43 Quick-Cooking Shrimp Recipes
We shrimp-ly can't get enough shrimp.
No matter if you're a beginner in the kitchen or a seasoned pro, shrimp is about to be your favorite protein. Forgive our pun, but shrimp is shrimp-ly... the best. They cook SO fast, are super-convenient (you can swap in frozen for pretty much any of these recipes!), and fit into so many recipes, from fancy side dishes and special occasion romantic meals to party appetizers and casual weeknight dinners. We’ve rounded up 43 shrimp recipes to inspire you—we bet you’ll fall in love with the little pink crustacean as much as we have.
One of the greatest things about shrimp is how easily it can be swapped for other proteins (particularly if you’re low on time and want a quick shortcut). Love chicken and rice? Swap shrimp in instead, like in our simply named shrimp and rice, our sweet corn shrimp & rice skillet, or our one-pan salsa verde shrimp and rice. Big fan of pasta? Try our one-pot shrimp primavera, our shrimp fettuccine Alfredo, or our creamy chipotle shrimp pasta. Love Asian food? Shrimp makes a great addition to all your faves, like in our shrimp kung pao noodles, our shrimp pad Thai, or our honey walnut shrimp. Need something a little handheld for an on-the-go meal? Make a shrimp sandwich or tacos, like our grilled shrimp tacos with sriracha slaw, our shrimp po’ boy, or our cilantro-lime shrimp tacos. Trust us, there’s almost no recipe that’s not improved by swapping in or adding a little shrimp.
Want more seafood inspiration? Check out our favorite salmon recipes, our top grilled seafood recipes, and our top fish recipes too. If you, like us, can't get enough shrimp, check out all our favorite shrimp appetizers and shrimp pasta recipes next!
Jerk Shrimp & Pineapple Bowls
Long live the pineapple bowl. Not only is it a super-cute and fun way to serve dinner, but it also guarantees that whatever you’re about to eat is going to be loaded with plenty of fresh, delicious pineapple. In this case, we’ve got jerk marinated shrimp, sweet peppers, and a sweet and spicy glaze that will make you want to lick your plate clean.
Get the Jerk Shrimp & Pineapple Bowls recipe.
Blackened Shrimp Bowls
If you're looking for summer in a bowl, turn to these blackened shrimp bowls. Not only delicious, these bowls are also a filling powerhouse. It's also the perfect meal-prep meal: Make all the ingredients ahead of time, then prepare your bowls as you please throughout the week! Filled with whole grains, protein, and fresh veg, these are the perfect bowls if you're looking for an easy, healthy lunch or satisfying weeknight dinner to enjoy all summer long.
Get the Blackened Shrimp Bowls recipe.
Copycat Cheesecake Factory Shrimp Scampi
Classic shrimp scampi is one of our favorite Italian American dishes. What could possibly beat plump shrimp spiked with garlic and lemon over pasta? How about all of that tossed in a Parmesan cream sauce. This Cheesecake Factory staple is a seafood lover’s dream!
Grilled Shrimp Foil Packets
We love a good shrimp boil, but sometimes we don't have time for the production. Foil packs turn a shrimp boil into individual parties that are so fun to throw onto the grill! It's everything you love with way less work.
Get the Grilled Shrimp Foil Packets recipe.
Cheesy Shrimp and Grits
There's a lot of richness going on here. Bacon! Butter! Cheese! To cut all the fat, you need some acid. Enter: freshly squeezed lemon juice. It brightens these bowl up BIG TIME—so don't skip it.
Get the Cheesy Shrimp and Grits recipe.
Creamy Chipotle Shrimp Pasta
We’ll never say no to pasta night, but sometimes we want to add a new, fresh flavor to our noodles. Our best suggestion? Crack open a can of chipotle chiles. The smoky, slightly spicy chiles add a fresh flavor to pasta sauce, and are extra delicious when mixed up with some heavy cream (then again, what isn’t improved by cream?), making a dinner easy enough to make for a weeknight, but fancy enough to make for a crowd.
Get the Creamy Chipotle Shrimp Pasta recipe.
Shrimp Mango Salad
Like most salads, this one is ripe for improvisation. Raw, thinly sliced Napa cabbage is exceptionally crunchy and sweet, but sliced romaine is a perfectly good replacement. (If you want to add in some additional crunch, go with thinly sliced endive.) Chopped toasted peanuts are a crucial final addition, but can be replaced with toasted sunflower or sesame seeds for a similar effect.
Get the Shrimp Mango Salad recipe.
