10 Shrimp Recipes to Celebrate National Shrimp Day

If you need a break from the abundance of crawfish in your life, or just an excuse to make a delicious shrimp dish, the perfect day for you is coming. May 10 is National Shrimp Day. I’m not sure how this celebration came about. Even the National Calendar Day website hasn’t discovered the day’s origins.

Regardless, while Louisianians never need an excuse to eat – or celebrate – shrimp, we now have a reason to take a break from crawfish and elevate our shrimp consumption by utilizing a delicious new recipe. Enjoy the 10 shrimp recipes for National Shrimp Day below with images.

1. Shrimp Sliders (8-12)
2. Barbequed Shrimp My Way (4-6 servings)
3. Louisiana Shrimp Smothered in a Champagne Étouffée
4. Shrimp-Stuffed Mirlitons (8 Servings)
5. Shrimp Zoodles (Serves 4)
6. Pompino en Papillotte (4 Servings)
7. Shrimp in the Shell (4 servings)
8. Marinated Shrimp and Corn (6 Servings)
9. Saffron Shrimp Soup (4 Servings)
10. Summer Seafood Salad (6-8 Servings)

10 Shrimp Recipes for National Shrimp Day

1. Shrimp Sliders (8-12)

National Shrimp Day Recipe #1: Shrimp Sliders

Recipe by Marcelle Bienvenue

• 1½ pounds shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
• ½ cup minced onions
• ¼ cup minced bell pepper
• ½ cup minced celery
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ cup minced green onions
• ¼ cup minced parsley
• All-purpose flour
• 1 cup solid vegetable oil for frying
• 1 cup tartar sauce
• Slider buns or sliced toasted French bread

Mix the shrimp, onions, bell pepper and celery with the beaten egg in a mixing bowl. Add the salt, pepper, green onions, parsley and baking powder and mix well. 

Cover and refrigerate for two hours. Form the mixture into small patties. Dredge in flour. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and fry on both sides until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

To serve, spread tartar sauce on the toasted buns or French bread, then tuck in the shrimp patties. Best served warm.

2. Barbecued Shrimp My Way (4 – 6 Servings)

National Shrimp Day Recipe #2: BBQ Shrimp My Way

Recipe by Marcelle Bienvenue

• 6 pounds large shrimp, heads on (don’t peel them)
• 2 sticks butter
• ¾ cups olive oil
• ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1⁄3 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1½ teaspoons salt (or to taste)
• ½ teaspoon Tabasco® (or more, according to taste)
• 1 tablespoon rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon oregano leaves

Rinse the shrimp in cool water and drain. Spread the shrimp in a large shallow baking pan. In a saucepan, melt butter, then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Cool slightly.

Pour the sauce over the shrimp and marinate for one hour. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir a couple of times with a spatula. Do not overcook. Serve in a soup bowl with lots of hot French bread to sop up the sauce. Be sure to have some trays around on which to put shells and such. Be forewarned — this can only be eaten with your hands.

3. Louisiana Shrimp Smothered in a Champagne Étouffée

National Shrimp Day Recipe #3: Shrimp in a Champagne Étouffée

Recipe by Chef Karlos Knott from Bayou Teche Brewing and Cajun Saucer Pizza

With the Champagne stock, this étouffée is delicious served over rice, grits, buttered pasta, fried fish, polenta or slices of focaccia.

• 375 ml Champagne
• 2½ sticks Irish butter
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped chives
• 1 pound of Louisiana shrimp with shells
• 1 teaspoon 210S
• 2 tablespoons Ultra-Sperse M

Pour Champagne into a saucepan. Add shrimp shells, onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Simmer for one hour. Strain and discard shrimp shells and vegetables.

Sauté more onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic in butter until very soft. Add the 210S, more garlic and stock you made earlier and heat, stirring. Keep at a gentle simmer until you’re happy with the taste and texture.

Add shrimp. Poach shrimp for 2-3 minutes, until cooked. Remove shrimp, and whisk in Ulta-Sperse and chives.

4. Shrimp-Stuffed Mirlitons (8 Servings)

National Shrimp Day Recipe #4: Shrimp-Stuffed Mirlitons

Recipe by Marcelle Bienvenu

• 4 medium mirlitons
• ½ stick (4 tablespoons) butter
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ½ cup chopped celery
• ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
• 1½ cups cubed bread
• 1 egg
• 1 pound shrimp, cooked, peeled and deveined (or 1 pound chopped ham)
• ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
• Buttered dried bread crumbs

Wash and cut mirlitons in half, lengthwise. Remove seeds and discard. Cover with cold water in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes or until fork-tender. Remove from the water and allow to cool until they are easy enough to handle. Carefully scoop out pulp, leaving skin intact. Set aside.

Chop mirliton pulp. Soak bread in a little water or milk until soft, then squeeze out liquid. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and celery and sauté until they are soft, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add pulp, bread and egg and season with salt and cayenne. Add shrimp or ham, and cheese. Cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cool slightly and stuff into mirliton shells.

Top with buttered bread crumbs and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

5. Shrimp Zoodles (Serves 4)

National Shrimp Day Recipe #5: Shrimp Zoodles

Recipe by Reine Dugas

• 4 medium zucchini
• 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• ¼ cup white wine or chicken stock
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon Cajun/Creole seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped parsley to garnish

Wash and cut the ends of the zucchini. Make the noodles using a spiralizer and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp to the hot pan, season with salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute. Try to cook in one layer so they will get crispy. Add the garlic, Cajun seasoning, and crushed pepper to the pan. Turn shrimp and cook for another minute until done. Transfer to a bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon oil, lemon juice and zest, red pepper flakes, and wine or stock to the pan. Bring to a simmer while stirring. After two minutes, add zucchini noodles to the pan, season with salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute, just until tender.

