A quick and tasty recipe for baked shrimp with butter, garlic, and Parmesan. They are the ultimate good-for-you fast food - they're ready in just ten minutes!
This is one of my favorite shrimp recipes. It's so tasty and it's so very easy to make, and my family loves it too - yes, even the Picky Eater!
This simple recipe dresses the shrimp in a tasty mixture of butter and seasonings. Cooked to perfection and ready in just ten minutes, baked shrimps are like fast food. Seriously, making this recipe at home is faster than going through a fast-food restaurant's drive-through! 🍤
The ingredients you'll need
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty shrimp recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
Raw shrimp: I use large shrimp, peeled and deveined. The tails can be on or off - it's up to you. Tails on are prettier, though.
Melted butter: You can also use olive oil if you wish, as I do in the video below. This is especially helpful if the shrimp are very cold, as explained below.
Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use, or the dish could end up too salty.
Spices: I like to use garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Paprika is also very good. Please make sure the spices you use are fresh - a stale spice can easily ruin a dish.
Grated parmesan: It's best to use finely grated parmesan and not coarsely shredded cheese in this recipe. There's a difference.
How to bake shrimp
It's so easy! This is one of my easiest recipes, which is why I make it so often. Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
1. Arrange the shrimp in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
2. Coat them with the butter (or olive oil) and sprinkle with salt, black pepper, spices, and parmesan.
3. Bake in a preheated 400°F oven until cooked through, about 8 minutes.
How to quickly defrost shrimp
I love shrimp and make them for my family once a week. I always have frozen shrimp on hand, but I'm not very good at remembering to defrost them.
Luckily, defrosting shrimp for this baked shrimp recipe (or for any other recipe) is easy! Fill a large bowl with cool water. Add the shrimp. Replace the water once or twice, gently separating frozen shrimp that have stuck to each other.
They should be fully defrosted in about 10 minutes. Drain them using a colander, then dry on paper towels.
If you just defrosted your shrimp and they are very cold, the melted butter will harden as soon as you mix it into the shrimp. That's OK - it will melt back in the oven.
But when this happens, I do quickly spray the top of the shrimp with olive oil before placing them in the oven, just to make sure they don't dry out.
Another option is to use olive oil instead of butter when using just-defrosted shrimp. I tried this recipe with olive oil and it's excellent.
How long do you bake shrimp in the oven?
Regardless of how you cook shrimp, their small size means that they're ready very fast. I bake large ones for about 8 minutes in a 400°F oven. This is one of the best things about this recipe (and about shrimp in general). They are ready super fast!
How to serve them
It's such a versatile main dish - it goes with anything! But since I bake this dish in a 400F oven, I like to serve it with a side dish that I can bake in the same oven. So I often serve it with one of the following sides:
What about leftovers?
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in a shallow airtight container, for up to 3 days. But I try to use them up the next day.
I reheat them very gently, covered, in the microwave on 50% power. Sometimes I use them cold in a salad or serve them with some cocktail sauce.
More shrimp recipes that you might enjoy
These keto "fried" shrimp are amazing. They are "breaded" with crushed pork rind - very flavorful! And shrimp stir-fry is one of my favorite stir-fry recipes to make for my family. It's ready fast, and it's so flavorful.
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Baked Shrimp
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ½ lb. large raw shrimp peeled and deveined
- ¼ cup melted butter (or olive oil)
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (not fine salt)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper or paprika
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Arrange the shrimp in a single layer on a large rimmed broiler-safe baking sheet.
- Pour the melted butter on top of the shrimp and toss to coat.
- Sprinkle the shrimp with the kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, crushed red pepper and Parmesan.
- Bake until the shrimp are pink and opaque, about 8 minutes. If you want the Parmesan to brown, finish by broiling for about 1 minute.
- Transfer the baked shrimp to a serving platter and spoon the pan juices on top. Serve immediately.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
More Recipes to Try:
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living.