If you are located anywhere near the low country, you can understand that shrimp could be its own food group. If you live near the water and have access to your own shrimp supply, then you are even better off. The great thing about shrimp is that there are endless ways to cook and prepare it. We put together some of our favorite ways to eat shrimp and a few links to our favorite shrimp recipes as well. Enjoy! 

  • Ways to Eat Shrimp

Ways To Eat Shrimp 

  1. Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp scampi is a dish that is rather simple. A scampi traditionally means that you will use garlic, lemon, and butter. You can be creative with your scampi and add some variations to your sauce; however, this one is a shrimp classic. If you have company over, they may enjoy a traditional shrimp scampi recipe like this one. (Shrimp Scampi Recipe) 

  1. Grilled Shrimp

Grilled shrimp is another recipe that you can get a bit creative with. Our favorite way to prepare grilled shrimp is to marinate the shrimp in some oil and herbs and then place it on skewers. The skewers make it very easy to flip your shrimp on the grill. Keep a close eye on grilled shrimp as they can cook rather quickly; you really don’t need anything over medium heat to get these shrimp perfect in just a matter of minutes. 

  1. Coconut Shrimp

It’s hard not to like Coconut shrimp but it can get a bit complicated if you let it. Coconut shrimp is a dish where the shrimp are coated and breaded with a coconut and then baked or fried. We like to keep our coconut shrimp a little healthier and bake them, but there are lots of dishes out there that will let you fry these for just a few minutes and enjoy a crunchy shrimp treat. The coconut flavors tend to blend quite well with shrimp. 

  1. Bang Bang Shimp

Bang bang shrimp became famous because of Bonefish Grill. They are a popular appetizer on the Bonefish menu, and the sauce is what people have fallen in love with. The good news is that the sauce is not all that difficult to recreate. If you combine a bit of mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, and honey, you can make your own killer bang bang shrimp right at home. 

  1. Creole Shrimp

Creole shrimp can also be called shrimp creole. This is more of a complete meal than just a shrimp snack. You will see that shrimp creole is a mixture of tomatoes, some creole seasoning, celery, pepper, and your own unique spices. Shrimp creole is often served over some white rice to make for an extremely delicious and well-rounded shrimp dish. 

  1. Garlic Shrimp

If you are a shrimp scampi fan but want to try something just a little different, give garlic shrimp a try. When you make garlic shrimp, you simply saute your cleaned and raw shrimp in a pan with olive oil and garlic. This is a great way to cook shrimp if you are going to combine it with a pasta dish or some vegetables. 

  1. Sauteed Shrimp

When you sautee shrimp, you can really get a flavor that you enjoy. WIth sauteed shrimp, try using different seasonings and olive oils to dial in the exact flavor you want. If you have not tried a citrus type olive oil to sautee your shrimp, you will really like the way it tastes. 

  1. Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp

Have you had anything wrapped in bacon that wasn’t good? Bacon-wrapped shrimp is a bit time-consuming but that time spent will be well worth it. You will very likely need some toothpicks and an excellent baking sheet to pull this recipe off. Don’t forget to make extras because these tend to go down really quickly. 

  1. Cajun Shrimp

Cajun shrimp is easy to make and combines well with some good old fashioned low country grits. If you want to make a cajun spice, chances are you have everything in your kitchen that you need to put one together. Cajun shrimp can be spiced up or down depending on your preferences. 

  1. Shrimp Curry

Shrimp curry can be made in many different ways; however, coconut shrimp curry is our favorite. If you remember correctly, we talked about the coconut taste and shrimp taste blending really well together. This still holds true when you put it all together as a coconut shrimp curry.  

  1. Baked Shrimp

People like to wrap shrimp in bacon, fry it, bread it and make it as unhealthy as possible. For those that like to keep their seafood as healthy as it once was when it was caught, baking the shrimp is a great idea. Watch your bake times and make sure to add some spice to the shrimp, so it picks up on some other flavors. 

  1. BBQ Shrimp

Barbeque shrimp is a bit different than grilled shrimp. Barbeque shrimp is more of a New Orleans style recipe where the shrimp is cooked with a barbeque style sauce. The BBQ shrimp tends to be quite sweet, and there will be some honey and sugar in a New Orleans style BBQ shrimp sauce. 

  1. Broiled Shrimp

Do you like fast and easy dinners? If you don’t, you can move to number 14, but we certainly enjoy a quick and easy meal. Broiled shrimp is one of the easiest and fastest ways to cook shrimp, and you can customize the taste that you are looking for with spices, oils, and toppings as well. Serve these broiled shrimp with a side salad to get dinner on the table in about fifteen minutes. 

