This Spicy Shrimp recipe uses warm spices to infuse deep flavor in jumbo shrimp that is pan seared and creates a tender, juicy spicy shrimp. It is a great appetizer served with a cool dipping sauce or atop a rice bowl with beans, salsa, diced vegetables and fresh cilantro. You will love this easy shrimp dish that can be on your table in under 20 minutes!
Why You Will Love This Spicy Shrimp Recipe
If you like spicy food this Spicy Shrimp is for you!
There is something about tender, juicy shrimp with the heat of warm spices like smoked paprika, chili powder and cayenne red pepper. This Spicy Shrimp recipe is done in under 20 minutes, making it a great option for a busy weeknight meal. I love to pair this shrimp with a fresh, light salad or in a rice bowl with beans, salsa and fresh vegetables.
Here are more reasons it’s a must-try dish:
- Easy Preparation: This is such an easy shrimp recipe. After you make your spice mix, add it to the shrimp you simply pan sear the shrimp for a few minutes on each side and you have a delicious meal!
- Versatile: Serve it for a quick family dinner or dress it up for guests over pasta or couscous—it’s as elegant as it is simple. It also works as the perfect appetizer!
- Double the Recipe: If you are feeding a crowd you can easily double this recipe. Your guests will love this as an appetizer with toothpicks for serving.
If you are a fan of shrimp, you’ll also enjoy this Lemon Shrimp and Orzo, Easy Breaded Shrimp, Easy Shrimp Curry, Shrimp Creole and this Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp.
Ingredients You Will Need
For the Spicy Shrimp:
- Spices: The spices are so warm and add so much flavor to the shrimp. You can control how much spice by simply cutting back the spices, especially the crushed red pepper flakes for less heat. The spice mix uses smoked paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper.
- Jumbo Shrimp: If you can find fresh jumbo shrimp that is peeled and devained that is my suggestion. You can use frozen shrimp but these will have a lot more excess water when cooked so be careful to drain that when making the recipe. If you can’t find jumbo shrimp you can use any size but just make sure to adjust the cook time based on their size.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic adds great flavor alongside the spices and the shrimp. If you can’t use fresh garlic you can sub in garlic powder.
- Lime Juice: The lime juice adds zesty citrus flavor to cut the spice and compliment the heat.
- Cilantro: Fresh cilantro is the perfect way to finish off the spicy shrimp. You can skip it if you want.
For the Rice Bowl:
- Rice: If you are making a rice bowl you can use white rice or cilantro lime rice in these bowls.
- Beans: I love black beans, red beans or pinto beans in a rice bowl.
- Salsa or Guacamole: Salsa or guacamole can compliment the spicy shrimp really well in this rice bowl. Try my Tomatillo Salsa Verde, Avocado Tomatillo Salsa, Mango Black Bean Salsa, or this Easy Watermelon Salsa. You also might like this Homemade Guacamole recipe.
- Fresh Vegetables: Freshly diced tomatoes, jalapeños or red onions are a great addition. Pickled vegetables like pickled red onions or pickled vegetables would be a nice addition.
Recipe Substitutions
- Spices: Other spices that would be nice in this shrimp recipe are oregano, cayenne red pepper, smoked chipotle chili powder or dried thyme.
- Oil: You can use avocado oil in place of olive oil in this recipe.
- Heat: To make this even spicier add more chili flakes, fresh hot peppers (like habanero or serrano), or hot sauce.
- Sweetness: To offset the heat try adding sweetness like honey, pineapple juice or brown sugar.
- Creamy: Include a creamy base like coconut milk, yogurt, or heavy cream to tone down the heat and add richness.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix Spices: In a small bowl mix together the paprika, oregano, chili powder, cayenne red pepper, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper and stir well. Set aside.
Step 2: Combine the Shrimp and Spices: In a large bowl combine the raw shrimp, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the spice mixture. Toss to coat the shrimp.
Step 3: Saute Shrimp: Heat a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat for 1 more minute then add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add in the shrimp in a single layer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Step 4: Toss Shrimp in Lime Juice: Toss the shrimp in the lime juice and the chopped cilantro.
