Sautéed shrimp is the meal I make when the day has already gotten away from me and everyone in this apartment is hungry at the same time.
Jump to:
Last Tuesday was one of those nights. Alex had soccer until 6:30, Sarah was halfway through a science project involving glitter (still finding it, honestly), and Donald texted that he was leaving the office late.
I had a bag of shrimp in the freezer and about twenty minutes. That was the whole plan.
Here's the thing about sautéed shrimp: it cooks faster than pasta water comes to a boil. Two minutes per side and you're done. The garlic and smoked paprika do most of the work, and you only dirty one skillet.
I learned to cook shrimp from my mom when I was about fifteen, standing in her kitchen watching her poke at them with a wooden spoon. She always said the second they curl into a C, take them off the heat. She was right, and I've ruined enough batches since then to know it.
If you like shrimp for weeknight dinners, you'll probably also want my creamy parmesan gnocchi with shrimp for the nights when you want something a little cozier in the same amount of time.
Why You Will Like This Recipe
- Fast. Ten minutes of prep, ten minutes of cooking. That's it.
- One skillet. Nobody wants a sink full of pans at 8pm.
- Simple spices. Smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, thyme. All things I keep in the cabinet already.
- Kids eat it. Alex asks for seconds, and he's twelve, so that means something.
- Works with anything. Rice, salad, warm bread, or straight from the pan while standing at the counter.
- Naturally low carb. Three grams per serving, which matters to some of you.
Ingredients For Tender Sautéed Shrimp
- 1 pound raw shrimp, large size (31 to 40 per pound), peeled and deveined
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Spices:
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ½ teaspoon of any other salt)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Garnish:
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
A quick note on the shrimp. I buy them frozen and raw, never precooked. Precooked shrimp turn rubbery the second they hit a hot pan, and there's no saving them.
Smoked paprika is the one thing I'd tell you not to swap. Regular paprika works, but you lose that warm, slightly smoky taste that makes people ask what you put in it.
If cayenne feels like too much for your kids, cut it to a pinch. Sarah likes a little heat. Alex does not. I usually split the difference and put hot sauce on the table.
Print
Sautéed Shrimp
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Sautéed shrimp is the meal I make when the day has already gotten away from me and everyone is hungry at the same time. Two minutes per side, one skillet, and the garlic and smoked paprika do most of the work.
Ingredients
- 1 pound raw shrimp, large size (31 to 40 per pound), peeled and deveined
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ½ teaspoon of any other salt)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Pat the shrimp dry on both sides with paper towels. Wet shrimp steam instead of searing.
- Put the dried shrimp in a large bowl and pour the olive oil over them.
- In a small bowl, stir together the salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, thyme, and cayenne.
- Tip the spice mix over the shrimp and toss with a big spoon until every piece is coated.
- Heat a large 12 inch skillet over medium high heat and give it a minute or two.
- Add the shrimp in a single layer without crowding them. Cook in two batches if your pan is smaller.
- Scrape any oil and spices left in the bowl into the skillet with a rubber spatula.
- Sauté about 2 minutes on the first side, then flip with two spoons.
- Give them another 2 minutes and pull them off. They should be pink, opaque, and curled into a loose C shape.
- Move the shrimp to a serving platter, pour the pan juices over the top, and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Notes
Buy raw shrimp, never precooked. Precooked shrimp turn rubbery the second they hit a hot pan. Smoked paprika is the one thing I would not swap. Cut the cayenne to a pinch for little kids and put hot sauce on the table instead. Keep leftovers in a shallow airtight container in the fridge for up to three days, and reheat in the microwave at 50% power in short bursts.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 0g
- Sodium: 570mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 3g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 23g
- Cholesterol: 215mg
How To Make Sautéed Shrimp Step By Step
Dry The Shrimp First
Pat the shrimp dry on both sides with paper towels. Both sides. I know it feels fussy, but this is the step that decides whether you get golden shrimp or sad gray ones.
Wet shrimp steam instead of searing. I learned that the hard way about four times before it stuck.
Season Everything In One Bowl
Put the dried shrimp in a large bowl and pour the olive oil over them.
In a small bowl, stir together the salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, thyme, and cayenne.
Tip the spice mix over the shrimp and toss with a big spoon until every piece is coated. The oil helps everything stick.
