The easiest way to cook shrimp — pop it in the oven! This delicious baked shrimp recipe is always a winner, it only takes 10 minutes total, and it’s easy to customize with whatever seasonings you love.
Alright, after talking last week about how to bake chicken, pork and steak in the oven, we’re moving on in our series this week to the world of baked seafood and tofu. Beginning today with what is quite possibly the easiest recipe in the world…
…baked shrimp. ♡
A few weeks ago on Instagram, I shared a quick tutorial in my stories about how to cook shrimp in the oven. And tons of you reported back that you gave it a try for yourselves and couldn’t believe how quick and easy it was. Which is precisely why I’m such a big fan of this method!
Baking (or technically, broiling) shrimp is by far the easiest and quickest and most reliable way I know to cook shrimp. An entire batch can be ready to go in less than 10 minutes from start to finish. The shrimp are always perfectly cooked, with a bit of crisp on the outside, yet still nice and tender inside. You can use this method to make a small or huge batch of shrimp. And — as has been the case with all of the proteins in this series — this method is totally versatile when it comes to flavor, so you can can add in whatever seasonings or marinades you prefer.
Trust me. If you love shrimp, you’ve gotta give this one a try.
HOW TO COOK SHRIMP IN THE OVEN | 1-MINUTE VIDEO
Baked Shrimp Ingredients:
To make this baked shrimp recipe, you will need:
- Raw shrimp: Ideally large or extra-large shrimp, de-veined and peeled (tails on or off). If you have purchased frozen shrimp, be sure to thaw it completely before cooking.
- Oil: Whatever your preferred high-heat cooking oil may be. I like to use avocado oil for this recipe.
- Seasonings: I usually just use a generous sprinkle of Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper. But feel free to add in whatever other dry seasonings you prefer.
How To Cook Shrimp In The Oven:
To bake shrimp in the oven, simply:
- Pat the shrimp dry. Blot with some paper towels to remove any excess moisture, especially if your shrimp were frozen and have just been thawed.
- Toss with oil. Toss with oil until the shrimp are evenly coated, either in a mixing bowl or just directly on the baking sheet.
- Arrange on the baking sheet. It’s essential that the shrimp are in an even layer (no overlapping) for even cooking.
- Season. I typically just sprinkle my shrimp with Kosher salt and lots of freshly-cracked black pepper (plus maybe a bit of garlic powder). But feel free to add any other dry seasonings that you might prefer.
- Broil. Then, just pop the baking sheet into the oven and broil for 2 minutes, or until the shrimp are a bright reddish-pink. Keep a really close eye on the shrimp to be sure that they do not over- or under-cook. Also, no need to flip the shrimp halfway through, since they cook so quickly. Plus, the bottom of the pan gets nice and hot too, so the underside of the shrimp will also be nicely cooked.
- Serve. As soon as the shrimp are ready to go, remove the baking sheet from the oven, transfer the shrimp to a serving dish right away (or incorporate into whatever shrimp recipe you may be making), and serve warm. Voila!
Shrimp Seasonings:
Again, I typically just use lots of salt and pepper (plus maybe a good sprinkle of garlic powder), as mentioned in the baked shrimp recipe below. But if you’d like to mix things up, feel free to sprinkle on any of your favorite dry seasoning mixes, such as:
- Italian Seasoning
- Cajun Seasoning
- Za’atar Seasoning
- Taco Seasoning
- Curry Powder
- Caribbean Jerk Seasoning
Side Dish Ideas:
Looking for some side dishes to serve with this shrimp recipe? Here are a few of my faves:
- Everyday Salad or Our Family’s Favorite Salad
- Scalloped Potatoes or The Best Baked Potatoes or Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Perfect Roasted Brussels Sprouts or Roasted Asparagus
- Berry Fruit Salad or Winter Fruit Salad
More Baked Protein Tutorials:
Be sure to check out our other baked protein tutorials here on the blog too!
- Baked Chicken Breasts
- Baked Pork Chops
- Baked Salmon
- Baked Tofu
- Baked Steak (How To Cook Steak In The Oven)
Enjoy, everyone!
The Easiest Way To Cook Shrimp! (Baked Shrimp)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 7 minutes
- Yield: 4 -6 servings 1x
Description
The easiest way to cook shrimp — pop it in the oven! This delicious baked shrimp recipe is always a winner, it only takes 10 minutes total, and it’s easy to customize with whatever seasonings you love.
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails on or off)
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or your preferred high-heat oil)
- Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler on your oven. Arrange the baking rack about 5 inches away from the top heating element.
- Place shrimp in a large mixing bowl, and pat dry with paper towels. Add oil and toss until the shrimp are evenly coated.
- Transfer the shrimp to a large baking sheet, and arrange in an even layer. (Be sure that the shrimp do not overlap.) Season generously with salt and pepper, and any other desired seasonings.
- Broil for 2 minutes, or until the shrimp are bright reddish-pink and opaque. Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving dish.
- Serve warm. Or transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Brilliant. Fundamentals, for the win. Not going to say I’ll use this method all the time, but love having it in my back pocket. It’s especially good if you don’t want to use a traditional cocktail sauce.
I used this as the surf to an excellent panfried ribeye steak. I already had an alumium lined rimmed sheet covered with oven bacon leavings. After drying off the shrimp I rubbed them on the pan with a little extra bacon fat/avocado oil mix. Then, ground a bit of pepper and very lightly sprinkled with ground coriander (I didn’t have any fresh lemon, so decided to fake it). My 20/# shrimp broiled in 3 minutes and I admit I did turn them, squidge them around in the bacon drippings and broil for another 20-ish seconds. Then, even though I didn’t need to, I drizzled the broiled shrimp on the pan with a tablespoon of a tomato vinegar (don’t ask) mixed with a bit of salt and red wine vinegar to slightly deglaze. All this to say… how in the world could I not have any fresh lemon?!!?
The real take-away is that this is an extremely basic recipe that will kinda rock your world in the best possible way. As in, after decades of cooking, how did I not know about this? The method is the point, the flavor profile is as you need it to be, or what your pantry holds.