Shrimp Tempura Roll
Get out your chopsticks, pour a few dishes of soy sauce, set a bowl of seaweed salad on the table—it's time for sushi night at home. The starring dish is shrimp tempura roll, which is stuffed with avocado and battered jumbo shrimp that are fried until crisp perfection.
Get the Shrimp Tempura Roll recipe.
Garlic Butter Shrimp & Asparagus
Having a few quick, easy, and delicious recipes in your repertoire is the key to weeknight dinner success. Similar to our lemon garlic butter shrimp, but with an extra-springy vegetable addition, this garlic butter shrimp & asparagus is one of those recipes.
Tuscan Butter Shrimp
Is there anything *authentically* Italian about this recipe? Nope. Is it delicious? 100%. In fact, this Tuscan butter sauce is so good, you'll be tempted to eat it straight out of the pan. (And we wouldn't blame you!)
Get the Tuscan Butter Shrimp recipe.
Buffalo Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
These lettuce wraps are way cleaner than your average Buffalo wings, making them the perfect low-carb lunch. They super-flavorful, fresh, and ready in under an hour!
Get the Buffalo Shrimp Lettuce Wraps recipe.
Shrimp Katsu Burgers
Crispy and tender, fried fish sandwiches have nothing on these crispy shrimp katsu burgers. Inspired by a popular sandwich at a Japanese chain called Lotteria, you may have even spied these (also known as ebi katsu) at several McDonald's internationally or in restaurants across the U.S. The patty is made with chopped shrimp and is coated in panko bread crumbs that give the burger a deliciously crunchy coating. Serve them with French fries and follow with an ice-cold milkshake.
Get the Shrimp Katsu Burgers recipe.
Shrimp Salad
Shrimp salad is perfectly classic, but some might (wrongly) think it's old school. Ours is far from the gloppy mayo-laden dish from the '80s. We brightened it with red onion, celery, fresh dill, and a light mayo dressing with Dijon and lemon zest for zing.
Get the Shrimp Salad recipe.
Honey Walnut Shrimp
Our crispy coated version of this slightly sweet dish more closely represents the Panda Express takeout version than the traditional. The sugared walnuts are our favorite part and make the dish so special!
Get the Honey Walnut Shrimp recipe.
Roasted Red Pepper Shrimp Linguine
Creamy, smoky, and spicy, this comforting shrimp pasta is low effort, high reward. Thanks to store-bought roasted peppers, very little active cooking time is required. And though you totally could roast your own peppers, we actually preferred the jarred version rather than homemade roasted peppers while testing this recipe. The store-bought variety tends to be more tender, which makes for a smoother, more velvety sauce.
Sweet Corn Shrimp & Rice Skillet
This light but satisfying dinner starts with a vibrant sauce made with some of our favorite sunny, bright flavors: sweet bell peppers, nutty white miso, and earthy turmeric, along with plenty of garlic and ginger. Topped with garlicky sautéed shrimp, this meal comes complete with protein, carb, and plenty of veg.
Shrimp Po’ Boy
If you've never had an iconic Louisiana po' boy, this fried shrimp version is a great place to start. Dressed with crunchy shredded iceburg, juicy tomatoes, and a creamy and briny remoulade sauce, this imposing sandwich will take you to the fern- and Spanish moss-lined streets of NOLA in seconds flat.
Get the Shrimp Po’ Boy recipe.
Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp
This garlic lovers’ spin on scampi was made famous by Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck on Oahu. Tossing the shrimp in rice flour helps them take on a delicately crunchy texture, but all-purpose flour will work in a pinch. Out of the gate, you might see the recipe and think, "Why are the shells still on the shrimp? I'm just going to peel them and I won't get any of the seasoning on the shells!" In our defense, we'll say that shrimp shells are, in fact, edible when cooked like so in this recipe, and for many (us included), it adds a crunchy texture that's genuinely delicious.
Get the Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp recipe.
Shrimp Creole
Similar to shrimp étouffée, but with a tomato-based sauce, this recipe will transport you to the balcony-lined streets of New Orleans. Aromatic onion, green bell pepper, and celery form the holy trinity of flavor on top of which you'll build this saucy little number.
Get the Shrimp Creole recipe.
Surf 'n' Turf Foil Packs
At your next summer gathering, put a few of these bad boys on the coals and take more time to enjoy your company. Once you have the ingredients prepped—all of which can be done the day before and stored in your fridge—it's a few minutes of assembly and only around 15 minutes of hands-off grilling.
Get the Surf 'n' Turf Foil Packs recipe.
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.
Mackenzie Filson is a food writer and contributing digital food producer at Delish. Her favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate-pine. If wine was an astrological sign she'd be a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. She's never met a bag of Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos she didn't eat in one sitting.
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