45 of Our Best Shrimp Recipes (2024)

Shrimp: It's a magical protein that's naturally lean, jumbo in flavor, and so fast-cooking it fits perfectly into weeknight meals and party menus alike. To this day, people across cultures and cuisines love shrimp.

From grilled to deep fried, poached to sautéed, there are so many different ways to cook shrimp—and with delicious results. Enjoy them as an appetizer or savor them as the main course in pastas, soups, stews, and more.

We recommend keeping a bag of frozen shrimp in your freezer, so you can make one of these shellfish recipes any night of the week. Read on for 45 of our favorite shrimp recipes.

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Shrimp Burgers

These juicy shrimp burgers are done in under 10 minutes—just be sure to oil your grates so they don't stick. Serve them on toasted buns slathered with a smoky chile-lime mayo.

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Popcorn Shrimp

Sometimes the little guys finish first, as with this happy heap of popcorn shrimp. This is not a recipe for jumbo—go really small here (50 to 60 per pound) so they cook in a flash. This keep the shrimp them from getting tough and ensures that the batter turns ultra-crispy. Whip up our Tartar Sauce and Spicy co*cktail Sauce, too—you won't go back to bottled.

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Grilled-Shrimp Grand Aioli

This grand platter for entertaining is mostly make ahead. There's steamed potatoes and green beans, hard-cooked eggs, lettuce leaves, and cucumber spears. Skewers of grilled shrimp and grilled flatbreads are the only elements prepped just before serving. All are served with an Avocado Cream Sauce and a Mint-Mustard Vinaigrette.

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Sesame-Shrimp Slaw

In this dynamic version, coleslaw takes center stage rather than playing its usual supporting role. Right after poaching, shrimp are tossed in a sesame-lime dressing—the heat helps them absorb the flavors. While they chill, prep the shredded cabbages and carrot, edamame, sesame seeds, and zingy cilantro, then toss and serve.

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Shrimp and Cheesy Grits

A favorite for brunch, lunch, or dinner, shrimp and grits is a winner. Our smart take builds flavor fast by starting with a surprising base: breakfast sausage. You sear it, breaking it up so its bold herbs and spices touch every other ingredient. Deglazing the pan at the end creates a rich sauce to drizzle over everything, including the rich, cheesy grits.

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Crispy Salt-and-Pepper Shrimp

If you love Szechuan food, this palate-pleasing paean to the power of heat is for you. Toasting salt and peppercorns in a dry pan wakes up their flavors, and shallow-frying the spice-and-cornstarch-coated shrimp turns the shells so light and crispy, you can eat these beauties whole.

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Cream-Free Shrimp Alfredo

This super-simple alfredo has just six ingredients—and there's no heavy cream. The rich sauce is made from unsalted butter, an egg yolk, and Parmesan cheese. Sautéed shrimp are tossed in at the end.

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Quick Shrimp Po'boys

Can't make it down to the Big Easy? Bring classic New Orleans-style cuisine into your home with these family-friendly po'boys, served in soft hoagie rolls with crisp, golden-brown shrimp and tangy tartar sauce.

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Smoky Shrimp-and-Sausage Gravy

Start the party off with a bite that is sure to pack a punch of flavor. Shrimp are cooked with garlic, onion, Aleppo pepper flakes, and smoked sausage, then served with a miniature buttermilk biscuit.

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Cajun-Style Shrimp and Rice

This easy riff on jambalaya has spicy pork sausage, shrimp, and the Louisiana trinity of onion, bell pepper, and celery.

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Shrimp Skewers with Chopped-Zucchini Salad

Here's a delicious shrimp dinner that takes just 35 minutes. Shrimp, zucchini, onions, and lemon are lightly charred on a grill, then served alongside couscous with feta for a dish that tastes like summer.

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Gingery Shrimp Salad with Crispies

The key to a great dinner salad is getting just the right balance of textures and flavors. This recipe pulls it off with juicy seared shrimp and crunchy tortilla strips that make the healthy entrée seem like a special occasion treat, even though it's quick and easy enough to make on a weeknight.

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Shrimp with Spicy Green Rice

Inspired by the Venetian dish risi e bisi that's a close cousin to risotto, this vibrant dinner combines shrimp, long-grain rice, and sweet, crunchy sugar snap peas with fresh ginger, Thai chiles, cilantro, and fish sauce.

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Shrimp-and-Basil Glass-Noodle Stir-Fry

The key to this all-star shrimp stir-fry are its bold, contrasting savory ingredients: fish sauce, soy sauce, fresh ginger, and chile pepper.

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Shrimp Scampi

A classic done right: Our shrimp scampi starts with a quick homemade shrimp stock, which helps to create a very flavorful sauce.

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Scandinavian Shrimp Salad

With jumbo shrimp, boiled potatoes, and hard-boiled egg, this salad is hearty enough for lunch or dinner. The contrasting colors and textures create an all-around appealing meal.

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Cashew Shrimp

For this quick dinner, shrimp are sautéed, then tossed with a thick sauce made with oyster sauce, cornstarch, garlic, and ginger.

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Shrimp Maque Choux

A delicious hodge-podge of spicy peppers, corn, and shrimp cooked in a combination of vermouth, heavy cream, fish stock, and aromatics, our take on maque choux is not to be missed.

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Pressure-Cooker Shrimp Bisque

Here's the perfect opportunity to use a pressure cooker. This creamy bisque includes medium shrimp—which add texture and substance to the shrimp-infused broth—plus heavy cream, white wine, and butter for the base.

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Pasta with Shrimp and Creamy Chipotle Sauce

This streamlined dish is made with a few choice ingredients, so each one shines. We like to make it in the summer when fresh corn and fennel are at their peak. It comes together quickly with plump shrimp, chipotles in adobo, and heavy cream, which are all tossed with rigatoni.

