35 Easy Shrimp Recipes for Busy Nights
These easy shrimp recipes are perfect for getting dinner done quickly on a busy night. Learn how to cook shrimp in just minutes and then use it in dozens of easy shrimp dinner ideas you can whip together in no time.
Whether you're trying to incorporate more seafood and less meat, stick to a budget-friendly dinner, or you need a meatless dinner for Lent, these easy shrimp recipes are perfect for keeping in your back pocket for a busy night.
In this post I'm going to teach you how to cook frozen shrimp properly so that you can mix and match the seasonings and turn it into one of the dozen dinner ideas I've outlined below.
If you have a little more time or interest, I'm also sharing a handful of shrimp recipes that use fresh, raw shrimp for a dinner that is so delicious you will be proud to serve it to your family or for guests when you're entertaining.
Why Shrimp is So Easy
When you need a fast and easy dinner, shrimp is the perfect protein to use for your entree because it cooks in practically no time at all!
If you cook shrimp in a skillet on the stove top, it will be done in just 3 minutes or so.
Roast it in the oven, and you only need 7 - 10 minutes depending on the size of the shrimp.
With a tender sweet flavor, shrimp takes on any seasoning you pair with it and is the perfect mild seafood to add to dozens of pasta, rice, and salad dinner ideas.
Learn how to cook frozen shrimp well and you almost don't even need a shrimp recipe. You can just prep the shrimp and add it to any dish you love.
How to Make Frozen Shrimp Better
Frozen shrimp is the busy parent's shortcut to a super easy dinner.
The only trick is making sure you thaw frozen shrimp properly or it can get water logged and rubbery.
You can thaw the shrimp in the morning before you head to work, when you get home it will be ready for cooking in minutes.
Once it is thawed, the trick to making frozen shrimp taste as fresh as possible is to not overcook it and to season it well.
Frozen shrimp can work in any of the 30 recipes listed below as long as you buy raw frozen shrimp instead of the pre-cooked shrimp.
You don't want to use pre-cooked shrimp if you plan to use it in a heated recipe or it will quickly become tough and overdone.
Best Shrimp Seasoning
Shrimp will easily take on any seasoning you want to pair with it but some seasoning blends taste better with shrimp than others.
My personal favorite flavors to add to shrimp include:
- Lemon
- Garlic
- White Wine
- Spicy Seasoning Blends with Kick
If you're looking for a premixed seasoning blend, pick up a jar of one of these at the grocery store for keeping in your pantry for a quick dinner shortcut:
- Cajun seasoning
- Jerk seasoning: you can make my homemade Caribbean jerk seasoning
- Lemon Pepper seasoning with or without Garlic Salt
- Fajita seasoning: especially if you can add fresh lime juice
- Creole seasoning
- Blackening seasoning: you can make a homemade blackening seasoning yourself
- Mediterranean or Italian herbs: basil, oregano, and dill especially
What Goes Best with Shrimp?
Shrimp is perfectly delicious eaten on it's own or with a dip like shrimp cocktail.
It also pairs really well with pasta dishes made with delicate longer pasta shapes like linguine, thin spaghetti, or angel hair.
If you prefer to pair rice with shrimp, I love it with white jasmine rice but other grains like brown rice and quinoa are great matches, too.
Normally you'll see shrimp paired with vegetables like bell peppers, onions, broccoli, pea pods, and cherry tomatoes but it is a perfect salad topping, too.
Shrimp Boil Foil Packets
You can prep ahead these easy shrimp boil foil packets and cook them on the grill or on a sheet pan in the oven.
Baked Shrimp Scampi with Breadcrumbs
I love to serve this baked shrimp scampi with breadcrumbs as a holiday appetizer but you could serve it as a weeknight dinner with a side salad or add a bowl of angel hair pasta and spoon the shrimp over the top. There will be plenty of butter sauce.
Garlic Butter Shrimp Skillet
If you enjoy peel and eat shrimp, this garlic butter shrimp skillet is a must-try. I've enjoyed this as my own birthday dinner alongside big chunks of crusty bread for soaking up all that delicious sauce.
Spinach Rice with Shrimp
This Mediterranean shrimp and rice dish can be made right in the Instant Pot for an easy weeknight dinner.
