Air fryer shrimp is one of our favorite seafood sides. This crowd pleasing appetizer can be enjoyed in a variety of ways using different seasoning options like jerk seasoning, Cajun or your favorite blend. Bacon wrapped shrimp, is another favorite here at Air fryer yum but today we will be making this delicious jerk shrimp recipe. Making it in the air fryer is easy and stress free and I am happy to show in easy steps how we make it.
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Table of Contents
- Shrimp in the Air fryer? Yes please!
- What makes this Air fryer jerk shrimp the best?
- What is the best seasoning for shrimp or seafood in general?
- What ingredients and tools do you need?
- How to make Air fryer Shrimp in easy steps
- Variations
- How to serve shrimps at home or at a party
- Your Frequently Asked Questions answered
- Tips
- More Air fryer Shrimp and Seafood recipes
- Air fryer shrimp Recipe (Jerk shrimp Recipe)
Shrimp in the Air fryer? Yes please!
Ok! We seem to be making everything in the air fryer these days. If you haven’t tried any thing else just yet, you’ve got to try shrimps in the air fryer.
My favorite handsfree method (well almost hands free method of cooking this versatile and well loved sea food)
What makes this Air fryer jerk shrimp the best?
Hey seafood lovers, you are not left out in this rave. The air fryer makes most deep fried or oven baked recipes perfectly in a breeze.
A bit of a caveat I used pre cooked frozen shrimps for this recipe because It saves me time and I like my seafood a bit more cooked. Now let me tell you why you should be making this crowd pleasing appetizer.
Now to why it’s the best.
- It’s an easy low carb or keto side dish, snack or appetizer.
- It tastes so good and is easy to prepare.
- The perfect crowd pleaser that can be made ahead and used for meal prep.
- Air fryer shrimp is easily adaptable to any flavor of your choice depending on the spice blend used like old bay seasoning, Cajun, yaji, taco seasoning, Garam masala or just tossing in garlic butter. Shrimps are a blank canvas to any flavor of your choice.
What is the best seasoning for shrimp or seafood in general?
This will depend on your favorite seasoning blend or the type of shrimp meal you are making. The most common seasoning used for shrimps and most seafoods is the old bay seasoning.
However if you are going for a specific flavor or cuisine. You can season accordingly. Today’s recipe uses jerk seasoning which is a popular Jamaican seasoning blend.
What ingredients and tools do you need?
Ingredients:
- Shrimps
- Jerk seasoning
- Oil
- Salt
- Lemon
- Parsley leaves for garnishing
Tools:
- Air fryer
- Kitchen Tongs
How to make Air fryer Shrimp in easy steps
You can make air fryer shrimps from fresh or frozen shrimps included per cooked. We love our shrimps well cooked. If you love slightly cooked shrimps, cook for less time.
Fresh Shrimp
Clean the shrimps properly. Pat dry, marinate with oil and seasoning blend. Let it sit for 20 - 30 mins on the counter or in the refrigerator. Bake at 400°F / 204°C for 8 to 10 mins
Frozen shrimp
You can cook these straight from the freezer, or let it thaw. If cooking straight from the freezer, it might be a bit difficult to season, here’s what I do.
I can either cook it in the air fryer till it thaws a bit then I get it out and toss in seasoning before retiring to the basket and finishing off the cooking or I would cook it fully and toss the cooked shrimps with garlic butter.
Alternative I let the frozen shrimp thaw in a bowl of warm water then toss in oil, lemon and seasoning before air frying.
Frozen Cooked Shrimps
The already cooked frozen shrimps bought in store are not cooked to my liking so I usually cook it further. This is my personal preference and that’s the way I can eat shrimps.
I let them thaw, seasoning and bake in the air fryer before using them in recipes like salads or shrimp fried rice or Rasta pasta.
