The 51 Best Weeknight Shrimp Recipes

Shrimp can have a bit of luxury aura about it, despite that it's been readily and plentifully available since the mid-twentieth century. Even in a world of chain restaurant all-you-can-eat-shrimp-offerings, this shellfish's air of exclusivity has remained pretty much intact, thanks to grocery store prices for the freshest shrimp and delicate dishes like classic shrimp cocktail on restaurant menus.

But once you've found a good deal on it and gotten some tips on how to prepare shrimp, it's easy to see that it's the perfect seafood choice for weekday dinner duty. In fact, if you're looking for weeknight recipes that deliver wonderful flavor with minimal effort and little time spent on prepping and cooking, we can't imagine why you would look any further than shrimp.

There are just a few basics that we recommend keeping in mind when cooking and shopping for shrimp — such as the difference between shrimp and prawns and why you should never buy farm-raised shrimp that came from outside the U.S. But overall, the learning curve for cooking shrimp is wonderfully gentle, and we think you'll agree after trying any or all of these best weeknight shrimp recipes.

We can think of at least 10 perfect ways to cook shrimp, but it's hard to imagine one more perfect than grilling. Fire plus sweet, succulent shrimp equals Maillard-reaction goodness that you simply cannot achieve with a sauté or a boil. And then there's this added bonus for busy weeknights: when you grill shrimp, you don't have to peel the shrimp first. In fact, it's probably better if you do not (yes, of course there's a reason for this). Our recipe for a grilled shrimp with a simple marinade that goes with absolutely everything. Try it along with this ridiculously easy hack that keeps your grilled shrimp from drying out.

Recipe: Quick Grilled Shrimp

It may seem hard to imagine, but this recipe for shrimp rolls is so easy and efficient that if you have the ingredients on hand, dinner can be on the table in 20 minutes flat, start to finish. It helps speed the process further if you're using shrimp that comes pre-deveined and peeled. But even if you didn't think of that while you were running to the grocery story in between finishing up your last Zoom meeting and walking the dog, you're in luck because you can fall back on this genius shrimp-peeling hack that you'll wish you'd known about sooner.

Recipe: Easy Shrimp Rolls

Taco night is always fun, but let's face it: As much as we love our classic beef tacos, after awhile, they can get to feeling a bit mundane. But who says tacos have to always be the same? After all, even the most authentic Mexican tacos offer plenty of room for variation, even for seafood lovers. On that note, we happen to know and love this game-changing shrimp taco recipe that was created specifically for weeknight meals by life-style blogger and recipe developer Shanika Graham-White. And this is not the only outstanding shrimp taco recipe on this list.

Recipe: Shrimp Tacos

While admittedly, shrimp scampi isn't the most authentic Italian dish, it's nevertheless beloved by many, including chef and food writer Sher Castellano, who gave us this five-ingredient shrimp scampi recipe that works perfectly with Aldi's 12-ounce bag of frozen shrimp. The whole thing, start to finish, takes under 20 minutes, and that includes time to boil up some pasta or to toast some Italian bread to serve with it. Pro tip: Castellano suggests that to bring out all the complexity of the flavors, it's best to serve your scampi with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Recipe: 5-Ingredient Shrimp Scampi

Pad Thai probably sounds like a dish you'd never attempt on your own, let alone in the middle of the work/school-week. For that matter, it also only sounds authentically Thai, because according to The Atlantic, literally everything about this dish owes its origins to China. Be that as it may, pad Thai is nevertheless one of Thailand's proud national dishes, and it is delicious, filling, and for the most part, gluten-free (as long as you use gluten-free soy sauce). And here's the kicker: This recipe for pad Thai takes a mere 30 minutes, start to finish.

Recipe: Homemade Pad Thai

Believe it or not, shrimp and grits originated in the 1930s as a breakfast food, according to Erin Byers Murray, writer for The Local Palate, who told Mashed that back then, the grits were cooked in a pot, with seawater, along with anything else that was cheap and available. Our favorite authentic Southern recipe for shrimp and grits doesn't stray too far from the dish's humble roots in the sense it's meant to be customized according to what you like and what you have available. Best of all, it's "pretty dang easy for just about anyone to pull off," according to its creator, food blogger Ashley Scheuring.

Recipe: Shrimp and Grits

While the name of this dish might imply that it's super-spicy, these firecracker shrimp actually don't have all that much heat. The sauce that gives the shrimp their flavor is made from sugary sweet chili sauce mixed with mayonnaise and spiked with just a teensy bit of Sriracha. If you want more bang from your firecracker shrimp, feel free to add additional Sriracha, or you could step up your condiment game by using chili garlic sauce or sambal oelek instead.

