This post may contain affiliate links. See my privacy policy for details.
Tangy, fresh, and healthy pickled shrimp are the perfect appetizer with a glass of white wine or a healthy snack. Make something fancy for dinner tonight and give these a try!
Make sure that leftover shrimp shells don’t go to waste with this Shrimp Stock recipe! To use up extra shrimp why not try making Air Fryer Popcorn Shrimp?
Why I Think You’ll Love This Recipe
- While generally pretty easy to prepare, these are sure to impress at your next social gathering or dinner – they look like an expensive and delicious appetizer.
- The flavor in these can be adjusted pretty easily by simply changing the type of vinegar used during the pickling process.
Tangy Pickled Shrimp
Pickled shrimp are one of those things that few people are familiar with. Tangy, succulent, and sometimes even a little bit spicy, pickled shrimp are used as an appetizer or topping to provide a big hit of umami and acidity to any dish.
With nothing more than a brine flavored however you want it and some deveined and peeled shrimp; this is an incredibly easy recipe you can manipulate to your liking to make every bite of pickled shrimp taste perfect.
How To Peel Shrimp
While most shrimp you buy in the store are already deveined and peeled, there may be times when you have to do them yourself. Here’s how.
- Peel the shell entirely off of the shrimp, which is as simple as gripping underneath the shrimp and peeling the shell away from the belly – the whole thing should come as one piece if you tug it right.
- Don’t throw these shells away, though, save them for the next time you need seafood stock, as you can easily make a delicious shrimp stock by simply browning the shrimp shells and then simmering them in water for an hour with some peppercorns.
How to Devein Shrimp
Deveining shrimp is a little more annoying, however. For starters, the vein you need to remove is actually the shrimp’s digestive tract, making removing it a lot more important than just aesthetics.
You want to make sure you aren’t cutting through it, though – the best thing to do is to use a knife to peel the vein away from the shrimp’s belly, being careful not to turn the knife across the vein and risk splitting it.
If you do it right, the vein should just peel off, and you can just throw it away.
Simple Ways To Alter The Brine
The brine used in this recipe might seem like it has a lot of different ingredients in it, but it is actually a pretty simple combination of savory, acidic, and enriching ingredients to make the perfect brine.
However, the precise ingredients can totally be changed around depending on your personal preferences.
- You can swap the apple cider vinegar for a different kind of vinegar, depending on whatever your favorite vinegar is.
- You can use more or less of the other flavoring ingredients, like the dill and garlic, or you could use a totally different blend of seasoning instead of Old Bay.
As long as you keep the relative ratio of vinegar and oils the same, you can play around with the flavoring ingredients however you like to make whatever works best for you.
How Long Will Your Pickled Shrimp Last?
The joy of pickling anything is that it inherently makes it last a whole lot longer.
Instead of expiring within a day of opening like regular shrimp does, this simple pickled shrimp recipe should help your shrimp to remain safe in the fridge for a little bit longer.
While most FDA recommendations tell you to limit the length of shrimp sitting in your fridge to around 3-4 days, the best thing to do is to trust your nose and keep smelling it to assess how far along it is.
You could even go the extra mile and can your pickled shrimp using a canning machine, but that’s going to depend on just how confident you are in your canning abilities to ensure you don’t risk food-borne pathogens.
How to Serve
Pickled shrimp is definitely not the kind of thing that most people are super familiar with, so you might be a little unsure exactly how to serve it.
Here are a few simple suggestions:
- On Crackers: The simplest option is to simply put a few of your pickled shrimp on some crackers and eat it as a snack.
- In Salad: Throwing some pickled shrimp into a salad is a great way to add protein and acidity to any kind of salad recipe you want.
Looking for more delicious and healthy Snack recipes? Try these out:
• Salty, Crispy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Happy Cooking
Love,
Karlynn
Pickled Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 pounds extra-large shrimp peeled deveined, and tails left on
Brine
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 small red onion thinly sliced
- 1 small lemon thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons capers roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 2 teaspoons shrimp seasoning or Old Bay
Instructions
- Combine the brine ingredients in a large bowl or large wide-mouthed mason jar, then stir until well combined. Place in the refrigerator while you prepare the shrimp.
- Fill a medium saucepan 2/3 of the way with water and add 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Bring the salted water to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Place the shrimp into the boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the shrimp are JUST pink and opaque yet fully cooked.
- Quickly drain the shrimp in a colander and run cold water over them to stop them from cooking further.
- Drain the shrimp well and then add to the chilled brine mixture.
- Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours, preferably overnight, or up to 4 days.
- Serve chilled.
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Made this recipe?
Share a photo of what you made on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thekitchenmagpie or hashtag it #thekitchenmagpie.
Please rate this recipe in the comments below to help out your fellow cooks!
Learn to cook like the Kitchen Magpie
A Very Prairie Christmas Bakebook
Vintage Baking to Celebrate the Festive Season!
Flapper Pie and a Blue Prairie Sky
A Modern Baker’s Guide to Old-Fashioned Desserts
The Prairie Table
Suppers, Potlucks & Socials: Crowd-Pleasing Recipes to Bring People Together
PIN THIS RECIPE to your APPETIZER RECIPE Boards and Remember to FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST!
Nana Dee says
Would pre-cooked frozen shrimp work for this recipe?
Mr. Kitchen Magpie says
As long as you thawed them first and soaked up any excess moisture, they should work fine, yes.
Stina Goucher says
This looks very good. I’m going to make a jar for my son and daughter-in-law and one for myself .. Thank you!!
Margaret Ferrell says
I’ve been making pickled shrimp for 40 years. I have never cooked them first. The brine and lemon do that for you like ceviche.
Karlynn says
That’s definitely not something I’d recommend, as it’s not a ceviche recipe (these shrimp are really whole; thick, not chopped) and this has oil which is NOT in a proper ceviche as it stops the acids from “cooking”. This recipe should be made ONLY with cooked shrimp for safety.