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    Home » Seafood

    Paprika Shrimp

    Published: Aug 2, 2023 by Kathy · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Quick and easy, this delicious Paprika Shrimp dish features garlic, paprika, and cumin. A 10-minute meal that everyone will love! It's packed with flavor and spices. Serve paprika shrimp with bread, rice, or pasta...all ways are delicious ^_^

    Paprika Shrimp in a plate, ready to eat.

    We've been making this Mark Bittman recipe for years. It's quick and reliable, and most importantly, very delicious.

    I love spices and am always looking for new and interesting spices at the market or online. The fragrance! The color! It's intoxicating. The only downside of spice collecting is that you're under a lot of pressure (of your own doing, haha) to cook with them as much as possible. It's a good kind of pressure though. And the only thing more exciting than a dish with spice is a dish with multiple spices.

    This recipe uses cumin and paprika as the main flavors. And lots of garlic. You can't go wrong.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Substitutions and Variations
    • Equipment
    • Storage
    • Top Tip
    • FAQ
    • Paprika Shrimp Recipe
    • Paprika Shrimp
    • Related

    Ingredients

    Here's what you'll need:

    Ingredients for paprika shrimp on a table (shrimp, garlic, parsley, olive oil, cumin and paprika).
    • Olive oil
    • Garlic
    • Shrimp, peeled
    • Ground cumin
    • Paprika
    • Parsley

    See recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    Let's get cooking!

    Cooking garlic in olive oil for paprika shrimp.

    Clean and dry the shrimp. Set aside.

    Heat olive oil and garlic in a medium pan over medium heat.

    Cooking garlic in olive oil for paprika shrimp.

    Saute the garlic for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.

    Cooking garlic and shrimp to make paprika shrimp

    Add the shrimp.

    Adding the seasonings for making paprika shrimp in a pan.

    Then add the cumin and paprika.

    Cooking paprika shrimp in a pan.

    Turn the heat up to medium-high. Saute for about 5 minutes, until the shrimp is just cooked through. Season with a little salt.

    Stir in the parsley and then turn off the heat.

    Plate and serve. Eat and enjoy ^_^

    Paprika Shrimp in a plate, ready to eat.

    Substitutions and Variations

    Here are a few tasty ideas:

    • Extra garlic - You know how much we love garlic shrimp, right? It's a local Hawaii dish that uses a ton of garlic. You can also add a lot of garlic to this recipe...that combination of garlic, cumin, and paprika is just wonderful!
    • Try a different type of cumin - Ground cumin is the default for this recipe, but we've also been making it with cumin seeds.
    • Make it with scallops - Super delicious and you know how much we enjoy cooking with scallops.
    • Turn this into a pasta dish - Cook angel hair pasta (or spaghetti) and toss it with the shrimp right before serving. To make the dish more "saucy," we add a some butter right after adding the pasta. Toss, toss, toss, till the butter melts. And then enjoy!

    This is such a simple dish, but it's really full of flavors and open to variations.

    Equipment

    All you need is a large pan to cook the shrimp.

    Storage

    Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave in 30 second increments.

    Top Tip

    It's simple: don't overcook the shrimp ^_^ We usually cook it for 5 minutes at the most, until it turns pink. You can "taste test" a piece at around 4 minutes.

    Right after it's cooked, I like to add half the parsley and toss. Then add the rest of the parsley on top once we move it to the serving dish. That way you can get some of the parsley mixed into the shrimp and not just on top as a garnish.

    Paprika Shrimp in a plate, ready to eat.

    FAQ

    Looking for other tasty shrimp dishes?

    You've come to the right place ^_^ Try these:
    - Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp - One of our all-time most popular recipes. This is the ultimate crowd pleaser.
    - Shrimp Toast - Makes a great snack and easier to make than you think!
    - Pork Hash - A local favorite. Think of this as shumai, but local Hawaii style.
    - Gau Gee - Another local favorite, deep fried! You can find gau gee at many local Chinese restaurants on the island.

    Why do people add baking soda to shrimp?

    To make the shrimp more crunchy/snappy/crisp, you can do a quick brine of salt and baking soda.

    For every 1 pound of shrimp use: 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon baking soda. Mix and toss with the shrimp. Let it sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Then the shrimp ready to be cooked!

    What are the best seasonings for shrimp?

    Garlic, garlic, garlic! Our Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp is a prime example of that ^_^

    After garlic, then you can look at citrus (like lemon) and spices (like paprika). Or you can keep it simple and just do salt and pepper.

    Most important is that you have good shrimp and lots of garlic.

    Should you rinse frozen shrimp?

    Yes. This is because frozen shrimp usually have ice crystals and they're often stuck together.

    To rinse, just put all the shrimp in a colander. Rinse under running water (make sure it is cool water) to let the ice crystals melt. Use your hands to gently separate the shrimp. Make sure to drain and pat the shrimp dry before cooking.

    What to serve this dish with?

    We enjoy the paprika shrimp with rice (since we have rice with pretty much every meal!)

    We usually have jasmine rice or a Japanese short grain rice (make sure to check out this specialty rice shop next time you're in Honolulu), but this recipe is extra tasty with basmati rice.

    It's also great with baguette. Or toss it with pasta!

    Paprika Shrimp Recipe

    Paprika Shrimp in a plate, ready to eat.

    Paprika Shrimp

    Quick and easy, this delicious shrimp dish features garlic, paprika, and cumin. A 10-minute meal that everyone will love!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 346kcal

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 6 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 pound shrimp, peeled
    • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
    • 2 teaspoons paprika
    • ¼ cup parsley, chopped

    Instructions

    • Clean and dry the shrimp. Set aside.
    • Heat olive oil and garlic in a medium pan over medium heat. Saute for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
    • Add the shrimp, followed by the cumin and paprika.
    • Turn the heat up to medium-high. Saute for about 5 minutes, until the shrimp is just cooked through. Season with a little salt.
    • Stir in the parsley and then turn off the heat.
    • Plate and serve. Eat and enjoy ^_^

    Notes

    Recipe adapted from Mark Bittman.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 346kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 365mg | Sodium: 281mg | Potassium: 758mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 1643IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 195mg | Iron: 4mg

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    Aloha, I'm Kathy!

    I'm a born and raised Hawaii local who loves everything about Hawaii (especially the food). I’m excited to share recipes from our island home, favorite restaurants, and Hawaii travel tips ^_^

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