Air Fryer Frozen Shrimp

This Air fryer frozen shrimp recipe produces plump succulent shrimp cooked in 4 minutes. The air fryer is an excellent appliance to cook shrimp to perfection, providing a tender yet slightly firm bite. The herbs and seasonings complement the natural sweetness, while the lemon and parsley add a splash of freshness to the palate. So fast and so easy!

Why I Love This Recipe

This shrimp recipe is so versatile. Add a cocktail sauce to these air fryer shrimp and they can be used as a quick appetizer for guests, or serve them atop a healthy salad, a bed of rice with a side of veggies, or even used in tacos. Having a bag of frozen shrimp in your freezer can be a life saver when you are in a rush or just want to shake things up a bit. But most of all I love that this recipe is easy, and I almost always have all the ingredients in my pantry.

As an added bonus, I love air fryer recipes in the summer time because it means I don’t need to turn my oven on. Why heat the house up if you don’t have too? Of course no problem one way or the other in the winter time!

Equipment Needed for Frozen Shrimp in the Air Fryer

This is a pretty straightforward recipe. The only big equipment you need is an Air Fryer. At my house I have two air fryers, one is the Casori 5Qt, and the other is Bella Pro Series 8Qt. I love both these air fryers!

Ingredients

Shrimp Marinade

• 1 bag thawed shrimp deveined (I used 16-20/lb size – also have used 31-40/lb size)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¾ teaspoon Garlic powder
• ¾ teaspoon Onion powder
• ¾ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• ½ teaspoon Paprika
• ½ teaspoon Table salt
• Squeeze of Lemon juice
• Parsley for garnish
• Lemon slices for garnish

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

• ½ cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoon prepared horseradish
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon hot sauce like Tabasco or sriracha (more or less to taste)

• Thaw shrimp in a large bowl filled with cool to lukewarm water. See Note 1 and 2. For faster thawing you can replace the water as it gets colder with fresh cool to lukewarm water. When you buy your shrimp make sure they are deveined (it will say on the package) See Note 3.
• While shrimp are thawing make the Shrimp Marinade. Combine 2 tablespoon olive oil, ¾ teaspoon garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon onion powder, ¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon paprika, and ½ teaspoon of salt in a large bowl and mix well. Set bowl aside.

• Once shrimp is thawed, pat dry with a paper towel.
• Add the thawed shrimp into the marinade bowl and mix gently to completely cover all the shrimp with the oil and spices and allow to marinate for while you make the cocktail sauce.

• For the cocktail sauce combine ½ cup ketchup, 2 tablespoon horseradish, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, and ½ teaspoon hot sauce like Tabasco or sriracha.
• Mix thoroughly and taste test to determine if you want to add more hot sauce. Cover with a lid or cling wrap and place in fridge until ready to use.

• Preheat air fryer to 400F for 4 minutes.
• Place marinated shrimp into air fryer basket leaving sufficient space between shrimp to allow air flow.
• Air fry at 400F for 4 minutes flipping the shrimp at the halfway mark.
• The shrimp are done when they have curled up and are pink and opaque.
• Serve on a plate with shrimp cocktail sauce for dipping. Garnish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and fresh parsley.

1. When thawing shrimp make sure the water is not too warm as it can start cooking the shrimp. Using cool to lukewarm water will be fine to thaw.
2. For flavour reasons it is important to thaw and rinse the shrimp before air frying. You can air fry the shrimp frozen, but there is a tradeoff on flavour. I find the shrimp tastes more “fishy” in an undesirable way when cooked straight from frozen. Rinsing and drying removes this “taste”. If you don’t have time to thaw and rinse, you can proceed with frozen shrimp and add a couple of extra minutes to your cook time.
3. Make sure when you buy your shrimp that they are deveined. The vein is actually the digestive tract of the shrimp and is edible, but a bit unsightly and can add a grittiness to the shrimp. Deveining it yourself is possible but tedious and who has the time?
4. I buy my shrimp with tails on if I am using them for dipping in shrimp cocktail sauce, as it gives a handle you can hold on to. But, if using in tacos, on a salad or bed of rice, you might want to opt for tails off, it’s a personal preference sort of thing.
5. Cooking times in the air fryer can vary depending on the size of the shrimp. Smaller shrimp will cook faster. If you are using smaller shrimp, have a look after 2 minutes to determine how much longer to cook them. Remember, once they are pink, opaque and have at least curled up into a C – they are ready.

1. Can I use melted butter instead of olive oil in the marinade for these air fryer frozen shrimp? Yes, butter also works really well. I find if you eat them hot, it doesn’t matter which you use, but once the shrimp cool down or if you want to eat them cold out of the fridge the next day, the butter solidifies and isn’t quite as nice.
2. How should I store leftovers? Leftovers can be placed in an air tight container and stored in the fridge for up to three days. The shrimp cocktail sauce can stay fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days. Leftover cold shrimp is also very yummy served with the cocktail sauce.
3. Can I cook these on the BBQ? Yes, these also would grill up great on the BBQ. Probably two minutes on each side will do, but again just make sure they are pink, opaque and curling up.

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If You Liked This Air Fryer Frozen Shrimp Recipe…

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