Get The Skillet Hot
Heat a large 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Give it a minute or two. A cold pan is the other reason shrimp go rubbery.
Add the shrimp in a single layer. Don't crowd them. If your pan is smaller, cook in two batches, and yes, it's worth the extra three minutes.
Scrape any oil and spices left in the bowl into the skillet with a rubber spatula. That's pure taste sitting in the bottom of the bowl.
Cook Two Minutes Per Side
Sauté about 2 minutes on the first side, then flip. I use two spoons because tongs always squish them.
Give them another 2 minutes and pull them off. They should be pink, opaque, and curled into a loose C shape.
If they curl into a tight O, they went a bit too far. Still edible, just chewier. Ask me how I know.
Finish And Serve
Move the shrimp to a serving platter. Pour the pan juices right over the top, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and bring it to the table.
We eat this with rice most nights. Donald likes it with warm bread for soaking up the juices, which honestly might be the better call.
Storage And Reheating
Keep leftovers in a shallow airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Shallow matters, because deep containers hold heat and keep cooking the shrimp.
To reheat, use the microwave at 50% power in short bursts. Full power will turn them into erasers in about forty seconds.
The truth is, I rarely reheat them at all. Cold sautéed shrimp are wonderful chopped into a salad or tucked into lettuce wraps the next day.
The spices actually settle in overnight and taste a little deeper on day two. Sarah takes them in her lunch with a container of homemade tzatziki sauce for dipping.
Tips And Variations For Sautéed Shrimp
Want to know the mistake I made for years? Cooking shrimp straight from a rinse without drying them.
- Buy the right size. Large shrimp (31 to 40 per pound) give you the best window between undercooked and overdone.
- Thaw them properly. Overnight in the fridge, then a quick rinse under lukewarm water to knock off ice crystals. Dry for 10 minutes on a double layer of paper towels.
- Taste your salt. Different salts measure differently. Start with less. You can always add.
- Add lemon. A squeeze at the end wakes the whole thing up.
- Make it garlicky. Two cloves of fresh minced garlic in the last thirty seconds, off the heat, so it doesn't burn.
- Serve it over pasta. Toss with butter and a little pasta water for a five minute dinner.
- Skip the cayenne if you're feeding little kids and put hot sauce on the table instead.
One pitfall to watch: don't salt the shrimp an hour ahead thinking you're being organized. They release water and you end up back where you started.
Sautéed Shrimp FAQ
How Long Should You Sauté Shrimp On Each Side?
About 2 minutes per side over medium high heat for large shrimp. Smaller shrimp need closer to 90 seconds.
I set a timer on my phone because I get distracted the second someone asks me a question. Four minutes total is the whole cook time.
How Do You Keep Sautéed Shrimp Juicy And Tender?
Three things: dry shrimp, a hot pan, and pulling them off early. Shrimp keep cooking for a minute after they leave the heat.
Coating them in oil before the spices also helps hold moisture in while they sear.
Should Shrimp Be Completely Dry Before Sautéing?
Yes, and this is the step most people skip. Extra water makes them steam, which means no browning and watered down spices.
Pat both sides with paper towels. If they were frozen, let them sit in a single layer on towels for a full 10 minutes.
How Can You Tell When Sautéed Shrimp Are Fully Cooked?
Look at the shape and color. Cooked shrimp turn pink and opaque and curl into a loose C.
A tight O means overcooked. Translucent gray in the middle means they need another thirty seconds.
Recipes You May Like
- Quick Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi for the nights when you want shrimp over pasta with a buttery sauce.
- Sweet And Spicy Honey Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry if your family likes a little sticky sweetness with dinner.
- Savory Baked Dijon Salmon for another fast seafood dinner that mostly cooks itself.
Conclusion
So here's the short version. Dry the shrimp, mix your spices, get the pan hot, and give them two minutes a side.
That's really all there is to sautéed shrimp, and it's why this one stays in my rotation week after week.
I love that it takes twenty minutes start to finish and still feels like I made an actual dinner. Alex has started asking for it by name, which never happened with any casserole I've made.
Give it a try this week and tell me how it goes in the comments. And save it to Pinterest so it's there next time you're staring into the freezer at 6pm wondering what on earth to make.
