Fresh lemon, a bit of red pepper, and fennel seeds are added to shrimp and served with spaghetti. Delish! In fact, this Lemon Fennel Shrimp with Spaghetti has been a family favorite for years.
I updated this post for lemon shrimp spaghetti in April of 2021 to add new photos and simplified recipe instructions.
This shrimp and spaghetti skillet is a delicious, mouth-watering, healthy meal. As a bonus, this wonderful dish is ready in no time at all, and clean-up is a breeze!
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Ingredients needed for lemon shrimp
To make this lemon shrimp with pasta recipe you will need,
- Shrimp
- Spaghetti (reserved pasta water)
- Olive Oil
- Butter
- Fresh Lemon Juice
- Fresh Lemon Zest
- Garlic
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Fennel Seeds
- Fresh Parsley
How to prepare shrimp with lemon and fennel
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
- When the pasta is done, reserve about 1 cup of the liquid. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- Peel and devein the raw shrimp.
- Zest and juice the lemon.
- Chop the fresh parsley.
- Chop the fresh garlic.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat to medium-high heat.
- Add the olive oil and butter.
- Once the butter has melted, add the red pepper flakes and fennel. Cook and stir for about 30 seconds.
- Add the shrimp and garlic. Spread the shrimp so that it is a single layer covering the bottom of the pan.
- When the shrimp starts to turn pink stir it and spread it out in a single layer again.
- After a minute or so add the salt, pepper, lemon zest, and the lemon juice. Stir and cook until the shrimp is done. The shrimp will take anywhere from 3 - 6 minutes to cook completely depending on the size of shrimp. (I usually pull one out of the pan and cut it in half. The grayish raw look should be gone and it will be opaque inside with pink on the outside when it is done.)
- Next, add the cooked pasta along with the fresh parsley. Stir well. If you need more liquid, use some of the reserved pasta water.
- Time to eat!
Step by step with photos
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
- Once the pasta is done, reserve about 1 cup of the liquid. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- Peel and devein the raw shrimp.
- Zest and juice the lemon.
- Chop the fresh parsley.
- Chop the fresh garlic.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat to medium-high heat.
- Add the olive oil and butter.
- Once the butter has melted, add the red pepper flakes and fennel. Cook and stir for about 30 seconds.
- Add the shrimp and garlic. Spread the shrimp so that it is a single layer covering the bottom of the pan.
- When the shrimp starts to turn pink stir it and spread it out in a single layer again.
- After a minute or so add the salt, pepper, lemon zest, and the lemon juice. Stir and cook until the shrimp is done. The shrimp will take anywhere from 3 - 6 minutes to cook completely depending on the size of shrimp. (I usually pull one out of the pan and cut it in half. The grayish raw look should be gone and it will be opaque inside with pink on the outside when it is done.)
Oops! I forgot to take a photo of this step.
- Next, add the cooked pasta along with the fresh parsley. Stir well. If you need more liquid, use some of the reserved pasta water.
- Time to eat!
I hope you enjoy this shrimp recipe. Lemon Fennel Shrimp with Spaghetti is a meal in itself! If you would like a side dish I would suggest a side salad and maybe some buttery French bread.
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Recipe
Lemon Fennel Shrimp with Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Spaghetti cooked
- 1 cup Water reserved from pasta water
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- ¾ teaspoon Fennel Seed
- ½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 pound Shrimp cleaned, peeled, and deveined
- 3 cloves Garlic chopped
- Salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 Lemon Juice usually about ¼ to ⅓ cup
- 1 Lemon Zest
- 1 tablespoon Parsley fresh, chopped
Instructions
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
- When the pasta is done, reserve about 1 cup of the liquid. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- Peel and devein the raw shrimp.
- Zest and juice the lemon.
- Chop the fresh parsley.
- Chop the fresh garlic.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat to medium-high heat.
- Add the olive oil and butter.
- Once the butter has melted, add the red pepper flakes and fennel. Cook and stir for about 30 seconds.
- Add the shrimp and garlic. Spread the shrimp so that it is a single layer covering the bottom of the pan.
- When the shrimp starts to turn pink stir it and spread it out in a single layer again.
- After a minute or so add the salt, pepper, lemon zest, and the lemon juice. Stir and cook until the shrimp is done. The shrimp will take anywhere from 3 - 6 minutes to cook completely depending on the size of shrimp. (I usually pull one out of the pan and cut it in half. The grayish raw look should be gone and it will be opaque inside with pink on the outside when it is done.)
- Next, add the cooked pasta along with the fresh parsley. Stir well. If you need more liquid, use some of the reserved pasta water.
- It is done! Time to eat!
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was inspired by 2 different recipes seen on The Rachel Ray tv show.
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