How to Make Garlic Butter Shrimp with Sprite

Super delicious! These Garlic and Butter Shrimp Baked in Sprite are insanely delicious and so easy you’ll make it over and over again.
We are big shrimp (or shrimp) eaters in the Philippines. Head to any seafood or Filipino restaurant in Manila and you’ll have countless shrimp dishes to choose from!

I guess it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. After all, the Philippines is an archipelago and is completely surrounded by bodies of water. Having over 7,100 islands, we also have many rivers and lakes.

With all that water (salty and fresh), seafood is plentiful, and especially the prawns or prawns you can find anywhere in any market.
While we do a wide variety of shrimp dishes in the Philippines, one dish in particular stands out as it’s always a crowd favorite! So—- Garlic Butter Shrimp with Sprite or Halabos na Hipon in the local dialect.

You are probably re-reading the above statement. sprites? What?
Yes, shrimp cooked in Sprite indeed!

It should come as no surprise that we cook shrimp in Sprite (or 7UP for that matter!). After all, we use Sprite or 7Up in most of our dishes that need to be included as part of local ingredients! SO FUNNY.

Try it, you may like it : garlic butter shrimp

Seriously, we have chicken and pork dishes cooked with Sprite, or at least marinated! Ok, I’m going to tell you about a secret Philippine material – our secret ingredient Sprite!!! Seriously, we love cooking with Sprite because it feels weird if left in dishes that rely on it for flavor, texture, and tenderness!
It’s so popular that some adobo recipes (adobo is our national dish!) are even cooked with Sprite. Now you understand how much we love Sprite in our meals. And no… this is not a Coca-Cola Company sponsored post. You can definitely use the 7UP if you prefer – any lemon soda will do.

I think Sprite or lemon soda has a special place in our cuisine because we like both sweet-sour, sweet-sour and sweet-sour flavors.

Anyway, without further ado, our favorite recipe for Garlic Butter Shrimp with Sprite! It is very simple and fast to do.
My main recommendation would be to cook the prawns/shrimp without the heads and shells intact for a more robust and truly delicious flavor. I’ve tried it with both firm shrimp and shell shrimp (see photos for comparison) and the difference for me is the taste day and night. I really prefer and highly recommend using whole pristine shrimp for full flavor.

The shell prawns aren’t bad – whatever has sprite, garlic and butter in it still tastes good – you can’t go wrong – but if you want some umami goodness – leave the shells alone and go!

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 cloves garlic (divided), minced
• 1 tablespoon of oil optional
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 cup Sprite (or 7 UP or any lemon soda)
• 1 pound shrimp or shrimp, with veins but skins and heads (preferably) intact
• pepper and salt to taste
• 1 lemon, a few drops of juice (optional)

Try it, you may like it : Buttered shrimp

Instructions

1. In a skillet or shallow skillet, brown half the garlic in oil over low to medium heat. Spoon the fried garlic and set aside. This will be used for garnish.
2. In the same skillet or skillet, add the butter and remaining garlic. Cook until the butter is melted and the garlic is aromatic. Pour into sprite. Cook for about 3-5 minutes or until the liquid is reduced.
3. Add shrimp or prawns. Season with a little salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 3-4 minutes or until the color of the shrimp is completely changed and cooked. If you are cooking shell shrimp or shrimp, cook them until they are completely opaque. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
4. Remove the shrimp from the sauce and reduce the sauce a little more if desired. Otherwise, serve the shrimp on a plate and pour the remaining sauce all over them. Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice (optional). Garnish with fried garlic. You can sprinkle some chopped cilantro or parsley to add some color. Serve over rice. Enjoy.

Recipe Notes

TIPS & TRICKS

If possible, leave the shells and heads (especially the heads) intact and simply design the shrimp or prawns. Shrimp heads have a wonderful, salty flavor that enlivens any dish they are added to. The heads have a pocket of fat that flavors the shrimp, which is why many cooks prefer to leave the heads uncovered. Don’t like to eat heads, that’s okay! Get the flavor by cooking with them, then remove them after cooking or while eating (this is what we do in the Philippines). We always cook with their heads uncovered and take them out while we eat. This is how we get the good umami flavor, and trust me, it’s worth it.

You can use up to 1.5 pounds of shrimp or prawns for this recipe.

ENJOY!

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