Recipe: Easy Firecracker Shrimp

Planning a tapas party? Then you'll for sure want to make these scrumptious Spanish-style garlic shrimp. They're seasoned with a zesty blend of lemon juice, paprika, garlic, and chopped chiles and are baked rather than pan-fried so they can soak up all of the flavoring. Even if you're not doing a whole party spread, these shrimp make for a quick, yet delicious dinner accompanied by a loaf of bread, a simple green salad, and perhaps a glass of sangria.

Recipe: Spanish Garlic Shrimp

When you read the title of this recipe, two questions might come to mind: what is a mofongo, and what makes this one so colossal? Or are the shrimp the ones responsible for this dish's hefty title? (Sorry, we actually had three questions.) Mofongo is a Puerto Rican dish made from garlicky fried plantains that are mashed with pork rinds. Indeed, it's the shrimp — cooked in a mild sofrito of bell peppers, onions, and wine — that are colossal. You can certainly make the dish with smaller ones, though, and it will taste just as good.

Recipe: Colossal Shrimp Mofongo

If you're not familiar with frogmore stew, you might be a bit apprehensive about the name — no, I don't want any more frog stew, thank you very much, I'd prefer to have less or none at all! As any South Carolinian could tell you, though, frogmore stew is an entirely frog-free preparation. While recipes vary from cook to cook, ours includes andouille sausage, shrimp, corn, and potatoes, none of which are sourced from a swamp.

Recipe: Authentic Frogmore Stew

When you think chorizo, you may be picturing the Mexican kind which comes loosely packed. If you're a charcuterie board fan, though, you may also be familiar with the Spanish variety which is more solid in texture and resembles salami or pepperoni. The latter kind of chorizo is used in this recipe, stir-fried with shrimp and tomatoes and served over spaghetti. If you're not sure where to find the "king prawns" called for here, don't worry. The recipe developer is British, as are the ingredients she uses, but you can use extra-large shrimp instead (or even smaller ones, if you prefer).

Recipe: Chorizo And Shrimp Pasta

Bang Bang Shrimp is a dish you may have enjoyed at Bonefish Grill, but if you're not familiar with it, all you need to know is that it's fried shrimp served with a sauce made from mayo and sweet chili. This copycat version is pretty easy to put together, although it will help if you have a deep fry thermometer to help monitor the temperature as the buttermilk-battered shrimp are cooking. As for the sauce, there's not a lot of "bang" to it in terms of spice, but feel free to add more sriracha or even some crushed red pepper if you want.

Recipe: Best Bang Bang Shrimp

The word "diablo" is Spanish for devil, and often foods that reference that unholy name are meant to be spicy-hot (deviled eggs and devil's food cake being well-known exceptions, of course). While there is some heat in this shrimp dish, provided by canned chipotles, it's tempered quite a bit by the butter, milk, cream cheese, and parmesan in the sauce. All that dairy helps to put out the flames, as does the pasta over which the shrimp and sauce are served.

Recipe: Creamy Shrimp Diablo

Pasta alfredo is kind of a fancied-up version of mac and cheese, featuring longer, flatter fettucine instead of elbow macaroni and parmesan in place of cheddar, Velveeta, or whatever that neon-orange powdery stuff is. With this recipe, though, pasta alfredo becomes an entire meal by throwing in some shrimp and a bunch of broccoli. You could leave the latter addition out if you're not a broccoli fan, but in that case you have to promise to at least have a green salad on the side. (This rider comes courtesy of your mom.)

Recipe: Shrimp Alfredo

Like so many folk recipes, paella seems to have evolved over time rather than having been created at a specific time and place. There are numerous versions of the dish, but all of these seem to involve rice, vegetables, and some type of meat. In this paella recipe, we're going with shrimp, Spanish-style chorizo (rather than Mexican-style), onions, and peas. Here's a tip for the budget-conscious: While truly authentic paella may require saffron, turmeric will give you that same golden color for a lot less money.

Recipe: Paella

A Low Country boil might have been cooked over an open fire back in the olden days, and it would likely have been made with shrimp fresh from the Atlantic and corn right off the stalk. Today our shrimp comes straight from the freezer case and we pluck our corn from the produce bin, so why not do the "boil" in an Instant Pot to put a thoroughly modern spin on a decidedly old classic?

