Last Updated on April 21, 2025

Shrimp poached in citrus garlic wine sauce gets served over al dente pasta. If you are looking for a fast weeknight meal this could be it. About 20 minutes is all it takes from start to finish.

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The Basics Of This Recipe

I made this dish about a week ago and Mary Jo and I thought that it was wonderful, so I made it again, just to make sure! And I think the real reason I made it again is because it is so fast to prepare. The hardest part is peeling and deveining the shrimp. If you have shrimp that are already cleaned, then this garlic and citrus shrimp with pasta dish is almost on the table. I really like fast and easy when I’m busy with other projects.

I use a lot of garlic in this recipe. The flavor goes so well with fresh orange, lemon, and lime juices. And I think we can agree that garlic and pasta go hand in hand.

The Simple Preparation

Preparing this dish is really straightforward. The beauty is in the simplicity, but there is so much flavor with the large amount of garlic and the combined citrus. Add to this a little zest from the orange and the lemon and the flavors are further enhanced.

I use large frozen shrimp that is easy-peel. The back of the shrimp is already cut and the vein removed. Thaw the shrimp in a large saucepan with room temperature water and add around a tablespoon of kosher salt. You can also add a couple teaspoons of sugar if desired. In 30 to 45 minutes the shrimp should be thawed and ready to peel.

The shrimp gets cooked really quickly in the citrus sauce. It just takes about a minute on each side to cook. This assures that the shrimp will be sweet and tender…not rubbery.

Serving The Shrimp

Serve this right away on the stringy pasta of your choice; spaghetti, fettuccini, or linguini.

No need to grate any cheese for this pasta dish either. As a matter of fact, cheese would detract from the huge citrus flavor. Just serve with a salad on the side for a super satisfying meal.

If you like shrimp as much as I do, here’s some more recipes:

Plate of shrimp on fettuccini with wine sauce.

Citrus Garlic Shrimp Recipe

Super easy, flavorful shrimp and pasta dish. Perfect for a week night meal.

4.67 from 3 votes

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Course: Seafood

Cuisine: American

Keyword: citrus garlic shrimp, garlic shrimp

Prep Time: 12

Cook Time: 6

Total Time: 18

Servings: servings

Calories: 573kcal

Author: Joe Boyle

Equipment

Large sauce pan
Large skillet.
Microplane grater

Ingredients

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
10 to 12 large garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup dry white wine , such as sauvignon blanc *see note 3
juice of 1 orange
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 2 limes
2 tsp. cornstarch
zest of 1/2 orange and 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
10 oz. large shrimp , 10 or 12 shrimp
6 oz. spaghetti or other long pasta, cooked al dente
pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions

Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente and drain.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet on medium heat add butter, canola oil and garlic.
Cook for 1 minute.
Measure 1/4 cup of dry white wine and add the cornstarch and whisk or stir well to dissolve. Then, add wine, fruit juices and zest and bring to a low boil. Whisk the liquid well for the cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
Add the shrimp and red pepper flakes, and cook on one side for 1 minute, turn and cook on second side for 1 minute and take off the heat.
Immediately add the cooked pasta and stir to combine, adding salt and pepper if desired.
You may also plate the pasta and spoon the shrimp and sauce over.
Serve with chopped parsley as a garnish if desired.

Notes

Start the pasta boiling first, then start the garlic and citrus. When there are 2 minutes left for the pasta to finish, add the shrimp to the skillet. The timing for finishing this should be pretty close. Easy peasy!
Taste the sauce. If it is sharply acidic, add 1 or 2 teaspoons of honey. This could happen if your orange isn't very sweet.
If the sauce boils down add a bit more wine.

Nutrition