Pan Fried Shrimp Recipe

Fried shrimp and a bowl of cocktail sauce on a white plate.

5 from 28 votes

This quick and easy recipe for Pan Fried Shrimp features fresh, succulent, salty Gulf shrimp. They are lightly coated with seasoned flour and then pan-fried in a small amount of olive oil until they are golden brown, crispy, and delicious.

Prep Time5

Cook Time6

Total Time11

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American, Southern

Servings: servings

Calories: 422kcal

Author: Sharon Rigsby

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.

Notes

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 the shrimp for dinner, I have them removed.

When purchasing fresh shrimp, look for shrimp 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 shrimp 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.

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