Served as a simple appetizer or an easy sheet pan dinner, this baked garlic shrimp crisped with a sprinkle of breadcrumbs skip the butter in favor of heart-healthy olive oil.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Great Dish! We made this and served over “shredded” spaghetti squash. Perfect meal. It has already been requested again. It is super simple and easy to prep while the spaghetti squash was cooking. We even used the same baking pan as the spaghetti squash was cooked in.” -Sarah, FoodieCrush reader
Baking Shrimp in the Oven Keeps Them Juicy and Tender
In my humble opinion, the best shrimp dishes don’t need a lot of extra bells and whistles. Rather than doctoring them up with layers of luxe sauces and ingredient flourishes (shrimp in Thai coconut sauce, I’m looking at you!), a clean, Mediterranean-inspired marinade with simple seasonings is all shrimp really needs to become scrump-dile-itious before it hits the oven or the barbecue.
For this recipe, how about we keep it simple, okay?
These plump, baked shrimp are bathed in a 30-minute lemon garlic marinade before a light roly-poly toss in breadcrumbs to infuse flavor and give them a bit of crunch. Pass them as an easy appetizer, add them to your favorite salad for lunch, or make them the centerpiece of a finger food dinner kind of night.
Enjoy!
Ingredient Notes
Shrimp
Because I live in a land-locked state, I use frozen 26-30 count uncooked shrimp with shells and heads on, aka extra large shrimp, for this recipe. The number notes how many shrimp there are per pound, aka between 26 and 30.
Key West Pinks are often a favorite, but this time around I used shrimp from Mexico that were plump with nice color.
Lemon Garlic Marinade
The 30-minute marinade is a flavorful blend of:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Garlic
- Lemon juice + zest
- Italian flat leaf parsley
- Oregano
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Crushed red pepper flakes
Keeping with the style of Mediterranean cooking, I use heart healthy olive oil in this recipe. However, if that’s the style of recipe you’re searching for, you’ll get all the butter you’re craving in my favorite shrimp scampi recipe. Don’t forget the crusty sourdough for sopping up all that decadent sauce!
How to Bake Shrimp in the Oven (+ Cooking Tips)
- Thaw the shrimp first. Then, remove the shells and devein the shrimp before rinsing, patting dry, and placing in a bowl.
- Add the garlic marinade ingredients. To save on dishes, I dress my shrimp directly with the marinade ingredients and toss the shrimp to coat. Drizzle the shrimp with the olive oil then use a garlic press or grate the garlic onto the shrimp. Because it spreads more fluidly through the marinade with less chunks, I like pressed or grated garlic better than minced. Zest the lemon before juicing it over the shrimp so it’s firm enough to grate, then season everything with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Refrigerate the shrimp before cooking for more flavor. To infuse the shrimp with flavor, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Because of the acidity from the lemon, avoid marinating for longer as the shrimp will begin to break down and become mealy.
- Lightly toss in finely ground breadcrumbs. To add texture and a nice contrast to the creaminess of the baked shrimp, tap off the excess marinade then give the shrimp a sprinkling of breadcrumbs before placing them in tidy rows (don’t overlap!) on the baking sheet.
Heidi’s Tip: To get a fine grind, place the breadcrumbs in a plastic bag and roll it back and forth a few times to gently crush. Avoid caking the shrimp with the bread crumbs or they can become soggy as they cool. I like them with a light touch.
- Bake at a high temperature. The trick to creating crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside shrimp is to bake them at a high temperature for just a few minutes.
Sides to Serve With Crispy Baked Shrimp
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Crispy Baked Garlic Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 pound 25/30 count shrimp , with tails and shells left on
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic , pressed or grated
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs , finely ground
Instructions
- Prep the shrimp. Rinse, shell, and devein the shrimp leaving the tails on, then transfer to a bowl.
- Marinate for 30 minutes. Drizzle the shrimp with the olive oil, pressed garlic, lemon juice and zest, parsley, oregano, kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Bread the shrimp. Pour the dried breadcrumbs into a shallow bowl. Gently shake off the extra marinade then lightly dredge each shrimp in the breadcrumbs and place in rows on a baking sheet.
- Bake. Bake for 4-5 minutes or until the shrimp are opaque in the center and the bread crumbs begin to brown. Serve warm with a squeeze of extra lemon if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
FAQs
For sure! I often roast frozen shrimp. Just remember to thaw the shrimp completely and to purchase large shrimp (small shrimp cook so fast that they almost always turn out rubbery).
Always on hand and ready to cook, frozen shrimp can be your meal time savior with a quick thaw that takes less than 5 minutes.
1. Place the frozen shrimp in a colander placed within a large bowl.
2. Cover with cool water for 5 minutes. Toss the shrimp occasionally to separate the shrimp from one another. If the shrimp don’t seem to be thawing, change out the water for slightly warmer water.
3. The shrimp are thawed when they are still chilled but bendable. Drain and pat dry with a paper towel.
It’s important to remember shrimp is a protein that cooks up fast. If cooked too long, it becomes tough and stringy.
To ensure it stays moist and tender, the trick is to cook shrimp fast and hot, in a 425°F oven for 4-5 minutes, or just until the shrimp middles are opaque and is firm to the touch.
More Easy Shrimp Dinners
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Katherine Davis
Would this be good as a cold appetizer?
You coule try it, but they will probably soften as they cool. Instead, try my shrimp cocktail recipe.
Sarah
Great Dish! We made this and served over “shredded” spaghetti squash. Perfect meal. It has already been requested again. It is super simple and easy to prep while the spaghetti squash was cooking. We even used the same baking pan as the spaghetti squash was cooked in.
Heidi
Im glad you liked it Sarah!
Kel X.
I’ve made this twice, and while I like the recipe, and tips on marinating/cooking time, I think it’d turn out better using freshly toasted panko/breadcrumbs, because it’s next to impossible to get browning and not be a soggy mess in 5 minutes even if you pat the shrimp dry after marinating, and especially if you’re dredging and coating both sides.
Another good variant is to add a teaspoon or two of Cajun spice, or use seasoned Italian breadcrumbs. that can help balance the flavors and bring out more garlic, especially if you overdo it on the lemon.
Heidi
Great ideas Kel! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Joanclaire Hughes
My mother made this dish in the 60’s..It is called Shrimp ariganate (spelling??) We LOVED it but didn’t use red pepper..An Italian dish from WAY back !!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
That is so awesome! I love food traditions!
linmu
Shrimp Oreganata
Altie
Hi! This recipe looks great! Your explanation of the recipe indicates the shrimp should be cooked at 425, but the recipe itself says 400. I know there isn’t that much difference, but what temp do you use?
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Sorry about that! 425
Sharon
Can you clarify what oven temperature you recommend? In one paragraph you state 425F (“the trick is to cook shrimp fast and hot, in a 425°F oven for 4-5 minutes), then the recipe directions state “Preheat the oven to 400°F”.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
425! Sorry