Recipe Snapshot
- Dish: Sautéed shrimp in buttery lemon pan sauce with Old Bay and thyme
- Flavor Profile: Savory, buttery, lightly spicy flavors balanced by fresh lemon and herbs
- Method: Shrimp are quickly sautéed, then finished in a light lemon butter pan sauce
- Why It Works: Cooking the shrimp in butter concentrates the seasoning and creates flavorful pan juices for serving
- Servings: 4
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Effort Level: Very Easy
A Fast Skillet Shrimp Dinner with Bold Flavor
This old bay shrimp sauté takes a different approach from classic steamed versions by quickly cooking the shrimp in butter to build flavor right in the pan. Lemon juice, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and fresh thyme combine with the pan juices to create a light sauce that’s perfect for spooning over rice or mashed potatoes.
Shrimp are one of the most useful proteins to keep on hand for quick dinners because they thaw quickly and cook in just a few minutes. For this recipe, we found that sautéing the shrimp instead of steaming them gives the Old Bay seasoning a richer, more concentrated flavor while still keeping the preparation simple enough for a weeknight meal.
Key Ingredients
A few key ingredients make this recipe work – here’s what to know. A complete list with quantities is in the recipe card below.
- Shrimp: Large shrimp (21/25 or 26/30 count) work best for this quick sauté because they stay juicy and cook evenly.
- Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice balances the richness of the butter and brightens the bold flavors of the Old Bay seasoning and Worcestershire sauce.
- Tabasco: A few dashes add subtle heat and acidity. Adjust the amount to suit your taste.
- Worcestershire: Worcestershire adds savory depth along with a slight sweetness from ingredients like tamarind and molasses.
- Butter: Butter creates a richer sauce than olive oil and emulsifies with the lemon juice and seasonings to form glossy pan juices for serving.
- Old Bay seasoning: Old Bay brings smoky paprika, peppery heat, and the distinctive savory flavor of celery salt that defines this dish.
- Thyme: Fresh thyme complements the flavors already present in Old Bay and adds a subtle earthy note to the sauce.
A Quick Look at Preparation
How to Make Old Bay Shrimp Sauté
Here’s how this dish comes together, along with a few tips for the best results. Full instructions are in the recipe card below.
This old bay shrimp sauté comes together quickly, so it helps to have all the ingredients measured and ready before you start cooking. The lemon juice, Worcestershire, and Tabasco are combined first so they can be added to the pan together once the shrimp are cooked. Using a large skillet gives the shrimp enough room to sauté instead of steam, which helps concentrate both the seasoning and the shrimp flavor.
The shrimp are cooked briefly in butter along with the Old Bay seasoning until just opaque. Shrimp continue cooking from residual heat even after the skillet is removed from the burner, so be careful not to overcook them. The lemon juice mixture, fresh thyme, and remaining butter are added at the end to create a light pan sauce that coats the shrimp. Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, or with some crusty bread to soak up the buttery pan juices.
Tested Tips
- If using frozen shrimp, thaw them quickly in a bowl of cool water, then pat them thoroughly dry before cooking. Excess moisture can prevent the shrimp from sautéing properly.
- Leaving the tails on the shrimp during cooking adds extra shrimp flavor to the pan sauce. You can remove them for easier eating if preferred.
- For the best texture, cook the shrimp just until opaque. Overcooked shrimp can become rubbery rather quickly.
- Old Bay seasoning already contains salt, so we don’t call for any additional salt in the recipe. Be sure to taste the finished sauce before adding any other seasoning.
- Add the final tablespoon of butter at the end of cooking for a smoother, glossier sauce.
Serving Suggestions
Steamed rice is a natural pairing for these shrimp because it soaks up the buttery lemon pan sauce so well. Both white and brown rice work nicely, and for an especially quick weeknight dinner, microwaveable rice packets make a convenient shortcut.
We also love serving these shrimp over mashed potatoes, where the sauce acts almost like a light seafood gravy. Homemade mashed potatoes are always a good choice, but refrigerated prepared mashed potatoes from the grocery store work well here too.
