Ingredients
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (or butter)
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. freshly chopped herbs, for garnish (optional)
Lemon wedges, for serving
Preparation
Step 1In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add shrimp and cook until pink and opaque, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with herbs, if using, and squeeze with lemon.
Tails: Keep or ditch? We like getting our shrimp peeled and deveined, because cleaning them can be a huge pain. Whether or not we keep the tails on depends on the recipe. For recipes where the shrimp is the star, we like leaving the tails on because they look prettier that way (like in our lemon garlic shrimp). If shrimp is incorporated with other things, like in our garlicky shrimp alfredo bake, we take the tails off — because no one wants to take a big bite of pasta and chomp down on a shrimp tail! Removing the tails is super easy, just pinch it with your pointer finger and thumb and gently pull away from the shrimp. They should come off with little resistance. How to flavor? Flavor-wise, shrimp couldn’t be more flexible. You can give them a spicy twist with chili powder and cumin, or go the Italian route with lemon and garlic. Cooking them in any type fat is fine, but we usually stick to butter or olive oil.
