Shrimp and White Bean Skillet with Garlic, Chili, and Lemon

General Fast With Fish Published August 02, 2026

Fifteen minutes from cold pan to table. Shellfish is permitted on many days when fish is not — in much of the Slavic and Greek practice, shellfish sits in a looser category than finned fish — so this is worth knowing for more days of the calendar than you might expect.

The whole dish is built on one principle: garlic cooked slowly in a lot of olive oil until it perfumes the fat, then everything else added to that. It is the Spanish gambas al ajillo idea applied to a full supper, with beans making it a meal rather than a tapa.

Shrimp cook in about two minutes and go rubbery in three. Pull them the moment they curl and turn opaque, and let the residual heat finish them in the pan.

FASTING LEVEL: Fast With Fish
SERVINGS: 4
TIME: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

- 700g large shrimp, peeled and deveined, patted dry
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1-2 dried red chilies, crumbled, or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 x 400g cans cannellini or butter beans, drained
- 250g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup (120ml) dry white wine
- Juice and zest of 1.5 lemons
- 1 cup (30g) parsley, chopped
- Salt and black pepper
- Crusty bread, to serve

METHOD

1. Toss the dried shrimp with 1/2 teaspoon salt and set aside while you start the garlic.

2. Put the olive oil and sliced garlic in a large cold skillet and set it over medium-low heat. Let the garlic come up to temperature slowly, 4-5 minutes, until it turns pale gold and the oil smells strongly of it. Starting cold is what keeps the garlic from burning.

3. Add the crumbled chili and smoked paprika and swirl for 20 seconds.

4. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the tomatoes and cook 3 minutes until they begin to slump and release their juice.

5. Add the beans and wine. Simmer 4 minutes, mashing a few beans against the pan to thicken the sauce, until the wine has reduced by half.

6. Push the beans to the edges. Add the shrimp in a single layer in the center and cook 1 minute per side — they are done the moment they turn pink and curl into a loose C. A tight O means overcooked.

7. Off the heat, add the lemon juice and zest and the parsley. Toss everything together and season with salt and black pepper.

8. Serve straight from the skillet with bread for the oil at the bottom, which is the best part.

NOTES

- Frozen shrimp are fine and often better than "fresh" at the counter, which is usually thawed anyway. Thaw under cold running water and dry very well.
- Check your jurisdiction's practice on shellfish. Many Greek and Slavic traditions permit it on days when finned fish is not allowed; others do not distinguish.
- Add wilted spinach or chard at the end to make it a bigger plate.
- Squid rings work the same way but need either 90 seconds or 40 minutes — nothing in between.