Make this easy paprika shrimp in about 10 minutes! It's tossed in a delicious sweet and savory maple syrup and apple cider vinegar sauce. Serve it over rice with vegetables for a quick dinner, or as an appetizer.
Paprika shrimp is a new recipe that I recently added into our meal rotation. Why did it take me so long to stop making this?! It’s lightning fast to make and produces the plumpest spiced shrimp with a wonderful sweet-savory glaze.
I got the idea for the glaze from my Grilled Spice Rubbed Chicken recipe. It adds a wonderful layer of flavor with just two ingredients!
We love these shrimp with my caramelized onion cauliflower rice, lemon orzo salad or roasted mini potatoes, but they can be paired with almost any side dish!
WHAT YOU NEED FOR PAPRIKA SHRIMP
These are the main ingredients needed for this recipe (affiliate links included)…
- SHRIMP: Use large raw shrimp (31-35 per pound). Peel them, including the tails, and devein.
- OLIVE OIL: A couple of teaspoons to coat the shrimp.
- SEASONINGS: A combination of smoked paprika, kosher salt and garlic powder. All of these spices can be found in the spice or baking aisle of most grocery stores. If you like a little heat, add a small pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
- VINEGAR: Apple cider vinegar can be found in any grocery store.
- MAPLE SYRUP: Pure maple syrup is always the way to go! If you don’t have any, feel free to substitute with honey or agave nectar.
- PARSLEY: Minced some flat-leaf parsley for garnish (optional).
See recipe card below for full ingredients list & recipe directions.
💙What’s to love about this spiced shrimp recipe:
▪️QUICK & EASY: Between prep and cooking, this recipe takes just a little more than 10 minutes to make. You can’t beat it!
▪️BALANCE OF FLAVORS: This recipe has the sweetness of a honey glazed shrimp recipe, but is balanced with a splash of apple cider vinegar.
▪️VERSATILE: Serve it up as an easy entrée (with a good dose of healthy protein), with your choice of sides. Or plop it down on the appetizer table…they’ll disappear in minutes!
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How to make paprika shrimp:
- PREP THE SHRIMP: Peel the shrimp, including the tails. If the shrimp haven’t already been deveined, use a small sharp knife to do so. Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel.
- SEASON THE SHRIMP: Place the shrimp in a medium-sized bowl, and add the olive oil, smoked paprika, salt and garlic powder. Toss to coat the shrimp.
- COOK IN BATCHES: The goal is to sear the shrimp rather than steaming them. Cooking in batches in a hot pan is the easiest way to achieve this. I used my enameled cast-iron braiser, but a large nonstick skillet works, too. Get it good and hot over medium-high heat before adding the shrimp. Cook the shrimp in a single layer for about 1 minute on the first side, shrimp with tongs and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer the shrimp to a plate or bowl.
- AVOID OVERCOOKING: Shrimp cooks very quickly in a hot pan, so take care not to overcook it. Overcooked shrimp = rubbery shrimp.
- MAKE THE SAUCE: Stir or whisk together the apple cider vinegar and maple syrup in a small bowl. Turn the heat down to medium and add the sauce to the skillet. Simmer for about a minute.
- COMBINE: Remove the skillet from the heat, add the shrimp to the sauce and toss to coat. Sprinkle with parsley and serve it up!
How to serve this easy shrimp recipe:
This versatile dish can be served as an appetizer or entrée. Here are a couple of ideas for serving…
AS AN ENTRÉE:
Serve the shrimp on a bed of rice, cauliflower rice or quinoa, with a Mediterranean Cucumber Salad, Strawberry Arugula Salad or Greek Sugar Snap Peas on the side. It would be fantastic with my Sautéed Cauliflower Rice with Caramelized Onions!
AS AN APPETIZER:
Arrange the cooked shrimp on a platter with a container of toothpicks on the side. Easy finger food to add your other game day recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Paprika shrimp is best when served hot, straight out of the pan. They’ll be at their plumpest and juiciest. It’s difficult to reheat leftovers without the shrimp turning rubbery. If you do have leftovers, try serving them cold in a salad.
If the shrimp is rubbery, it’s likely that it is overcooked. Shrimp cooks VERY quickly in a hot pan. For large shrimp, it shouldn’t take more than a minute per side. The shrimp will continue to cook a little after it’s removed from the pan, so that into account. Also, the shrimp may cook further when tossed with the hot sauce at the end.
My three tips for searing shrimp…
1) Pat it dry well with a paper towel before tossing with the olive oil and spices, 2)make sure the pan is good and hot before adding the shrimp, and 3) cook in batches in a single layer. If the shrimp are too close together, they will steam instead of searing.
Printable Recipe
Smoked Paprika Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled (tails removed) & deveined (See Note 1)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (See Note 2)
Instructions
- Place the shrimp in a medium-sized bowl. Toss with the olive oil, smoked paprika, salt and garlic powder until coated.
- Heat a large nonstick or enameled cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Make sure it’s good and hot before adding the shrimp.
- Add the half of the shrimp. There should be a bit of space between the shrimp so that they sear rather than steam.
- Cook for 1 minute. Using tongs, flip the shrimp and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Take care not to overcook the shrimp or they will become rubbery.
- Transfer the shrimp to a plate or bowl. Repeat with the remaining shrimp.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar and maple syrup.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the apple cider mixture. Simmer for 1 minute, then remove from the heat.
- Add the shrimp to the vinegar-syrup mixture and toss to coat. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Sandra M.
I made this for the first time tonight and served it with rice and broccoli. Very good and very easy. Thank you.