18 Spectacular Shrimp Recipes to Add to Your Dinner Rotation

A plate of Spanish-Style Garlic Shrimp (Gambas al Ajillo). On the right hand side of the image is a smaller plate of toasted bread. — Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

When prepared well, shrimp are sweet, plump, and juicy. They're also quick-cooking and packed with protein, not to mention versatile: The shellfish can be the foundation of a quick and easy dinner or the star of a celebratory meal. For that reason, many home cooks reach for shrimp when they need to get dinner on the table fast. Below, we've gathered 18 shrimp recipes for any occasion, including a deeply savory risotto, crispy Southern fried shrimp, and easy grilled shrimp.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo (Shrimp and Pasta with Spicy Tomato Sauce)

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Leave lobster fra diavolo to the restaurants and use shrimp instead. Shellfish flavor is layered into every bite of this dish with a simple technique and one secret ingredient.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo (Shrimp and Pasta with Spicy Tomato Sauce)
Shrimp Étouffée

Serious Eats / Qi Ai

Étouffée is the French word for "smothered," and what it really describes is a Cajun and Creole cooking method in which a protein like shrimp is cooked on the stovetop in a thick, roux-based sauce. Here's how to make the most flavorful shrimp étouffée, and tips to ensure you get exactly the texture and results that you want.

Shrimp Étouffée
Tôm Rim (Vietnamese Braised Shrimp)

Serious Eats / Vy Tran

Tôm rim, a Vietnamese braised shrimp recipe with a savory coconut water caramel sauce, combines garlic, chiles, and fish sauce for a dish so delicious, it's hard to stop at one bowl (so make sure you make enough rice!).

Tôm Rim (Vietnamese Braised Shrimp)
Grilled Shrimp With Garlic and Lemon

Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

The perfect quick dinner is grilled shrimp. Here's how to get a crispy brown exterior without overcooking the delicate meat.

Grilled Shrimp with Garlic and Lemon

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Cajun Shrimp

Serious Eats / Robby Lozano

Dry-brined and tossed in a balanced spice blend that packs subtle heat, this Cajun shrimp is tender, juicy, and packed full of flavor.

Cajun Shrimp
Bánh Xèo (Crispy Vietnamese Rice Pancakes With Pork and Shrimp)

Serious Eats / Vy Tran

Named for the sizzling sound (xèo) produced as the rice batter hits the hot pan, bánh xèo is a shrimp-studded savory pancake meant to be broken apart and shared.

Bánh Xèo (Crispy Vietnamese Rice Pancakes With Pork and Shrimp)
Paella Mixta With Chicken and Shrimp

Serious Eats / Liz Clayman

Bring paella indoors with this mixed version, which has tender, juicy chicken thighs and plump shrimp nestled among tender grains of rice.

Paella Mixta with Chicken and Shrimp
Creole-Style Red Jambalaya With Chicken, Sausage, and Shrimp

Serious Eats / Jen Causey

Jambalaya comes in many variations. This one is New Orleans-style, with tomato, juicy shrimp, chicken thighs, and sausage.

Creole-Style Red Jambalaya With Chicken, Sausage, and Shrimp

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Quick Broiled Shrimp With Harissa and Beer

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Shrimp and butter have always been the ultimate combo, but the additions of bitter, hoppy beer paired with a spicy homemade harissa pack this simple dish with flavor. The shrimp are cooked shell-on under a broiler, yielding plump and juicy flesh.

Quick Broiled Shrimp With Harissa and Beer
Pancit Palabok (Filipino Noodles With Smoky Pork and Seafood Sauce)

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

This classic Filipino noodle dish is packed with pork, chicken, shrimp, and layer upon layer of seafood flavor. Served on top of springy noodles with roast pork belly, shrimp, hard-boiled eggs, and a party of garnishes.

Pancit Palabok (Filipino Noodles With Smoky Pork and Seafood Sauce)
Risotto ai Gamberi (Shrimp Risotto)

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

For the most aromatic shrimp risotto, briefly simmer shrimp shells and heads to make an intensely flavored shellfish stock, then use it to cook your rice. Stirring raw shrimp into the rice just before serving prevents them from overcooking, and intentionally loosening the risotto with stock right before serving ensures that it will set up to the proper consistency when plated.

Risotto ai Gamberi (Shrimp Risotto)
Classic Shrimp Aguachile With Lime, Cucumber, and Red Onion

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

If you don't feel like turning on the stove, Mexico's aguachile may be for you. Traditionally made with raw shrimp, lime juice, chiles, cucumber, and onion, it's served immediately while still totally raw, unlike most other ceviche.

Shrimp Aguachile With Lime, Cucumber, and Red Onion

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Crispy Southern Fried Shrimp

Serious Eats / Robby Lozano

The first task, if you want a truly excellent fry-up, is to get your hands on the best-quality shrimp. Next is the batter itself: Here, a blend of corn flour, cornmeal, and self-rising flour creates a coating that's shatteringly crisp when fried, and has a sweet, nutty flavor.

Crispy Southern Fried Shrimp
Gambas al Ajillo (Spanish-Style Garlic Shrimp)

Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

Juicy, tender shrimp bathed in garlicky oil is a classic Spanish dish that makes a delightfully easy dinner. Infusing the oil with shrimp shells and garlic creates layers of flavor—be sure to have bread for soaking it all up.

Gambas al Ajillo (Spanish-Style Garlic Shrimp)
Shrimp Scampi With Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes, and Herbs

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

To get the most flavor in this shrimp scampi, we use vermouth instead of white wine and a fragrant mix of parsley, tarragon, and chives.

Shrimp Scampi With Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes, and Herbs
Kadhkhadi (Coconut-Tamarind Shrimp)

Serious Eats / Kanika and Jatin Sharma

Khadkhadi features plump, snappy shrimp brined with chile powder and turmeric before being simmered in a rich and tangy coconut and tamarind sauce.

Kadhkhadi (Coconut-Tamarind Shrimp)

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Shrimp and Grits

Photograph: Vicky Wasik. Video: Serious Eats Video

There are many ways to make shrimp and grits, and this version features mushrooms, bacon, and Gruyère. Infusing the chicken stock that's used to cook the grits with shrimp shells and mushroom trimmings adds layers of flavor and helps unite the grits with their topping, while dry-brining the shrimp with salt and baking soda keeps them plump and juicy.

Shrimp and Grits
Ebi no Chiri-Sōsu (Japanese Shrimp in Chile Sauce)

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Commonly shortened to "ebichiri," this Chinese-Japanese dish features sweet and silky shrimp in chile sauce and is commonly found at restaurants, convenience stores, and prepared at home for family dinners and bento boxes.

Ebi no Chiri-Sōsu (Japanese Shrimp in Chile Sauce)

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