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Instant-Pot Shrimp Boil

The Instant Pot makes it easy to enjoy a shrimp boil any night of the week. With this easy recipe, the favorite summer celebration meal is a hands-off, one-pot winner dinner.

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Shrimp Chow Mein

Even if you're not skilled in using chopsticks, we have a feeling you'll become a pro at twirling each and every one of these noodles into your mouth. That's because this takeout-inspired dinner is so delicious that not one bit of it—from shrimp to snow peas to bean sprouts—will go to waste.

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Crispy Panko Shrimp Salad

Here's a 15-minute, five-ingredient dinner you'll be making on repeat. Dijonnaise (a flavorful mixture of mustard and mayo) binds panko crumbs to the shrimp and also adds creaminess to the dressing.

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Saffron Risotto with Shrimp and Peas

Shrimp, peas, and lemon complement each other in any dish, but they add particular brightness to this creamy, cozy risotto.

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Spiced Indian Shrimp

A couple of tablespoons of the Indian spice blend garam masala is added to jarred marinara sauce to create subtle flavor in each bite of shrimp. Serve over couscous for a light, quick, and satisfying weeknight meal.

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Curried Shrimp and Noodle Soup

This 25-minute shrimp entrée tastes like it was cooked long and slow thanks to the power of Thai red curry paste.

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Sriracha Shrimp

These spicy shrimp are super versatile—serve them as finger food for a party, toss them into a grain bowl or atop a salad, or twirl them with noodles. No matter which way you spin it, we're sure you'll taste the heat.

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Shrimp Scampi with Yellow-Squash Noodles

Swap the usual pasta for spiralized yellow squash noodles in this healthy take on shrimp scampi.

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Spaghetti and Shrimp Meatballs

Perfect for Flexitarian Fridays, these "meatballs" are actually meat-free. They're made with shrimp, which are processed into a paste and mixed with panko breadcrumbs, Pecorino Romano cheese, basil, and scallions. Serve atop pasta or as a starter.

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Coconut-Curry Shrimp and Couscous

One-pan? Check. Thirty minutes or less? Check. Plenty of flavor? Check. Family-friendly? Check. There's nothing not to love about this curry shrimp dinner.

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Shrimp Cobb with Cilantro-Lime Dressing

Now it's a party! We've got perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs, sautéed shrimp, slices of ripe avocado, and crispy bacon, all assembled on a crowd-friendly platter.

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Lemongrass-Skewered Shrimp in Lettuce Cups

This dish is a labor of love, but it's well worth the time and effort. Garlicky sweet shrimp are molded around pieces of sugarcane, then grilled. It makes for a light main course on a warm evening.

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Broiled Coconut-and-Lime-Crusted Shrimp With Rice-Noodle Salad

This quick, fun dinner is a sublime mix of crispy coconut shrimp, crunchy cucumbers and radishes, creamy avocado, and rice vermicelli, all tossed with a lively dressing of lime juice, pepper jelly, and chiles.

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Shrimp Pozole

Pozole is a favorite Mexican soupy stew that usually features pork shoulder or pork belly. This version features a homemade shrimp stock as a flavorful base for shrimp, hominy, and tomatoes.

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Quick Skillet Paella with Shrimp and Tomatoes

Not at all traditional but altogether delicious, this take on paella comes together in just 35 minutes. It uses arborio rice and shrimp, peas, diced tomatoes, and chorizo.

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Shrimp Stir-Fry with Vermouth

Sweet vermouth, soy sauce, brown sugar, and chili sauce are whisked together for a flavorful sauce for this 20-minute stir-fry. Serve over steamed rice.

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Shrimp Francese

The traditional version of this lemon-and-white-wine dish is made with thinly pounded chicken, but the flavors work just as well with shrimp. The crustaceans are pan-fried until golden-brown and crispy.

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Beet Gazpacho with Shrimp

Here's a beautiful, light summer main course. Red beets add a vibrant purple hue to gazpacho—a chilled cucumber and tomato soup. Place pre-cooked shrimp on top for a soup that feels hearty enough for lunch or dinner.

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Grilled Shrimp "Boil"

When you can't make it to the beach for a clambake, turn to this at-home version. Potatoes and corn are par-boiled first, then tossed with a lemon-butter mixture and grilled with shrimp until fully cooked through.

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Gemelli with Shrimp and Sugar Snap Peas

Try this fresh take on shrimp pasta with a trio of spring flavors—crunchy sugar snap peas, lemon zest, and crumbled feta are tossed with the noodles for a quick, fragrant meal.

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Paprika Shrimp with Hummus and Mint

Serve this shrimp dish as an unexpected appetizer for serious wow. Paprika adds plenty of warm flavor and bold color to the shrimp, which are served alongside store-bought hummus, warm pitas, crunchy lettuce leaves, and cucumber slices.

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Broiled Shrimp Tacos

Celebrate Taco Tuesday with this delicious meal. Spicy shrimp, which get their heat from canned chipotles in adobo, are piled into corn tacos along with sliced avocado, shredded cheese, cilantro, and sliced jalapeños.

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Farro Risotto with Shrimp

Pearled farro replaces the usual arborio recipe in this take on risotto. The combination of shrimp, peas, and Parmesan is a classic and will never go out of style.

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Shrimp with Tomatoes, Spinach, and Rice

Sweet canned tomatoes cook down with garlic and rice to create a quick base for shrimp. Garnish with tangy feta and fresh mint for color and contrast.

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Skillet Shrimp and Orzo

For a quick weeknight shrimp recipe that's just a little different, we're big fans of orzo. The rice-like pasta pairs oh so well with shrimp, grape tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil leaves in this easy dinner.

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