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Creamy Garlic Butter Shrimp With Mashed Potatoes

Creamy garlic butter shrimp served over silky mashed potatoes—garlicky, glossy, and cooked fast in one skillet. Shrimp are seared, then coated in a lightly creamy butter sauce for a restaurant-style weeknight dinner.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 640
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Shrimp
  • 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 0.5 cup heavy cream
  • 0.25 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 0.5 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 Salt to taste
  • 1 black pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
For the Mashed Potatoes
  • 2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 0.5 cup whole milk or heavy cream, warmed
  • 1 Salt to taste
  • 1 white pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Cook the mashed potatoes
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cubed potatoes and cook at a steady boil for 15–18 minutes, until fork-tender.
  2. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Mash with butter and warmed milk until smooth and fluffy.
  3. Season the mash with salt and white pepper. Cover and keep warm so the potatoes stay creamy.
Sear and sauce the shrimp
  1. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and season with paprika, salt, and black pepper. Lay them out so they cook evenly.
  2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and let it melt until foamy.
  3. Add the shrimp in a single layer and sear for 1–1.5 minutes per side, until pink and just curled. Remove shrimp from the pan and set aside.
  4. Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining butter and minced garlic. Sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant and golden—do not brown.
  5. Pour in the chicken broth and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir until the pan looks glossy and the bits dissolve.
  6. Add the heavy cream and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 2–3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
  7. Return the shrimp to the skillet. Stir to coat and warm through for 1 minute.
  8. Squeeze lemon juice over the shrimp and stir in fresh parsley. Mix until the sauce looks uniformly glossy with green flecks.
Serve
  1. Spoon generous portions of mashed potatoes onto plates or into shallow bowls. Ladle creamy garlic butter shrimp and sauce over the top.
  2. Serve immediately while the shrimp are hot and the potatoes are fluffy. Keep plates warm if needed for quick serving.

Notes

For extra silky mash, warm the milk/cream before adding so the potatoes don’t cool down and stiffen. Refrigerate leftovers up to 3 days; reheat shrimp gently in a skillet over low heat and re-warm the mash with a splash of milk. Freezing isn’t recommended for best texture. Dietary swap: use half-and-half instead of heavy cream for a lighter sauce, keeping the simmer step to thicken it.