Return the cooked shrimp to the pan and stir through. Serve and garnish with chopped parsley.

6. Pompino en Papillotte (4 Servings)

National Shrimp Day Recipe #6: Pompano en Papillotte

Recipe by Marcelle Bienvenu

Although pompano was the more popular fish used in this old New Orleans dish, it’s not easy to find, so just about any firm, white fish such as trout, redfish, sole, grouper or salmon can be substituted.

• 4 sheets (20-inch) squares parchment paper
• 4 pompano (or other fish) fillets, each 6 to 8 ounces
• 8 freshly shucked oysters, drained and patted dry
• 8 medium-sized shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 large white button mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
• 4 tablespoons dry white wine
• 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• Creole seasoning or salt, and cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Prepare the parchment paper for the pouches. Open heart-shaped paper to lie flat and lightly oil or butter inside surface. On one inside half of each parchment heart, place one fish fillet. Repeat process with remaining parchment hearts and fish fillets.

On top of each fillet, put two oysters, two shrimp and equal amounts of sliced mushrooms. Drizzle each with a tablespoon of wine and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Season with Creole seasoning or salt and cayenne. Fold paper over mixture and seal edges.

Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

To serve, cut top of the paper open with a knife or kitchen shears and fold the paper back.

Tip: In the old days, a sauce was presented at the table for the waiter to spoon over the mixture. The sauces varied from restaurant to restaurant–some featured oysters and shrimp with a little cream, while others offered a beurre blanc.

7. Shrimp in the Shell (4 Servings)

National Shrimp Day Recipe #7: Shrimp in the Shell

Recipe by Stanley Dry

• 2 pounds large shrimp in the shell
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons Cajun/Creole seasoning
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 8 cloves garlic, minced

Place shrimp in a non-reactive flat dish or pan. Place remaining ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add contents of mixing bowl to shrimp and toss gently to coat shrimp. Set aside for an hour or two, turning occasionally.

Preheat gas grill or light charcoal. If using charcoal, wait until you have a good bed of glowing coals. Oil grate. Grill over hot fire, turning once, until shrimp are cooked through.

Shrimp are easier to eat if they’re shelled prior to cooking, but leaving the shell on improves the flavor, in my estimation. If you’re fortunate enough to have fresh heads-on shrimp, grill them

8. Marinated Shrimp and Corn (6 Servings)

National Shrimp Day Recipe #8: Marinated Shrimp and Corn

Recipe by Marcelle Bienvenu

• ¾ cup olive oil
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons Creole mustard
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives or green onions
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 pounds large shrimp, cooked in seasoned water, then peeled and deveined
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine oil, vinegar, mustard, green onions and parsley in a mixing bowl. Whisk to blend and set aside.

Cool shrimp after they are cooked and peeled. Steam corn kernels in a little water for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and cool.

Place shrimp and corn in a large shallow plastic container. Pour in marinade and toss to coat evenly. Cover and chill for about 4 hours before serving.

9. Saffron Shrimp Soup (4 Servings)

National Shrimp Day Recipe #9: Saffron Shrimp Soup

Recipe by Marcelle Bienvenu

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion (chopped)
• 1 rib celery (chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• ½ cup diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 cup bottled clam juice
• 1½ cups shrimp or chicken stock
• ½ cup white wine
• ¼ teaspoon saffron
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon ground dried shrimp
• 1 pound small shrimp (peeled and deveined)
• Salt, black pepper and cayenne to taste
• Chopped parsley
• Green onion tops

In a medium pot, combine extra-virgin olive oil, onion, celery and garlic. Cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add diced tomatoes in juice, clam juice, shrimp or chicken stock and white wine. Crumble saffron into soup. Add bay leaf and ground dried shrimp. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add shrimp and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat, season with salt, black pepper and cayenne and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Serve garnished with chopped parsley and green onion tops.

Ground dried shrimp in small packets is available in some markets or you can grind dried shrimp in a food processor. Dried shrimp adds concentrated flavor in any preparation and, because of its saltiness, can even be used in place of salt.

10. Summer Seafood Salad (6-8 Servings)

National Shrimp Day Recipe #10: Summer Seafood Salad

Recipe by Marcelle Bienvenu

• 3 pounds medium-size shrimp, boiled and peeled
• 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
• ½ pound coarsely chopped cooked lobster tail meat (optional)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• ½ cup finely chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ¾ cups (more or less to taste) mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons Creole or Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 2 tablespoons chopped green olives
• Salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste
• Hot sauce to taste
• 4 cups assorted salad greens, washed, patted dry, and torn into bite-size pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Combine seafood, parsley, celery, lemon juice, mayonnaise, mustard, capers and olives in a large salad bowl. Season with salt, black pepper, cayenne and hot sauce, then toss gently to mix. Chill for at least one hour.

In another mixing bowl, toss the salad greens with olive oil and season lightly with salt and black pepper.

To serve, line a large serving bowl (or for individual service line salad plates) with salad greens. Arrange the seafood salad on top of the greens. Serve immediately.