One of my all-time favorite recipes, this quick and easy Pan-Fried Shrimp Recipe features fresh, succulent, briny Gulf shrimp lightly coated with seasoned flour and then pan-fried in a small amount of olive oil or avocado oil until golden brown, crispy, and delicious.
These crispy pan-fried shrimp are perfect for a quick family weeknight dinner, but it’s also a dish you would be proud to serve guests or a special occasion.
If you have ever wanted to learn how to fry shrimp, or how to pan-fry shrimp you are in the right place. Add the simple ingredients to your shopping list today and be ready to whip up this easy recipe anytime!
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Why I love this recipe, and you will too!
- Because of its simplicity, this pan-fried shrimp recipe is one of my favorite “go-to” dishes! Like my recipes for Fried Crab Claws, Deviled Crab, and Fried Oysters, it’s easy, we love it, and it can be on the table in less than 15 minutes.
- Because the shrimp is cooked in only a small amount of olive oil, this recipe is healthier than regular fried or deep-fried, where they are submerged in oil.
- These delectable crustaceans cook in a matter of minutes and are low in calories, low in carbohydrates and rich in protein and nutrients. To maintain their tenderness and juiciness, be sure to avoid overcooked shrimp.
📋 Ingredient notes
- Shrimp – fresh or frozen and thawed. You will need either jumbo (21-25 per pound) or extra-large (26-30 per pound). They also need to be deheaded, peeled, and deveined. You can leave the tails on or not.
- Flour – all-purpose coats the seafood and produces a flavorful crispy crust.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper – nothing fancy here. Both seasonings enhance all of the other flavors.
- Garlic powder – just a bit adds a mild garlicky essence to the crust.
- Olive oil – just a small amount is used to pan-fry the seafood. You can substitute any neutral flavor vegetable oil you prefer or have on hand or use coconut oil.
- Fresh lemon juice – optional; a squeeze of fresh lemon juice enhances the flavor of the shrimp, making it tender, juicy, and flavorful.
- Fresh parsley – optional garnish; a key finishing touch that enhances the flavor and presentation of the dish.
🥘How to pan-fry shrimp:
- Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels to ensure a good sear and proper seasoning adherence.
- Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat.
- While the oil is heating, add flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Add the shrimp and shake well.
- Shake off any excess flour and add the shrimp to the pan in a single layer. Do not crowd them.
- Pan-fry for one minute on the first side or until they are golden brown and crispy. Then use a fork or fish turner to turn over and cook on the other side for another minute or so.
- Place the shrimp on a paper towel to drain, and repeat the steps.
- Serve immediately with cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, or remoulade.
Serving suggestions:
I like serving pan-fried shrimp with my American Coleslaw or House Salad, Air Fryer Frozen French Fries, Cheese Grits or Southern Potato Salad, and Southern Hush Puppies. Cooked shrimp can also be used in various dishes like salads and pasta.
📖 Recipe variations
You can change up this recipe to use ingredients you might already have on hand or to suit your family’s preferences. Here are just a few ideas:
- Before you remove the seafood from the skillet, add some buffalo sauce, and voila, you have Buffalo Shrimp. You can also use this recipe to make Fried Shrimp Tacos and Shrimp Po’Boys.
- Change up the seasonings: instead of the ingredients I have listed, use Old Bay Seasonings, Cajun or Creole seasonings, or seasoned salt and lemon pepper.
- Add red pepper flakes to enhance the heat and flavor of the shrimp, especially when combined with other seasonings like Old Bay and garlic.
- You can substitute cornstarch for the flour.
- After coating the shrimp in flour, dip them in a beaten egg mixture, and then you can dredge them in cornmeal, cracker crumbs, bread crumbs, or even a coconut and panko coating before pan-frying them.
How to store and reheat leftovers
Pan-fried shrimp are best eaten right after they are cooked. However, if I do have leftovers, I frequently use them to make Shrimp and Bacon Quesadillas or add them to fried rice.
You can store cooked shrimp leftovers in a plastic storage bag or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. They can be reheated in a skillet over medium heat in a small amount of olive oil. Be careful when reheating them because it’s easy to dry them out and overcook them.
How to thaw frozen shrimp
The best way to thaw them is to place them in the refrigerator and let them thaw overnight before you cook them. However, we all know that isn’t always possible. To quickly thaw them in about 15 minutes, put them in a colander in the sink and let cold water run over them.
How many shrimp per person to buy
For adults, I usually plan for about ten to twelve shrimp per person. They are sold by their size and by the pound. Unfortunately, sizes are not regulated, so it’s best to buy them by weight. The bigger they are, the fewer you get per pound.
Jumbo shrimp are a key ingredient, known for their large size and enhanced flavor. When cooking jumbo shrimp, aim for a cooking time of 2-3 minutes per side to ensure they are perfectly seared.
How long to pan-fry shrimp
It depends on the size of your shrimp, but for extra-large shrimp (21-25 per pound), it only takes 2-3 minutes. Smaller shrimp would take less time, and larger jumbo shrimp would take more time.
💬 Recipe FAQs
Butter adds a richer flavor but tends to smoke and burn, so I prefer frying shrimp in olive oil.
Soaking seafood in milk is usually done to neutralize a fishy taste or odor. Shrimp has a very mild taste and should not have a fishy order so I don’t recommend soaking it.
I like to use olive oil to pan-fry shrimp because it is healthier. However, it does have a lower smoke point. If you will be cooking a large amount, you might want to use an oil with a higher smoke point such as peanut oil.
