Jumbo Shrimp With Chimichurri

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.

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 shrimpGarlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprikaSalt and pepperButterFor 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.

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:

Top it with zingy Lemon Dill SauceGo for Quick Cilantro Lime SauceTry bright green Cilantro Lime DressingOpt for Easy Avocado Sauce

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:

Try our top 30 Shrimp Recipes Perfect for DinnerGo for Creamy Shrimp RisottoMake Marinated ShrimpGo for Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas or Cajun Shrimp PastaGray Shrimp Fra Diavolo or Shrimp Scampi