Variations
There are many ways to cook air fryer shrimp. Below are a few of my favorite variations based on spice blends / dry rub or sauces
- Garam masala shrimp
- Peri peri shrimp
- Taco shrimp
- Cajun shrimp
- Garlic butter shrimp
How to serve shrimps at home or at a party
Serve shrimps with yum yum sauce, use in salads or as an addition to fried rice. To serve shrimps in a party, arrange shrimps in a large serving tray and place a bowl or two of your favorite dipping sauces on the side. We love yum yum sauce!
Storing leftovers
Air fried shrimps can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the microwave or air fryer
Your Frequently Asked Questions answered
Can you put frozen shrimp in an air fryer? (Raw or cooked)
Yes you can put frozen shrimp in an air fryer. It will thaw and cook nicely in the air fryer. You can also cook frozen raw shrimps in the air fryer. It will take longer to cook than when thawed. It can take up to 18 mins to cook raw from frozen and about 14 mins for precooked and frozen.
How long do you cook shrimps in the air fryer?
This will depend on how well cooked you like your shrimps. If cooking from fresh, 10 to 14 mins, if cooking from frozen 14 to 18 mins.
Tips
- Use any spice blend you like. About 2 -3 Tbsps should be fine per pound.
- I love my shrimps well cooked. Feel free to adjust the time to your desired level of doneness.
- I didn’t preheat the air fryer. However if making more batches, subsequent batches will cook 1 or 2 mins faster because the air fryer got preheated while cooking the first
More Air fryer Shrimp and Seafood recipes
- Bacon wrapped shrimp: Bacon elevates many recipes and this juicy wrapped appetizers are no different.
- Air fryer fish sticks: These are a great appetizer or side dish for seafood lovers and this is ready in 15 mins
- Bacon wrapped scallops in the air fryer
- All our appetizer recipes live here! Be sure to check them out.
- Air fryer whole fish
- Breaded fish and fries
Other recipes we think you’d love
- Air fryer ham fried rice
- S’mores dip
- Air fryer cheeseburgers
- Bacon twists
- Air fryer hotdogs
- Corn on the cob
- Air fryer breaded mushrooms
Check out all our >>>Air fryer Recipes!
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Happy Air frying!
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Air fryer shrimp Recipe (Jerk shrimp Recipe)
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 lb jumbo shrimps
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Jerk seasoning spice blend
- 2 - 3 Tablespoons homemade blend or use the individual spices below if you do not have jerk seasoning blend
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon bouillon
- ⅛ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ¼ teaspoon sugar free brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon all spice
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Fresh Shrimps
- Clean and devein shrimps.
- Dry with paper towel, add oil, lemon juice and seasoning, toss to coat
- Transfer to air fryer basket or air fryer safe bowl if you prefer and cook at 400°F / 204°C for 10 - 14 mins or to your desired level of doneness.
Pre cooked Frozen Shrimps
- Place frozen cleaned shrimps in a bowl of warm water for 30 mins and drain with a colander.
- Pat the shrimps dry with paper towel.
- Pour oil and lemon juice over shrimps, toss till evenly coated.
- Add the spice blend and mix to coat.
- If you have time on your hands let seasoned shrimps marinate for about 20 mins.
- Place seasoned shrimps in air fryer basket. Set temperature to 400°F / 204°C for 6-8 mins, cook for up to 10 mins if you like it crispy.
- Serve with dipping sauce or as a side dish
Notes
- I used pre cooked frozen shrimps. If using fresh shrimps, cook for 10-14 mins this depends on how well done you like your shrimps.
- I would recommend Jumbo shrimps for this recipe.
- If cooking shrimps from frozen, add 3-4 mins to cooking time (this will also depend on how done you like yours)
This shrimp looks delicious. I can't wait to make it. Thank you for the recipe
Hi Irina,
Thank you for stopping by! It’s delicious I know you’d like it!
This was easy and delish. Thanks
You are welcome Soma! Happy you liked it
Tried this recipe right after making your fried rice recipe. Love it. I use fresh shrimps instead of the precooked shrimps in the recipe. I added a couple of minutes to the time. Will make again. Thank you.
Hi Kin,
That’s amazing, thanks for letting me know.