Kitchen Tips How To You Can Cook That 5 Easy Ways to Cook Shrimp Good things come in small packages. By Vanessa Greaves Vanessa Greaves Vanessa Greaves is a Senior Editor at Allrecipes with nearly two decades of experience helping home cooks gain confidence in the kitchen. A self-taught cook who grew up reading cookbooks for fun, Vanessa lives and breathes the challenges faced by busy everyday cooks to get dinner on the table. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Published on May 14, 2021 Small but mighty shrimp deliver a whole lot of goodness for such a petite protein. Here are three big reasons to love little shrimp: They make any recipe feel a little luxurious — sort of like lobster but for a tiny fraction of the price.They're crazy easy to prepare in any number of ways.They cook up quickly enough for weeknight dinners. Nicole McLaughlin, aka NicoleMcmom, is here to show you five of her favorite ways to cook this versatile shellfish. Be sure to watch the video up top and then scroll down to get her tips and recipes to try. Note: Before you head to the grocery store, take a few minutes to get to know how to buy (fresh or frozen?) and what size to buy for your recipe in our handy guide to buying and cooking shrimp. 1. Grilled Shrimp Allrecipes Grilled shrimp are perfect for weeknight dinners and easy entertaining. For example, this recipe for Sweet and Spicy Grilled Shrimp takes only three ingredients and grills up in a speedy 10 minutes. You can load up the soaked skewers ahead of time and stash them in the fridge until you're ready to slap them on a hot grill. Five to 10 minutes later, they're ready to serve. Jumbo or extra large shrimp (16 to 20 shrimp per pound) are great choices for this kind of recipe. Find more grilled shrimp recipes. 2. Pickled Shrimp Allrecipes This bright and tangy Southern favorite makes a refreshing appetizer in hot summer months. Nicole like to put up a big jar of her recipe for Best Pickled Shrimp (she uses large shrimp) to keep in the fridge for easy snacking. Watch the video up top to get Nicole's easy tip for deveining shrimp using kitchen shears. Find more shrimp appetizer recipes. 3. Shrimp Boil Allrecipes Want to throw the ultimate summer party? How about a good old-fashioned shrimp boil. It's the perfect communal meal that brings everyone together around the table. Use large shrimp instead of crab (or use both!) in this recipe for Dave's Low Country Boil, and read up on how to cook and host a shrimp boil. Nicole likes to add Brussels sprouts to her shrimp boil because they take on all the wonderful flavors and make the perfect little bite. 4. Pan-Roasted Shrimp Allrecipes This recipe for Simple Garlic Shrimp is a great example of how easy it is to cook shrimp. Use medium shrimp (about 36 to 40 shrimp per pound), clean and devein them, them cook them quickly in a hot skillet with garlic and red pepper flakes, finish off with butter and lemon juice to make a sauce, and serve over pasta. Find more recipes for shrimp and pasta. 5. Fried Shrimp Allrecipes Fried shrimp are great all on their own with a little dipping sauce, but one of Nicole's favorite way to enjoy fried shrimp is in a classic Shrimp Po' Boy sandwich. First you'll coat and fry the shrimp until they're crispy and golden brown on the outside. Use large shrimp (about 26 to 30 shrimp per pound) and try this recipe for Japanese-Style Deep-Fried Shrimp. To make po' boy sandwiches, split French rolls in half, spread with this must-have remoulade sauce, lay down some sliced tomatoes and fresh lettuce, top with fried shrimp, and go to town. Browse Our Entire Collection of Shrimp Recipes You can connect with Nicole as NicoleMcmom on Allrecipes and on Instagram @nicolemcmom. More tips, tricks, and ideas from Nicole: How to Grill Easy Baby Back Ribs How to Turn Plain Chicken Breast Into 5 Completely Different Dishes How to Make Easy Biscuits and Gravy Create Easy One-Pot Meals With This Simple Formula Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit