Best 10 Minute Blackened Shrimp

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This 10-minute blackened shrimp will be one of the easiest meals you make. Great served as is or in fajitas, tacos, on pasta or salads and perfect for meal prep or quick dinners.

Suitable for low carb, keto, paleo, Whole30 and gluten free diets. Weight Watchers points included.

finished blackened shrimp served on a white plate with greens and lime wedges

Folks, this 10 Minute Blackened Shrimp Recipe just may be one of the most delicious and one of the easiest meals you will ever make. You only need 2 basic ingredients: shrimp and the blackening spice. Throw in a hot cast iron skillet and you’ve got one an amazing meal ready to serve.

Blackened Shrimp (or blackened anything, for that matter) is a classic southern recipe and a mainstay of restaurant cuisine. But peeps, it is soooooo easy to make this dish yourself. And not only is it simple to whip up, it’s better for you since you know exactly what YOU put in it.

Related Link : Easy Blackened Salmon.

This is a super versatile dish that is perfect for quick and easy midweek dinners, lazy Sunday brunches, and it’s a fun and festive appetizer too.

It’s also a great campsite recipe since cast iron cookware is ideal for cooking over an open flame. Plus it’s cooked in one skillet so there is almost no cleanup involved! #mykindacooking.

If you like shrimp then you might want to try this Cilantro lime Air Fryer Shrimp, Frozen Shrimp In Air Fryer and Shrimp Po Boy Sandwich.

close up view of the finished blackened shrimp served with lime wedges and salad greens

Chef’s Tip: a cast iron skillet is versatile and virtually indestructible. It’s perfect for camping since you can use it for everything, from whipping up your morning eggs to an after-dinner campfire dessert (like these apple crisp foil packets). 

Why You’ll This

  • It is really quick and easy to make from freezer pantry staples.
  • You can make this using fresh or defrosted frozen shrimp.
  • It is a budget-friendly treat the whole family will love.
  • Great for meal prep and for a quick week
  • day lunch or dinner.
  • Suitable for low carb, keto, paleo and gluten-free diets.

What Is Blackening?

Blackening is a well-loved cooking style associated with Cajun cuisine. It starts with an aromatic blend of blackening spice, which is used to coat protein of your choice. These are then cooked in a sizzling hot skillet until a flavorful caramelized blackened crust develops.

blackened shrimp served on a white plate

Tools You Need

  • A large enough skillet for sizzling.
  • Your regular mixing bowl or plate.
  • A slotted spoon for turning.
  • Olive oil.

How To Make Blackened Shrimp

  1. Dry shrimp and place in a mixing bowl
  2. Add in the olive oil and spice and mix until the shrimp evenly coated.
  3. Heat oil a large skillet over medium high heat.
  4. Next, add shrimp to the skillet (do this in batches if your skillet is small) and cook for 2 minutes.
  5. Flip over and cook for another 2 minutes until cooked through and a nice brown crust develops.
image collage showing the steps for making blackened shrimp

Recipe Tips

  • If using frozen shrimp, make sure they are thoroughly defrosted and drained. Otherwise, they will release a lot of water during cooking.
  • Add a little brown sugar to the recipe to sweeten it a bit and to help the caramelizing process.
  • Reduce heat a little bit if the shrimp starts to burn before they are cooked through.
  • You can marinate the shrimp for up to 24 hours before cooking.
  • Feel free to use some butter along with the oil for extra flavor.

Blackening Tips

  • For best results, use a cast iron pan as it will distribute heat evenly and hold higher temperatures.
  • There will likely be some smoking during cooking, so make sure you blacken your food in a well-ventilated space.
  • Make sure your skillet is hot and don’t overcrowd, if you do the food will start to steam and ***wash off** the seasoning as well as slowing down the blackening process.
  • Don’t flip the shrimp back and forth, try and turn over only once so that the flavourful crust has time to form.
blackened shrimp cooking in a cast iron skillet

Meal Prep And Prep Ahead

Prep Ahead – That’s another great thing about this southern blackened salmon folks, it’s amaaaaazing for MEAL PREPPING!!! You can absolutely make this ahead of time and store for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

How To Use For Meals – serve as an appetizer or snack or use them up as suggested below:

  • Shrimp Tacos.
  • Cajun Shrimp Salad.
  • Shrimp Lettuce Wraps.
  • Blackened Shrimp Pasta.
  • Shrimp burrito Bowls.

