Skillet Shrimp and Asparagus

Skillet Shrimp and Asparagus, only use one pan! Quick, easy, and delicious, perfect for a midweek meal.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated June 15, 2022
Elise Bauer
Skillet Shrimp Asparagus
Elise Bauer

Hello friends! I know many of you come here looking for something you can quickly and easily make, and tastes great. Something perhaps for a weeknight dinner when you have maybe only 30 minutes to cook, and even less to clean up afterwards?

Here's a shrimp and asparagus skillet recipe that scores high on all points. It only takes half an hour start to finish, and only uses one pan. And the taste? Wow! I was really surprised by this one.

First you sauté onions and garlic, then add diced new potatoes with a little water, cover and let cook for a few minutes until the potatoes are almost cooked through. Then you add asparagus, cook a minute more, then shrimp with some lemon juice and zest.

Skillet Shrimp Asparagus
Elise Bauer

The juices from everything cooking create the most lovely glaze. You have protein from the shrimp, green vegetable from the asparagus, and starch from the potatoes making a complete one pot meal.

If you wanted to, you could skip the potatoes and toss the shrimp and asparagus sauté in with pasta. You could also spice it up a bit with some chili pepper flakes. Enjoy!

Skillet Shrimp and Asparagus

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Servings 4 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 1 medium onion, quartered, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)

  • 1/2 pound small red skinned new potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices or small dice

  • Salt, to taste

  • Pinch black pepper

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 3/4 pound asparagus, woody ends discarded, spears thinly sliced on the diagonal

  • 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp (can leave tails on for presentation if you want), 16-20 count

  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 2 tablespoons minced chives or green onion greens

Method

  1. Sauté onions and garlic:

    Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the sliced onions and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, cook a minute more.

    skillet-shrimp-asparagus-method-1
    Elise Bauer
  2. Add potatoes, water, cover and cook:

    Add the potatoes and 1/2 cup water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, until the potatoes are almost cooked through.

    skillet-shrimp-asparagus-method-2
    Elise Bauer
  3. Add asparagus:

    Add the thinly sliced asparagus, toss with the potato mixture, cover and cook for one minute.

    skillet-shrimp-asparagus-method-3
    Elise Bauer
  4. Add the shrimp, lemon juice, lemon zest, chives:

    Add the shrimp, lemon juice, lemon zest, and chives. Toss and cover and cook until shrimp is just cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add more salt or pepper to taste.

    skillet-shrimp-asparagus-method-4
    Elise Bauer
    skillet-shrimp-asparagus-method-5
    Elise Bauer
Skillet Shrimp Asparagus
Elise Bauer
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
305 Calories
9g Fat
27g Carbs
31g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 305
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 11%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 247mg 82%
Sodium 1265mg 55%
Total Carbohydrate 27g 10%
Dietary Fiber 4g 15%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 31g
Vitamin C 19mg 97%
Calcium 160mg 12%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 849mg 18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.