.

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• Transfer the shrimp to a bowl and pour the butter mixture over the shrimp. Or use the leftover cooked butter mixture as a dipping sauce. 

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• Serve, garnish with lemon slices and enjoy. 

What to serve with Air Fryer Garlic Butter Shrimp 

This recipe is perfect all year around. You can complete the meal by serving these garlic shrimp with fresh herbs with this dill rice or with this Haitian Black Rice. The possibilities are endless.

What did you serve this air fryer garlic shrimp with? Let me know in the comments!

Which Air Fryer To Use

These shrimp were tested in two different air fryers – The Emeril Lagasse Power Air Fryer 360 and the Crux 5.3-Qt. Digital Air Convection Fryer. Here’s what we found out.

The Emeril Lagasse Power Air Fryer 360: When the shrimp is prepared in this air fryer, it takes longer to cook. However, the shrimp is cooked at an even temperature. Leaving you with a juicer shrimp. It takes longer to prepare instead of 8-10 minutes. they are ready in 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Here are some positive facts about this air fryer from the manufacturer:

• Better Than Convection and Toaster Ovens – 360° Quick Cook Technology and five super powerful heating elements mean your meals cook evenly on all sides in a whirlwind of super-heated air for crispy, delicious flavors. No added fats, oils, or unhealthy grease required. Get chef-quality results in one compact, 1500-Watt high power air fryer – 40% faster.
• Designed to cook your food using a 360° whirlwind of superheated air, This powerful countertop oven replaces up to nine different kitchen cooking accessories including a convection oven, toaster oven, and other appliances while reducing the number of calories in almost every meal!
• Includes cooking essentials each Emeril Lagasse power Airfryer 360 also includes a rotisserie spit, pizza rack, baking pan, drip tray, and crisper tray to help you make a range of different foods, including roast and fried chicken, salmon, authentic kebabs, restaurant-style pizza, and so much more.

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Crux 5.3-Qt. Digital Air Convection Fryer: When the shrimp is prepared in this air fryer, it takes less time to cook and resulting in a juicy, golden or lightly charred shrimp. At 400 degrees, the shrimp is ready in 8-10 minutes.

Here are some positive facts about this air fryer from the manufacturer:

• Grill, roast, bake or air fry with eight preset options, High-performance Circular Heat Technology for crispy, evenly cooked food
• Quick-heating stainless steel heating element, Adjustable temperature up to 400°F.

More Air Fryer Recipes To Try

Try these air fryer dessert dishes like this Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls with homemade cream cheese frosting or these Air Fryer Oreos.

You also should try this shrimp scampi to serve a large family. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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