Campfire Recipe

When it comes to cooking and camping, it’s all about meals that require minimal ingredients and minimal prep. And a cast iron skillet. And that’s exactly what makes Blackened Shrimp an ideal campsite recipe. Prep it ahead of time, toss it in a cast iron skillet and after a handful of minutes cooking over the campfire, dinner is ready to serve.

Questions You Might Have

What Is Blackened Shrimp Seasoning

This is an easy-to-whip-up blend of spices and herbs used in Cajun cuisine. The common ingredients are ones you already own in your spice cupboard – aka garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano and thyme and cayenne pepper.

Click over to the easy homemade Blackened Seasoning post for a complete recipe and lots of tips and variations.

And feel free to use this blackening seasoning as a flavoring in soups, stews, casseroles, pasta, as a grill rub, a marinade, and more. #yourfoodyourrules

blackened seasoning inside a jar

Can You Use Frozen Shrimp To Make This?

You can make this using fresh or frozen shrimp. To defrost frozen shrimp, simply follow one of these two methods:

Overnight Defrost Option:

  • Add frozen shrimp to a bowl.
  • Cover the bowl and put in your refrigerator for 8 hours, or overnight.
  • Remove from the fridge and drain any water from the shrimp before using it.

Quick Defrost Option:

  • Place the frozen shrimp in a colander or large bowl.
  • Run cold tap water over the shrimp, mixing the shrimp every few mins to ensure they thaw evening.
  • Depending on the size, the shrimp will be thawed in 10 -15 mins. Strain the water completely.

Cooking For More

You can easily double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd. Just scale up and make sure you cook the shrimp in batches so they caramelize and don’t steam.

top down view of blackened shrimp in a cast iron skillet

Serving Suggestions

More Southern Recipes You Might Like

Weight Watchers Points

If you replace the olive oil with a no-calorie cooking spray, there are 0 Blue Plan SmartPoints in a serving.

Thank you for reading my easy Southern Blackened Shrimp recipe post. And please visit again as I continue dreaming up recipes, traditional African recipes, African fusion recipes, Sierra Leone recipes, travel plans and much more for you. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.

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finished blackened shrimp served on a white plate with greens and lime wedges
Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

10 Minute Blackened Shrimp

Blackened Shrimp is quick, easy and totally delicious!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time4 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main
Cuisine: American, southern
Servings: 4
Calories: 160kcal
Author: Bintu Hardy

Ingredients

  • 1 lb (453g) shrimp peeled and deveined (and defrosted if using from frozen)
  • 1.5 tablespoon blackening seasoning or more to taste
  • 1.5 tablespoon olive oil, divided 2 tsp for marinade, 2 tsp for cooking

Instructions

  • Dry the shrimp and place in a mixing bowl.
  • Add in the oil and spice and mix until the shrimp evenly coated.
  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Next, add the shrimp to the skillet (do this in batches if your skillet is small) and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Flip over and cook for another 2 minutes until cooked through and a nice brown crust develops.
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Notes

  • If using frozen shrimp, make sure they are thoroughly defrosted and drained. Otherwise, they will release a lot of water during cooking.
  • Add a little brown sugar to the recipe to sweeten it a bit and to help the caramelizing process.
  • Reduce heat a little bit if the shrimp starts to burn before they are cooked through.
  • You can marinate the shrimp for up to 24 hours before cooking.
  • Feel free to use some butter along with the oil for extra flavor.
  • For best results, use a cast iron pan as it will distribute heat evenly and hold higher temperatures.
  • There will likely be some smoking during cooking, so make sure you blacken your food in a well-ventilated space.
  • Make sure your skillet is hot and don’t overcrowd, if you do the food will start to steam and ***wash off** the seasoning as well as slowing down the blackening process.
  • Don’t flip the shrimp back and forth, try and turn over only once so that the flavourful crust has time to form.
If you replace the olive oil with a no-calorie cooking spray, there are 0 Blue Plan SmartPoints in a serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 160kcal | Protein: 23g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 286mg | Sodium: 1281mg | Potassium: 91mg | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 164mg | Iron: 2mg

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5 from 3 votes

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Recipe Rating




3 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    What a yummy recipe! Love your blackened seasoning — that I am going to make in a batch to use on EVERYTHING!

  2. 5 stars
    I love blackened everything, though I mostly make blackened fish. Using shrimp is so much simpler and it cooks so much faster too. 🙂

  3. 5 stars
    A recipe after my own heart. Love the spices that are added. I actually enjoy them with grits.