Oil and water do not mix, and if you add really wet shrimp to a hot pan, oil can pop or splatter on your stove. However, this recipe calls for coating the shrimp with seasoned flour and it needs to have some moisture to help the flour stick, so I do not dry it.
👩🏻🍳 Sharon’s tips
- You will have leftover seasoned flour that you can reuse the next time you make this dish. Just pop the bag containing the flour in the freezer and pull it out when you need it again.
- Whether you leave the tails on or take them off is a matter of personal preference. I usually leave the tails on if I am serving this dish as an appetizer. However, when I am serving this recipe for dinner, I have them removed.
- When purchasing fresh shrimp, look for ones that are firm to the touch and smell like a day at the beach. Don’t purchase them if they are mushy or have a strong odor.
- Special tools are available that make peeling and deveining these crustaceans easier, but I usually ask the folks at the seafood store I frequent to take care of that task for me.
- Shrimp can go from perfectly cooked to overcooked and tough in a matter of seconds, so watch them carefully while they are frying.
- This dish is best made right before you serve it. However, when we have guests, I like to prepare the seasoned flour mixture ahead and add the oil to the skillet, so all I have to do is coat the shrimp and fry them, which just takes minutes.
- For a quick and easy seafood recipe, consider making pan seared shrimp. It can be prepared quickly, making it perfect for weeknight dinners or meal prep.
More shrimp recipes
★★★★★If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and give it a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!
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Pan Fried Shrimp Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp Fresh or frozen, either jumbo (21-25 per pound) or extra-large (26-30 per pound). Deheaded, peeled, and deveined.
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat.
- While the oil is heating, add flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Add the shrimp and shake well.
- Shake off any excess flour and add the shrimp to the pan in a single layer. Do not crowd them.
- Cook the shrimp for one minute on the first side or until they are golden brown and crispy. Then use a fork or fish turner to turn over and cook on the other side for another minute or so.
- Place the shrimp on a paper towel to drain, and repeat the steps with the remaining shrimp.
- Serve immediately with cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, or remoulade.
Teri Brookshire
Loved this recipe! I added a little Okay seasoning to make it perfect!!!
Sharon Rigsby
Awesome! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Julianne
So quick and easy to make, perfect for busy weeknights!
Anonymous
My taste buds are doing a happy dance! This needs to be a regular thing.
LORETTA
I am making this tonight but instead of flour I’m using crushed up crackers
Sharon Rigsby
Hi Loretta, I have never tried this recipe with crushed crackers, so please let me know how it turns out!
All the best,
Sharon
Karen
My shrimp were cooked before the coating ever got crispy. I let them drain on a paper towel and they never did get crunchy
Any idea what I did wrong?
Sharon Rigsby
Hi Karen, pan-fried shrimp will never be as crunchy as deep-fried, but they should still have a nice crispy coating. Your oil might not have been hot enough when you added the shrimp, or they might have been too crowded. What size did you use? If they were on the small side, I can see how they might cook before the coating crisps up, and larger shrimp would help. I always buy extra-large shrimp sized 21-25 per pound. I wish I had a better answer for you, and it’s hard to say without being there. I hope you try this recipe again because I know you will enjoy it.
All the best,
Sharon
Kim
Perfect recipe for something quick, easy, and filling!!!
Doreen
Light, easy, delicious.
I had sea scallops & tiger shrimp. The shrimp were perfect. The scallops had crunch on the outside & melted in my mouth.I added lemon peel & a pinch of hot pepper to seasoning.
Claire
Loved these cooked them in the electric wok delicious thanks for the recipe
Xinou Wei
Sharon thank you! I was getting sic of getting the trader joe’s mix seafood bag (squid shrimp bay scallop) in tomato sauce again and pasta, I was dreaming what if I do this, and your recipe encouraged me, so so good!!! and I did with Tilapia as well, I have ate this a few days in a row now:) I love cookinh schnitzel but this is so easy to clean it’s like nothing!!!
Gary
Amazing that such a simple recipe can have such a delicious result. It lived up to its advertisement. It has now been added to my regular meal book.
Ali
Can these be made ahead and warmed in low oven
Sharon Rigsby
Hi Ali,
Because shrimp cooks so quickly and can become tough and chewy if overcooked, for the best results, I wouldn’t try to make them ahead. They take less than five minutes to cook. What you might want to do is get your flour mixture and pan ready and then cook them right before you want to serve them. That said, I eat the leftovers cold and also warm them up to make shrimp quesadillas. So if it’s just you and your family and you want to make them ahead and reheat them then that’s fine as long as you understand they will not be quite as good reheated. If you are making them for company, I definitely wouldn’t make them ahead.
All the best,
Sharon
Shelly Lasher
This recipe is to die for, the shrimp are crispy on the outside and so soft on the inside. I did change one item, I used a white pepper which was so good, made them have a little spicy bite to them.
Tim
Nice recipe. Both easy and tasty. Thank you! Will use this a lot! Some minor adjustments – I used Garlic Salt instead of salt and powder separately. Just a personals preference. I also added a very little butter to help the oil spread and add a little flavor – about 1 teaspoon (1 pad), Also, I used Tupperware instead of a bag. It’s easier to store and to work with and it’s more environmentally friendly. I am going to try the suggested brussels-sprout salad next! Looks very good!
Beth Pruett
Was watching Diners Drive ins and Dives….seen a floured shrimp recipe we wanted to try. Dang, couldn’t find the episode again! So googled lightly floured shrimp and found yours!!! Made, and let me tell you It’s Our New Favorite!!!! Will probably never make our shrimp any other way, it’s absolutely wonderful! We Love it!!