Air Fryer Frozen Shrimp
A fast and easy recipe to cook plump succulent shrimp in the air fryer.
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
Ingredients
Shrimp Cocktail Sauce
- 1/2 cup Ketchup
- 2 tablespoon Prepared Horseradish Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Hot Sauce Tabasco or sriracha (or your favourite)
Shrimp Marinade
- 1 bag Frozen Deveined Shrimp 16-20/lb (400g bag)
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 3/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 3/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 3/4 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Table Salt
Garnishes
- 1 squeeze Fresh Lemon Juice
- Chopped Parsley
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Thaw shrimp in a large bowl filled with cool to lukewarm water. See Note 1.
- While shrimp is 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 a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and fresh parsley for garnish. Shrimp cocktail sauce for dipping.
Notes
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 from frozen. Rinsing and drying removes this. But 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.