Recipe: Quick Instant Pot Low Country Boil

Paella can be a pretty complicated dish to make, what with a number of different meats and veggies plus rice adding up to a multi-step recipe. Not in this case, though. All of the ingredients, from raw rice to frozen peas, not to mention the shrimp, scallops, and chorizo, all come together in a single pot -– a crock pot, that is. While you will need to open the lid occasionally as different ingredients go in at different times, for the most part this paella pretty much just cooks itself.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Seafood Paella

While shrimp are often used to top green salads, that's not the kind of salad we're talking about here. Instead, this recipe is for a creamy, mayonnaise-based salad that's more along the lines of tuna and chicken salad and includes similar ingredients such as chopped onions and celery. What sets this dish apart from similar salads, however, is the Cajun seasoning (or Old Bay, if you prefer) used to flavor it. This spice blend is not particularly incendiary, but it does lend your sandwich the taste of a Low Country shrimp boil.

Recipe: Cajun Shrimp Salad

Egg rolls are something you tend to take for granted. You enjoy them when you get them with Chinese takeout, but they're not something you necessarily think to order on their own. If you make your own egg rolls and stuff them with tasty shrimp, though, you'll gain new appreciation for this often-underrated dish.

The best part of these shrimp egg rolls, as with any DIY dish, is that you can tweak the recipe to suit your own preferences. Skip the sprouts, double up on ginger, add some crushed red pepper flakes, or make any other alterations you see fit. As long as your filling doesn't get too goopy, it'll work just fine.

Recipe: Crunchy Mini Shrimp Egg Rolls

While clam chowder may be the best-known type of seafood chowder –- perhaps even the most famous of all the chowder clan -– there's no reason why clams should have all the fun. In this seafood chowder recipe, you can mix and match any type of fish or shellfish you'd like: tilapia, crayfish, mussels, lobster, shrimp, and yes, even clams.

In addition to seafood, this soup is bulked up with potatoes and corn so it makes for a hearty, filling bowlful. Manhattanites take note, though: this "chowdah" is of the creamy New England ilk rather than your beloved tomato-based broth.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Seafood Chowder

If you've spent a lot of time with your houseplants lately, the word "succulent" may bring to mind aloe vera or cacti. Well, there are no nopales in this dish, though you could always add some if you like. Here we're using "succulent" in the other sense of the word, meaning moist and tender, something shrimp tend to be if you don't overcook them. The shrimp in this casserole play a starring role; they don't share the spotlight with vegetables, rice, potatoes, or pasta. Instead, they're simply baked with a savory breadcrumb topping.

Recipe: Succulent Baked Stuffed Shrimp Casserole

Aguachile is a Mexican spin on ceviche that uses the same technique of marinating raw seafood –- shrimp, in this case -– in lime juice, but seems to involve a different variety of vegetables. Instead of chopped tomatoes, the marinated shrimp in this recipe are mixed with sliced avocado and cucumber and topped with cilantro to make for an extremely verdant dish. In fact, this aguachile is so very green that you might want to serve it at your next St. Patrick's Day get-together.

Recipe: Aguachile

Coconut shrimp is a favorite restaurant appetizer, but it's actually not too difficult to make this dish at home. The trickiest part of the process may be getting the coconut to stick, but combining it with panko breadcrumbs helps to ensure that this all-important ingredient stays in place. With this recipe, you can also skip the messy deep frying and also give your expensive air fryer a task to do so it doesn't just sit there gathering dust.

Recipe: Quick Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp

Gumbo may be the official state dish of Louisiana, but you don't have to live in the Bayou State to enjoy a bowl of this classic Cajun dish. While the dish may be official, the recipe is not, since there are as many ways to make gumbo as there are cooks. Some gumbos call for chicken, others ham, and still others may even include crawfish. Ours, however, is made with shrimp and andouille sausage cooked in a slightly spicy tomato broth with bell peppers, celery, and onions. While you can eat gumbo as a type of thick soup, spooning it over a bed of rice turns the dish into a complete meal.

Recipe: Gumbo

Cioppino, despite its Italian name, is 100% American, as it was created in San Francisco back when Fisherman's Wharf was an actual wharf used by fishermen rather than a tourist destination. It was most likely made with the catch of the day, whatever that might include, but in this particular recipe we're using clams, mussels, fish, and shrimp. This seafood mixture is cooked in a tomato/white wine broth seasoned with garlic, onions, and fennel, and is typically dished up in soup bowls with a side of bread. You could also serve it in cute little bread bowls if you're trying to start a tourist attraction of your own.

Recipe: Cioppino