This quick and easy recipe for Crispy Pan-Fried Shrimp features fresh, succulent, briny Gulf shrimp. They are lightly coated with flour and then pan-fried in a small amount of olive oil until they are 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.
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 seafood 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.
Jump to:
📋 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.
🥘How to make pan-fried shrimp:
- 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.
📖 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
💬 Recipe FAQs:
Because they can be thawed and cooked quickly, I almost always have a bag of frozen raw, peeled, and deveined shrimp in my freezer for nights when I need a quick and easy dinner.
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.
Shrimp 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. For adults, I usually plan for about ten to twelve per person.
I like to serve pan-fried shrimp with either Cheese Grits or Southern Potato Salad, Southern Hush Puppies, and cole slaw.
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 leftovers in a plastic storage bag in the refrigerator for up to three days. Be careful when reheating them because it’s easy to dry them out and overcook them.
Pan-frying is cooking food that has been coated in a batter or coating, in a small amount of oil, until a crispy golden brown crust forms.
On the other hand, pan-searing is cooking food that is not usually coated in a hot skillet, with just enough oil to keep it from sticking until the outside is caramelized.
👩🏻🍳 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.
🦐 More shrimp recipes:
- Creamy Shrimp Pasta with Blue Cheese
- Easy Southern Homemade Shrimp Burgers
- New Orleans-Style Shrimp Creole with Cajun Cream Sauce
- Brown Sugar Glazed Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
- Crab Stuffed Shrimp (Easy & Elegant)
- Cajun Shrimp and Grits – From Bayou to Table
- Hot and Cheesy Baked Shrimp Scampi Dip
- Creole Shrimp Toast – Easy & Cheesy
If you need more ideas or menu suggestions, here’s a link to view all my seafood 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!
Thanks so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones! I hope to see you again soon!
📋 Recipe:
Easy Crispy Pan-Fried Shrimp
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.
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?
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
Perfect recipe for something quick, easy, and filling!!!
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.
Loved these cooked them in the electric wok delicious thanks for the recipe
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!!!
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.