How to Cook Shrimp on the Stove

Close up of white plate of bright red shrimp

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5 from 1 vote

How to Cook Shrimp on the Stove

You'll be the star of the show with these shrimp cooked on the stove! Easy and ready in minutes.

Prep Time10

Cook Time5

Total Time15

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: How to cook shrimp on the stove, pan fried shrimp

Servings: servings

Calories: 236kcal

Author: Wendi Spraker

Ingredients

1 lb of frozen peeled and deveined shrimp
4 Tbs cooking oil - divided
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon hot sauce
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ lemon

Instructions

Thaw the shrimp by either placing in the refrigerator on the day before you plan to use OR by placing into a colander and running under cold tap water for 5-10 minutes.
Dry the shrimp with a paper or cloth towel.
Mix TWO tbs of oil with garlic powder, onion powder, hot sauce, salt and pepper in a medium sized bowl and stir the shrimp into the bowl. Place the bowl into the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Heat a large skillet over high heat, add the remaining 2 Tbs of oil. When oil surface is shimmery and the oil is hot (about 2-3 minutes) , add the entire contents of the shrimp bowl and reduce the heat to medium high.
Stir the shrimp and turn until the shrimp turn pink and begin to curl (about 5 minutes). Turn off the heat and squeeze the lemon over the top of the shrimp. Serve with any extra lemon.

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Notes

Use the best frying pan that you can afford. A nice heavy frying pan will heat evenly and will cook your shrimp evenly.
It can be tricky to cook shrimp properly, when you see the shrimp starting to curl and turning pink they are done. Don't overcook them, because the texture will become yucky.
You will probably want to use more oil than what is stated, but really, you'll see that this is enough oil.

PRO TIP: Melt a couple tablespoons of butter to use as a dip for your shrimp. You can add some seasoning to the butter like minced garlic or flavored salts to give it a little extra zing. Make sure to sprinkle some lemon juice or lime juice over the top of your shrimp for a perfect acid balance.

Nutrition