To round out the meal, add a simple green vegetable like sautéed green beans, steamed peas, or broccoli. Since the shrimp cook so quickly, keeping the sides simple helps the whole dinner come together with very little effort.
More Easy Shrimp Recipes
If quick shrimp dinners are a favorite weeknight option in your house, we have some other recipes for you to consider. Try Shrimp Cocktail Salad, a lighter entrée with crisp greens, avocado, and tangy cocktail sauce dressing; Shrimp Scampi with Orzo, buttery shrimp and creamy risotto-style orzo finished in one pan; or Louisiana Style Shrimp and Rice, a skillet dinner with Cajun-inspired seasoning, peppers, and tomatoes.
Old Bay Shrimp Sauté
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 lbs large shrimp (21 to 30 per pound), peeled and deveined
- 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 1-1/2 lemons
- 4 dashes Tabasco sauce, or more to taste
- 3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, or more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, Tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.
- Heat 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until melted and foamy.
- Add the shrimp in a single layer and sprinkle evenly with the Old Bay seasoning. Sauté, turning once or twice, until the shrimp are pink, opaque, and just cooked through, about 3 minutes total.
- Add the lemon juice mixture, thyme leaves, and remaining tablespoon of butter. Toss until the butter melts and the shrimp are evenly coated in the pan sauce.
- Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper, remove from the heat, and serve immediately with the pan juices spooned over the top.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What can I use instead of butter???
Hi there,
Aside from adding flavor, butter is what helps to emulsify the pan sauce, but you do have a couple of options if you don’t want to use it. If you’re simply looking to go dairy-free, you can use your favorite plant-based butter. (We happen to like Country Crock Plant Butter with Avocado Oil.)
However, if your goal is to cut fat, we recommend the following: Whisk 1-1/2 tablespoons of low-sodium chicken broth together with 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch and set aside. Briefly sauté the shrimp in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then deglaze with an additional 1/4 cup of the broth. Add the lemon juice mixture and thyme leaves, then stir in the reserved broth-cornstarch mix and cook until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the shrimp. You can add more broth in small increments if needed, just be careful not to leave the shrimp in the pan too long. You don’t want them to get tough and dry.
I was excited to try this but it came out very lemony. I followed the recipe. Is the lemon flavor supposed to overpower all the other flavors?
Hi there,
Our concept for this dish is essentially a lemon-butter sauce for shrimp that uses Old Bay seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and fresh thyme as flavor enhancers. It should have a noticeable lemon flavor and the quantity of lemon juice we call for is what we found to be appropriate in order to balance the assertive flavors of the Old Bay seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. That being said, we’re sorry it wasn’t to your liking and should you want to try it again, simply reduce the amount of lemon juice. It shouldn’t affect the overall success of the dish.
This recipe is delicious! We made tacos with homemade coleslaw, Mexican 4 cheese and sour cream.
Best ever!! Thank you so much.
Glad you liked the shrimp, Maureen! Thanks!
This was yummy. The only thing I did differently was half butter, half olive oil and didn’t measure the old bay, just seasoned the shrimp to our liking. The sauce addition was great. Thanks!
Hi Alicia,
I’m happy to hear you liked the shrimp. Thanks for taking the time to let us know!
This was one of the best shrimp dishes I’ve ever tasted!!! Definitely a keeper. I cooked it in my cast iron skillet.
This is really delicious. I like the kicky flavor pared with the shrimp. I would like to know how many calories are in it, however.
Hi Vivian,
We’ve been steadily updating all of our recipes to include nutrition info. I’ve just done this one for you!
Delicious!! Nice light calorie meal
Hi Tresha,
So glad you liked the shrimp. Thanks for letting us know!
Made it and loved it!! Thx for the recipe!!
Hi Alex,
Glad to hear you enjoyed the shrimp – thanks for taking the time to let us know.
Nice and easy recipe and the white rice with bacon and onion is a great accompaniment to the main flavors of old bay and shrimp..
Hi Betty,
The Old Bay seasoning really does have a unique flavor – just perfect for shrimp. Glad you enjoyed both the shrimp and the rice.