Sheet Pan Shrimp and Vegetables
Serve this sheet pan shrimp and vegetables by itself as a low-carb dinner option or bulk it up by serving over lettuce. You could also scoop it over a serving of jasmine rice.
Shrimp Stew with Corn and Peppers
I love to serve this spicy shrimp stew with a buttermilk biscuit or a square of grandma's buttermilk cornbread on the side.
Slowcooker Jambalaya
Tender shrimp is mixed with spicy sausage and chicken in my easy slowcooker jambalaya. Serve it over jasmine rice or this herb butter rice.
Spicy Shrimp Tacos
Make this 5-minute spicy shrimp recipe and then tuck it inside a corn tortilla. Top it with pineapple salsa and/or this Mexican slaw for tacos.
Easy Ideas for Using Cooked Shrimp
Many of the recipes on my site would be even more delicious with a spoonful of cooked shrimp added to the dish.
Choose whether you want to cook frozen shrimp in the oven or cook your frozen shrimp in the air fryer. If you have time to boil water, you can make my 3-ingredient boiled shrimp, too.
Then it is so easy to mix and match the seasonings and pair it with another easy element to make a dinner you'll love.
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Lemon Shrimp Pasta
Add oven roasted shrimp or air fryer shrimp over a bowl of this lemon butter pasta with fresh chives.
Shrimp Caesar Salad
Season a batch of oven roasted shrimp or air fryer shrimp with blackening seasoning.
Serve them on top of a bed of greens dressed with this Caesar salad dressing. Add some homemade croutons and grated parmesan cheese.
Shrimp Alfredo
Add oven roasted shrimp or air fryer shrimp over a bowl of pasta tossed in this alfredo sauce with cream cheese. A cup of frozen peas added to the dish would be a nice touch, too.
Shrimp Pesto Tortelloni
Add oven roasted shrimp or air fryer shrimp over a bowl of cheese tortelloni with pesto. I love to add my roasted cherry tomatoes to the mix.
Shrimp Orzo Salad
Add oven roasted shrimp or air fryer shrimp over a bowl of lemon orzo salad with tomatoes and dill. This can be served warm or chilled.
Shrimp Orzo Salad
Add oven roasted shrimp or air fryer shrimp over a bowl of creamy farfalle primavera. The shrimp would add a nice protein to this veggie-heavy pasta dish.
Shrimp and Fresh Tomato Pasta
Add oven roasted shrimp or air fryer shrimp over a bowl fresh tomato pasta with arugula or fresh basil.
Blackened Shrimp and Red Rice
Season oven roasted shrimp or air fryer shrimp with my homemade blackening seasoning before cooking. Then serve it alongside my baked red rice with bacon.
Stir Fry Shrimp and Jasmine Rice
Season oven roasted shrimp or air fryer shrimp with my homemade stir fry seasoning before cooking. Then serve it alongside these roasted stir fry vegetables over a bed of jasmine rice.
Shrimp Cocktail
Make a batch of oven roasted shrimp or air fryer shrimp and then offer it at the table with one of these easy dipping sauce recipes for shrimp.
Shrimp Fried Rice
My easy chicken fried rice recipe could easily be used with your favorite cooked shrimp recipe instead.
Caribbean Shrimp Soup
My tangy Caribbean chicken soup recipe has hint of lime and coconut in the broth that would taste delicious with shrimp instead of chicken. Just omit the chicken and add the shrimp to the soup to cook until pink, about 3 - 5 minutes.
Shrimp Corn Chowder
Season oven roasted shrimp or air fryer shrimp with my blackening seasoning. Then add them to bowls of my slow cooker corn chowder with crumbled bacon.
Jerk Shrimp Salad
Season oven roasted shrimp or air fryer shrimp with my jerk seasoning. Then serve it over this simple citrus salad.
Asian Shrimp Pasta Salad
My Asian chicken pasta salad has cooked chicken tenderloins over the top that could easy be swapped with either oven roasted shrimp or air fryer shrimp.
Shrimp Po'Boy Sandwich
Season oven roasted shrimp or air fryer shrimp with my blackening seasoning. Toast an open-faced piece of sandwich roll under the broiler and layer the shrimp with remoulade sauce, shredded lettuce, and sliced tomatoes.
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