20 Best Shrimp Recipes For Weeknight Dinners - Once Upon a Chef (2024)

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Shrimp is the ultimate ingredient for weeknight cooking. Not only is it high in protein, but it’s also low in calories, super versatile, and cooks quickly, so you can get dinner on the table in no time. From grilled shrimp tacos to Thai shrimp curry, these shrimp recipes are easy to make, packed with flavor, and family-friendly – there’s something for everyone!

20 Best Shrimp Recipes For Weeknight Dinners

In this simple one-pot recipe, orzo pasta is cooked like risotto. However, unlike classic risotto, this orzo “risotto” does not need to be constantly stirred – all of the cooking broth is added at once and the pasta cooks unattended. Crispy bacon, peas, and Creole seasoning to boost the flavor and give the dish a delicious Southern twist. Get the recipe.

2. Creamy Old Bay Shrimp Salad

Old Bay seasoning, delicious on crabs and peel n’ eat boiled shrimp, is a great way to flavor this classic shrimp salad. I like it for lunch or a light dinner, either piled onto a croissant or on a bed of lettuce. Another option — create a dip by dicing the shrimp and serving with crackers. Get the recipe.

3. VIETNAMESE-Style CARAMEL SHRIMP

Each time I make this Vietnamese-style shrimp dish, my family hankers for more. The shrimp are sautéed with garlic and onions, and the flavor-packed sauce makes it irresistible. Get the recipe.

4. Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Salsa

Stiffed with plump grilled shrimp and spicy avocado salsa, these tacos make a delicious, fun, and healthy weeknight dinner. Round out the meal with grilled Mexican street corn or boiled corn on the cob. Get the recipe.

5. Cioppino

Chockfull of seafood with a tomato and wine broth that tastes like the sea, cioppino is an Italian-American fish stew. Serve it with garlic bread, focaccia, or a baguette for soaking up the broth. Get the recipe.

6. Grilled Shrimp with Pesto

Grilled shrimp flavored with pesto make a delicious and easy weeknight dinner or appetizer. Heads up: the shrimp disappear in a flash. Make extra! Get the recipe.

7. Shrimp Pad Thai

This shrimp pad Thai is easy to make with ingredients that are readily available at most supermarkets – and it tastes pretty close to the traditional version we all know and love served at good Thai restaurants. Get the recipe.

8. Peel-and-Eat Boiled Shrimp with co*cktail Sauce

Recreate the experience of eating at a seafood shack with these peel-and-eat boiled shrimp. Not only are they incredibly easy to make, but they’re also fun to eat. I like to make them Maryland-style: simmered in beer seasoned with Old Bay with co*cktail sauce on the side. Cooking the shrimp in the shell maximizes flavor and helps the shrimp stay juicy. Get the recipe.

Need a summer potluck dish or light weeknight dinner? This black bean and shrimp salad with vibrant pickled onions is the ticket. Get the recipe.

10. Greek Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta

Made mostly from pantry and freezer staples, this Greek shrimp dish is ideal for busy weeknights. Shrimp are nestled in a Greek-spiced tomato sauce, topped with chunks of feta, and baked. Before serving, the dish is broiled and sprinkled with fresh mint. Serve the dish with crusty bread or pasta for sopping up the flavorful sauce. Get the recipe.

11. Shrimp Scampi with Pasta

Fast, packed with flavor, and irresistibly garlicky, this pasta dish is the ultimate weeknight dinner for seafood lovers. Get the recipe.

12. Shrimp and Grits

You can’t have a list of shrimp recipes without shrimp and grits. This version has smoky undertones, thanks to the inclusion of bacon, and lots of sauce for spooning over the grits. My shortcut is to use quick-cooking grits but go ahead and use stone-ground grits if you like. Get the recipe.

Need a quick and easy grilled shrimp recipe? Look no further. These shrimp are quickly marinated in a bright mixture of olive oil, lemon, garlic, herbs, and tomato paste and then grilled until slightly charred. All of the prep can be done ahead of time, so all that’s left to do at dinnertime is throw the skewers on the grill. Get the recipe.

14. Crispy Coconut Shrimp with Sweet Red Chili Sauce

This coconut shrimp is quick and easy to make. All the prep can be done ahead, and the sauce comes straight out of a bottle! Pair the dish with my Asian-style slaw and dinner is done!Get recipe.

15. SHEET-PAN GARLIC BUTTER SHRIMP

Got 20 minutes? Then you can prepare this garlicky sheet-pan shrimp that the whole family will love. Serve the shrimp over pasta or with a lightly toasted baguette to soak up all of the garlic-butter sauce. Get the recipe.

16. Sweet and Sour Shrimp with Broccoli

A lighter version of the restaurant-style dish that is traditionally battered and deep-fried, this sweet and sour shrimp is ready in 30 minutes. Be sure to start a pot of rice before you begin cooking. Get the recipe.

17. Street-Style Shrimp Tacos with Corn, Bacon, and Lime Crema

From chef Paul Wilson’s cookbook Taqueria: New-Style Fun and Friendly Mexican Cooking (Hardie Grant Books, 2017) these crazy-good shrimp tacos are made with bacon, corn, and lime crema. A family favorite at my house! Get the recipe.

18. Easy Thai Shrimp Curry

This Thai-style shrimp dish is made by simmering extra-large shrimp in a fragrant coconut milk sauce. It’s easy to make with Thai pantry staples, such as coconut milk, green curry paste, and fish sauce. Serve with jasmine rice. Get the recipe.

19. New Orleans-Style Barbecue Shrimp

Popular in Louisana, New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp actually has very little to do with barbecue. It refers to shrimp sautéed in a Worcestershire-spiked butter sauce. Traditionally, the shrimp are served shell-on, but I shell them before cooking so they can be served over rice for an easy dinner your whole family will love. Get the recipe.

20. Shrimp Burgers

Bring the flavor of the coast to your table with these juicy, panko-crusted shrimp burgers from America’s Test Kitchen. They’re ready in just 30 minutes! Get the recipe