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This jumbo shrimp recipe is a fast and easy dinner idea! Herby chimichurri sauce complements the juicy seafood perfectly.

Jumbo Shrimp
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Love seafood? Here’s a fun idea for a fast and easy dinner: this Jumbo Shrimp recipe! Pan-sear this large, juicy seafood with savory spices and it’s a beautiful piece of protein that looks fancy with little effort. Add a bit of bright green chimichurri, an Argentinean parsley and garlic sauce, to make the entire dish sing. This one is elegant enough to serve for guests, but easy enough for a weeknight. (The perfect type of recipe, in our book!) Here’s what to do!

Tips for buying jumbo shrimp

Jumbo shrimp is the term for a large size of shrimp you can find at the store. Generally, most brands label jumbo shrimp as 21 to 25 count, meaning there are 21 to 25 in a pound. However there is no industry standard for the term, so there is some variation between brands. Some use a term extra jumbo for 16 to 20 count. For this recipe, look for the following:

  • Jumbo shrimp: For this recipe, any shrimp with “jumbo” on the package or around 21 to 25 count works. Larger shrimp work too (like extra jumbo or colossal), just keep in mind they may need slightly more cooking time.
  • Wild caught: Fish that is wild caught in your country is usually a sustainable choice. There are also quality options in well-regulated farms; see Seafood Watch Consumer Guide.
  • Tail on: Tail on looks the best here. If you buy it in the shell, you can peel off the shells down to the tail.
  • Fresh or frozen: Both are similar in quality. Frozen shrimp can be as high quality as fresh if it’s frozen as soon as it’s caught. Make sure to fully thaw the shrimp before you make the recipe.
Jumbo Shrimp

Ingredients for this jumbo shrimp recipe

Once you’ve gotten ahold of your jumbo shrimp, all you need are a handful of ingredients to make the recipe. We highly recommend making it with the chimichurri sauce, which infuses the entire dish with bright, herby and garlicky flavor. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

  • Jumbo shrimp
  • Garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika
  • Salt and pepper
  • Butter
  • For the chimichurri: garlic, parsley, oregano, salt, red wine vinegar, olive oil, red pepper flakes

How to cook jumbo shrimp

Jumbo shrimp is quick to cook, but it’s not as fast as what you might be used to with medium and large shrimp. It’s also harder to tell visually whether the shrimp is cooked through, so we suggest using a food thermometer (though you can also check visually by cutting into it). Here’s how to cook jumbo shrimp:

  • Season: Pat the shrimp dry and mix it with seasonings (here we used garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and kosher salt).
  • Sauté in butter or olive oil, 3 to 4 minutes per side. In a large skillet, heat the butter or olive oil on medium high heat. Cook the shrimp for 3 to 4 minutes per side until opaque and cooked through, turning them with tongs.
  • Stop cooking when the internal temperature is 135°F. Remove to a plate and allow the shrimp to sit for 2 minutes (which increases the temperature to 145°F). You can also visually check by slicing open one of the shrimp to check whether it is cooked through.
Jumbo Shrimp

Tips on the chimichurri sauce

These jumbo shrimp are bright and zingy when draped in the herby chimichurri sauce. Here are a few things to keep in mind about the sauce:

  • Fresh parsley and oregano are traditional. If you can’t find fresh oregano or it’s too expensive, substitute it with fresh cilantro.
  • Add more red pepper flakes for more heat. This sauce comes out mild. If you’d like a spicy version, add more red pepper flakes to taste.
  • The sauce is hand-chopped and has a chunky, rustic texture. Don’t expect it to be fully pureed and smooth (like some versions of this sauce). The traditional rustic method is hand-chopped.

Other sauces for jumbo shrimp

Want to serve with a different sauce? There are so many great sauce ideas for shrimp. Here are a few favorites:

And that’s it! Turn this into a meal by serving over a bed of rice, spinach rice, quinoa, farro, or couscous. Let us know what you think of this recipe in the comments below!

More shrimp recipes

Love shrimp? Here are a few favorite shrimp recipes for serving it:

This jumbo shrimp recipe is…

Pescatarian, gluten-free and dairy-free (with olive oil).

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Jumbo Shrimp with Chimichurri

Jumbo Shrimp
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5 from 2 reviews

This jumbo shrimp recipe is a fast and easy dinner idea! Herby chimichurri sauce complements the juicy seafood perfectly.

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Main dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Seafood
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound jumbo shrimp*
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons salted butter (or olive oil)
  • Chimichurri, for serving

Instructions

  1. If frozen, thaw the shrimp.
  2. Make the Chimichurri Sauce.
  3. Pat the shrimp dry. Remove the top part of the shell down to the tail (if the shrimp is in the shell). In a medium bowl, mix the shrimp with the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and kosher salt.
  4. In a large skillet, heat the butter on medium high heat. Cook the shrimp for 3 to 4 minutes* per side until opaque and cooked through and the internal temperature is 135°F, turning them with tongs. Remove to a plate and allow the shrimp to sit for 2 minutes (which increases the temperature to 145°F). 
  5. Serve immediately, dolloped with spoonfuls of chimichurri sauce.

Notes

*To make this recipe with medium shrimp, cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side. 

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About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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2 Comments

  1. Paul says:

    Followed this recipe with wild caught jumbo shrimp and southern style sausage. It was awesome. The chimchurri sauce is delicious.






  2. Sonja Overhiser says:

    Let us know if you have any questions!