Fried juicy shrimps can be considered a proper delicious and flavored delicacy. Moreover, the best thing about it is that you can quickly cook browned or fried shrimp at home, as the recipe will be one of the easiest. In this post, you will find a step-by-step guide on how you can make a delicious appetizer by frying shrimps or prawns in the pan on the stove. First, let us see how long it will take you to cook shrimps of different types on the stove.
How long do you cook shrimp in a pan?
As always, the time of cooking in the first place depends on what kind of shrimp you picked up at the market; fresh or frozen, cooked or raw shrimps. Here is a list that can help you navigate in the scope of information that can be found on the internet:
- How long to sauté frozen raw shrimps (peeled or shell on)? You need to cook frozen raw shrimps for 8 to 10 minutes to get them cooked. The exact time depends on the size, as bigger in size shrimps will be ready in 10 minutes.
- How long does it take to fry frozen cooked shrimps (peeled or shell on)? Small shrimps will be cooked in 5 minutes, big shrimps you should fry up to 6 minutes (frozen cooked shrimps should be thawed before frying or sautéing).
- How long do you need to sauté king prawns? You need to cook king prawn for 10 minutes in a pan on the stove.
- How long do you cook tiger shrimps in a pan on the stove? It will take you up to 12 minutes to make perfect sautéed giant tiger prawn or, as they are also called, Asian tiger shrimps.
The above list will help you to make a perfect dish from fried shrimps or prawns. Knowing the cooking time of different types of shrimps is as important as knowing the perfect way of preparing shrimps in a pan.
I love shrimps for being such a versatile ingredient. There are plenty of options to use in recipes. Check out my favorite dishes with fried shrimp:
How do you cook fried shrimp?
Here is a great recipe for how to cook shrimp in a pan on the stove, frozen beforehand. If you decided to have fried or sautéed shrimps, king prawns, or tiger shrimps as a separate dish, then there is no necessity in peeling shrimp before cooking. Shell helps to preserve flavors and juice inside. For salads, you need to use peeled shrimp.
Do you need to thaw frozen shrimp before cooking in a pan? It is better to thaw frozen shrimps before sautéing or frying them in a pan. It is a quick and easy process. You will need only cold water to defrost shrimps; do not use hot water! Put frozen shrimps in a bowl with cold water and let them sit for 20-25 minutes. After ice dissolves, you can rinse and dry them. You can change cold water every 10 minutes.
Separate recipes for sautéing/frying frozen shell-on shrimps and frozen peeled shrimps you can find below.
The secret to making your dinner meal perfect is to make garlic shrimp. It is simple as it gets. Here is a simple guide for you to follow:
How to cook prawns in a pan frozen and with shell on
Ingredients
- 500 g frozen shrimps shell-on
- 3-4 cloves of garlic
- olive oil (instead of olive oil you can use butter)
- salt and ground black pepper to your taste
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat or wait for butter to melt if you are using it instead of olive oil. Add minced or sliced garlic into the warm oil and stir-fry it for 30-60 seconds. It should release its beautiful aroma. The next step is optional as there are people who can stand the taste of garlic or those who do not mind it in a dish. So at this stage, you can skip away from the garlic or leave it in a skillet.
- Now is the time to add shrimps, thawed beforehand. You need to season them immediately after you put them into the frying pan. While frying shrimps, you need to stir them from time to time. Use a heat-resistant spatula. The amount of cooking time depends on the size of the shrimps you bought. It can take you up to 10 minutes to get shrimps colored pink and their meat opaque white.
- You can add squeezed lemon juice at the last minute of stir-frying shrimps. Let it simmer for 1 minute before removing the pan from the stove (this step is also optional).
- If you haven’t added lemon juice, you can get rid of excessive oil by placing fried shrimps on a paper towel or a plate lined with paper towels. In several minutes, you can serve them while they are warm. Add some greenery to make the colors pop.
Notes
Shrimps need to fit into one layer in a pan. Do not overcrowd it as you can cook your shrimps unevenly.
How to cook frozen peeled shrimps in a pan on the stove?
Here is an interesting spin on a classic recipe of pan-fried shrimps. The process may seem for you the same with a way you fry shrimps with their shells still on, but there are some secrets:
How to cook shrimps on the stove frozen and peeled
Ingredients
- 500 g shrimps frozen, peeled
- 3-4 cloves of garlic
- half of the lemon
- salt
- soy sauce
- olive oil
Instructions
- Defrost shrimps using cold water, do not thaw shrimps in a refrigerator. It will take around 20 minutes for the ice to dissolve. Then place shrimps into a bowl.
- Into a bowl with shrimps, add minced garlic, squeezed juice of 1 half of a lemon, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, salt, and pepper to your taste. Let them marinate for 5-10 minutes.
- When shrimps are marinated, you can heat olive oil or butter in a skillet on the stove. Place only shrimps without marinade in the skillet and let them fry for 4-6 minutes. First, let one side of shrimps fry, flip around, and let the other side cook.
- When the meat of shrimps becomes opaque, you can take the skillet off the stove and in several minutes serve them.
Notes
You may also like: How to cook crabs at home
Garlic shrimps are one of those recipes that take only a few simple steps to prepare a mouthwatering meal. Despite the type of shrimps you are using, this appetizer or a separate dish will turn out to be just great. If you like our recipe, please share it with your friends. If you have any advice on how you can sauté a perfect shrimp, leave it in the comment section below. I am always looking forward to your feedback!