Step 5: Serve Shrimp: Serve the shrimp on a serving platter with crusty bread to soak up the juices or you can make a shrimp bowl with rice, black beans, red onion, diced tomatoes, mango salsa and the spicy shrimp.
Store the shrimp in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Serving Suggestions
There are a lot of ways to serve this spicy garlic shrimp recipe. Try one of these delicious ways:
- Try adding this shrimp over a salad like this Mexican Street Corn Salad, Jalapeno Coleslaw Recipe, Lemon Arugula Salad with Parmesan Cheese, Caribbean Coleslaw Recipe, Easy Mexican Coleslaw or this Easy Mango Coleslaw.
- Create a rice bowl with the spicy shrimp, white rice, black beans, diced tomatoes, cilantro along with pickled red onions and Homemade Pico de Gallo.
- Serve this shrimp over a Lemon Pearl Couscous, Instant Pot Fried Rice, Lemon Orzo, or this 4 Ingredient Cheesy Orzo Recipe.
- These shrimp would pair nicely with a simple vegetable side dish like Bok Choy Stir Fry, Easy Bok Choy, Roasted Parmesan Garlic Cauliflower, or this Roasted Broccoli.
- Another great option is shrimp tacos or lettuce wraps. If you like tacos this would make a great protein to use!
Storage Tips
Store the shrimp in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
To freeze the shrimp, let them cool completely and add them to a ziplock bag or an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, slowly heat the shrimp in a skillet of medium heat with a splash of oil. You also could slowly heat in the oven until warmed through.
Recipe FAQ
If you can get ahold of fresh shrimp that is always best but frozen will work. If you can get preferably peeled and deveined this is a great option for convenience. Larger shrimp (like jumbo or extra-large) are great for grilling or pan-searing and hold in the flavor of the spices in this recipe really well.
There are a lot of great ways to make shrimp. If it is warm grilling is a nice way to add some flavor and get a nice crust on the shrimp. You can thread the shrimp on skewers to make it easier to handle them. Searing is a quick and easy way to make shrimp. Use a little oil in a hot skillet and cook the shrimp for about 2-3 minutes per side. Grilling: Thread shrimp onto skewers for easy handling.
You also could broil the shrimp on a baking sheet and broil for 2–3 minutes per side for quick, intense heat.
Add fresh chili peppers (jalapeños, or serranos) for a sharp kick. Use hot sauces like Tabasco, or Sriracha in the marinade or drizzle them on top after cooking.
You don’t have to but if you want a deeper flavor in the shrimp I suggest marinading for 15–30 minutes. This is enough to infuse flavor without overpowering the shrimp.
There are a few ways ways you can balance out the spicy in this recipe. Serve with cooling ingredients like yogurt, sour cream, avocado, or sweet sauces like honey or mango salsa.
More Shrimp Recipes
If you love shrimp recipes you should try one of these delicious shrimp recipes.
- Cajun Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Shrimp
- Shrimp Scampi Recipe
- Shrimp Kale Artichoke Pasta
- Easy Cajun Shrimp
- Honey Garlic Sriracha Shrimp
- Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
- Greek Shrimp Marinade
Spicy Shrimp
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne red pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound raw jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 lime, juiced and zested
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped {or fresh parsley}
For the Rice Bowl:
- White or cilantro rice
- Black beans
- Freshly Chopped Red Onions
- Diced tomatoes
- Mango or regular salsa
Instructions
- In a medium bowl mix tougher the paprika, oregano, chili powder, cayenne red pepper, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper and stir well. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the shrimp, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the spice mixture. Toss to coat the shrimp.
- Heat a large skillet over medium hight heat. Add the 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat for 1 more minute then add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add in the shrimp and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side.
- Toss the shrimp in the lime juice and the chopped cilantro.
- Serve the shrimp on its own or you can make a shrimp bowl with rice, black beans, red onion, diced tomatoes, mango salsa and the spicy shrimp.
- Store the shrimp in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