  1. Blackened Shrimp 

Blackened shrimp has a strong and distinctive taste. If you like a blackened seasoning, you will love this as it’s easy to prepare and has a strong flavor. Blackened shrimp tends to be cooked a little longer than some other recipes, but be sure not to overcook your shrimp as they will lose their texture. 

  1. Honey Garlic Shrimp

If you haven’t noticed, garlic tends to be a popular ingredient when cooking with shrimp. Honey garlic shrimp is a good combination to get a bit of the sweet and savory at the same time. This is a good combination if you are serving it with some rice as well. Honey Garlic shrimp is not all that unhealthy, and serving it with a few vegetables on the side makes for a very complete meal. 

  1. Steamed Shrimp

Steamed shrimp are great if you are going to be dipping them in some cocktail sauce. Don’t forget to flavor the water when you are steaming your shrimp off. One of the most popular ways to flavor the water is a bit of Old Bay and vinegar in the water. 

  1. Lemon Garlic Shrimp

If you remember, we filled you in on the fact that a shrimp scampi is basically a lemon garlic and butter sauce. The difference between the scampi and this lemon garlic shrimp is that it is a bit lighter. With the lemon garlic shrimp, a light olive oil is used in place of the butter, and it won’t be considered as much of a sauce as the shrimp scampi is. If you love the fresh taste of a scampi sauce but want something a bit lighter, lemon garlic shrimp is a good choice. 

  1. Sweet and Sour Shrimp

A sweet and sour sauce is traditionally a taste that you see in Asian food. Sweet and Sour are made using a variety of sauces and spices, and it is quite sweet. We love sweet, and sour shrimp served with sauteed vegetables and a bit of rice. Although this is not quite a traditional low country way of serving shrimp, it is worth a try if you have had one too many scampis!

  1. Breaded Shrimp

Coconut shrimp is a form of breaded shrimp, but there are lots of ways that you can bread shrimp. A great coating to use on your breaded shrimp is some panko bread crumbs. They tend to stick really well, and they have a really crunchy taste when you bite into them. Make sure that you use something like an egg to adhere your breading to the shrimp, or you will end up with a pile of breading and a pile of shrimp! 

  1. Cilantro Lime Shrimp

If you think that lemon goes well with shrimp that you really need to give lime a try. Cilantro lime shrimp is easy to make in a frying pan, but you can do it on a grill as well if that is a better fit for you. Follow this great recipe for an easy Cilantro Lime Shrimp. 

  1. Shrimp Parmigiana 

Not too many Italian shrimp recipes on our list, but this shrimp parmigiana makes up for it. You can prepare this shrimp parmigiana the way you would prepare a chicken or a veal parmigiana. Simply bread and fry the shrimp and then layer it in a dish and bake the parmigiana. What can go wrong with a great sauce, cheese, and breaded shrimp! 

  1. Teriyaki Shrimp

Teriyaki sauce is really easy to make, and you will usually have the necessary ingredients in your home. If you like a great stir fry, the teriyaki shrimp is a great choice to consider. Choose your fresh ingredients and sautee them with your low country shrimp to get a really light and healthy meal. 

  1. Beer Battered Shrimp

Beer battered shrimp are essentially breaded shrimp, but they are first dipped in beer. The beer has a distinct flavor and tends to soak into the shrimp quite well. Be careful what beer you use when making beer-battered shrimp as the type of beer will affect the taste of the finished product. 

  1. Mexican Shrimp

Mexican shrimp can be prepared in several different ways. One of our favorites is to create some shrimp fajitas. Gather the proper seasonings, and then serve your shrimp with vegetables, rice, and beans as well. Shrimp is a popular ingredient in many Mexican and Spanish dishes; you will have no issues using your fresh-caught shrimp in some of these meals. 

  1. Sheet Pan Shrimp

Last but certainly not least on our list is sheet pan shrimp. Sheet pan shrimp is a simple and easy meal. Pick your flavors, add some spices and oil, and put in the oven to bake for a bit. We tend to throw some extra vegetables or a piece of corn on the sheet, so we end up with a traditional low country meal when all is said and done. 

Conclusion

The next time you say you have no idea what to do with shrimp, think again! You now have 25 different ways to eat shrimp. We are all about simple and easy cooking, and this list has many options that will take you less than ten minutes to put on the table. What’s your favorite way to eat shrimp?Â