The Best Bacon Wrapped Shrimp are amazingly delicious, with sweet and smoky bacon glazed with brown sugar and chili powder. An easy recipe, it's simple to prepare and utterly addictive.
1poundjumbo shrimp or prawnspeeled, deveined and tails removed (16-20 shrimp), fresh or frozen,
9piecesbaconcut in half, thin sliced, not thick sliced
1cuplight brown sugar
1tablespoonchili powder
½teaspoonkosher salt
¼teaspoonlemon pepper
Instructions
Oven
Preheat your oven to 400°F.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Place a large wire rack (the kind you would use to cool a cake or cookies on after baking) on the baking sheet and spray liberally with non-stick cooking spray.
Add the brown sugar and chili powder to a shallow bowl and mix completely.
Cut the bacon in half and dredge both sides in the brown sugar mixture. Arrange the bacon slices in a single layer on the rack.
Bake for 10 minutes until the bacon is partially cooked and still pliable. Cool five minutes or until you can handle it.
Sprinkle salt and lemon pepper lightly over the shrimp and wrap each shrimp with a piece of bacon. Secure with a toothpick and place back on the wire rack. Sprinkle any remaining brown sugar mixture evenly over the top.
Bake for another eight minutes, or until the bacon is crispy and the shrimp are done.
Serve immediately hot or at room temperature!
Air Fryer
Follow the recipe up to the point of putting them in the oven. Instead, preheat your air fryer to 400°F.
Place the bacon-wrapped shrimp in a single layer in the air fryer basket, ensuring they are not touching or overcrowded. You may need to cook in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
Cook for 9-12 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and the shrimp are pink and opaque. You might want to shake or flip them halfway through to ensure even cooking, but this can depend on the air fryer model.
Grill
Follow the recipe up to the point of putting them in the oven. Instead, preheat your grill to medium heat (350°F). If you're using a charcoal grill, set it up for direct grilling.
Once the grill is hot, place the bacon-wrapped shrimp on the grill grates. Ensure they're not touching and that they're evenly spaced.
Grill for 2-3 minutes on one side, then flip and grill for another 2-3 minutes on the other, or until the bacon is crispy and the shrimp are pink and opaque. Depending on the heat of your grill and the size of your shrimp, the grilling time might vary, so keep an eye on them.
Video
Notes
This recipe works best if you use jumbo shrimp or prawns. This means that there are 16 to 20 per pound.If you use larger ones, you will have to add a few extra minutes to the cooking time. On the other hand, they will not need to cook quite as long if they are smaller. This also means that your bacon might not be quite as crispy either.Cut the bacon into thirds if you have small, medium, or large shrimp. The amount of bacon you need depends on how many you have; you need one piece for every two or three.You can add a little Old Bay seasoning when adding the salt and pepper if you like.If your shrimp are frozen, you can quickly thaw them in minutes by putting them in a colander and running cold water over them.You can use a broiler pan if you don't have a wire rack.Be sure to use regular thin, sliced raw bacon, not thick-cut bacon.