Shrimp might be the most useful protein for a short evening. A bag of peeled, deveined shrimp from the freezer thaws in about ten minutes under cold water, and once it hits a hot pan it’s done in less time than it takes to warm a tortilla. That speed is what makes these dinners work: the shrimp is always the last thing you cook, and everything else is ready and waiting.
The recipes here take shrimp in four different directions. The Cajun shrimp tacos lean on a smoky spice rub and a cold, crunchy lime slaw. The garlic butter shrimp pasta is all about butter, garlic and lemon clinging to thin spaghetti. The garlic shrimp and broccoli stir-fry keeps things light, with crisp-tender broccoli and a glossy garlic-ginger sauce spooned over rice. And the shrimp fried rice turns chilled leftover rice, eggs and peas into something close to a takeout favorite.
Getting shrimp right
The single biggest mistake with shrimp is overcooking, which turns them firm and rubbery. Watch the color and shape rather than the clock: grey and translucent means not yet, pink and opaque with a loose curl means ready. Dry them well before cooking, too. Wet shrimp steam, and you lose the light browning that gives the tacos and pasta their flavor.
When buying, “peeled and deveined, tail off” saves the most time. Tail-on shrimp look nice in pasta but are fiddly in tacos and fried rice.
Which one to make
If you want something handheld and fresh, go for the tacos. For a cozy bowl that feels a little special, choose the pasta. When you want vegetables in the same pan, the stir-fry is the one. If there’s a container of cooked rice in the fridge, the fried rice is the obvious pick, and it stretches eight ounces of shrimp to feed three.
Looking for salmon, cod or tuna as well? The wider quick seafood recipes collection includes them all.