Today’s oven-baked shrimp recipe cooks shrimp with a medley of vegetables. All are perfectly spiced and seasoned, definitely not short on flavor, and possess a juicy texture (fork-tender for the veg). Except for potatoes, which need microwaving, all we do is season the ingredients, place them on a tray, adjust the heat, and turn the timer. The entire process takes an effortless 45 minutes.
How Healthy Is Oven-Baked Shrimp?
Shrimp contains healthy fats, proteins, and some micronutrients. To bring even more nutrients, such as carbs, fiber, and more micronutrients to the table, we cook an assortment of vegetables along with the shrimp.
By removing a significant portion of the fat content, baking is quite a good cooking method to help you cut back on calorie intake. There are other ways to control calories, but considering fats contain the most calories among the macronutrients, consuming less of them would seem to be a very effective one.
Like calories, overconsuming saturated fats and sodium can pose several health risks. The dish isn’t typically high in saturated fats and calories, so we kept a close eye on the sodium content. As such, we went easy on the salt to keep the dish healthy but used just enough to keep it tasty.
Ingredients for Baked Shrimp
Besides shrimp and plenty of seasonings, our oven-baked shrimp recipe also calls for some vegetables:
1. Shrimp
Using frozen shrimp when fresh shrimp is available may sound absurd, but in our personal experience, they don’t vary much in quality. We do have easy access to fresh seafood, but when the kitchen gets busy, peeled frozen prawns really save us some time. You’d think they need to be thawed first, but they are actually small enough to cook straight from frozen.
Some people enjoy eating shrimp shell-on, especially when it comes to baking or grilling. There is no harm in doing so, and they can just be seasoned and cooked just like peeled shrimp.
Shrimp of all sizes are also welcomed for this recipe.
2. Marinade
We keep things simple by using very essential ingredients:
- Salt and pepper: for the saltiness and peppery aroma.
- Garlic: adding lots of flavors.
- Paprika and cayenne: giving the shrimp a kick and a beautiful red shade.
- Oregano: for fragrance. You can use either this or the Italian seasoning mix.
- Lemon juice: tenderizing the shrimp and giving them brightness.
- White wine: neutralizing the fishy smell of seafood.
For more flavor, we brush the shrimp with butter before sliding them into the oven.
3. Vegetables
We’re using our favorite combination: tender potatoes, asparagus, chewy button mushrooms, crunchy bell peppers, and pungent onions. These selections add vibrant colors to the meal.
Feel free to use your favorite vegetables for this recipe. Corn on the cob, for instance, also suits the shrimp very nicely.
How We Baked Our Shrimp and Vegetables
To begin, we tackled the potatoes. As they’re quite thick and take the longest to cook among the other veg, we partially cooked them in the microwave first.
While they were cooking, we marinated the shrimp with the designated ingredients, then placed the chopped vegetables on the tray. We baked the vegetables before baking the shrimp, both brushed with some melted butter.
Here’s the entire process:
- Microwave the potatoes.
- Marinate the shrimp.
- Place the vegetables on the tray, brush with butter, and bake.
- Place the shrimp on the tray, brush with butter, and bake.
- Enjoy.
Flipping is optional when it comes to baking shrimp. Both sides will be evenly browned, but if they’re not flipped, the heat from the tray will sort of sear the bottom and make it brown-ish as well.
Timing and temperature are everything in baking. We list these in the instructions part of our ‘Oven-Baked Shrimp Recipe’ card at the bottom.
Storing and Reheating Baked Shrimp and Vegetables
Once cooked, both of them can be portioned out into air-tight containers and kept in the fridge for up to 4 days. We don’t recommend freezing for this recipe, as the delicious textures will be compromised.
To reheat, bake them at the same temperature for 4 minutes.
What to Serve With Oven-Baked Shrimp
We’re aware that there are already vegetables in the dish and can be quite filling. That’s why we decided to serve it with our fresh Greek salad and pineapple cucumber juice, complementing the main dish both in taste and nutritional value:
- Oven-Baked Shrimp
- Greek Salad
- Pineapple Cucumber Juice
Oven-Baked Shrimp Recipe
This oven-baked shrimp recipe produces shrimp with a slight char and blistered fork-tender vegetables. Supervision won't be needed once everything is set.
- cook TIME 37 mins
- prep TIME 8 mins
- total TIME 45 mins
- COURSE Main Course
- CUISINE American
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 495 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 20 ozpotatoes (peeled and cut into 1” cubes)
- 16 ozpeeled shrimp (from 29 oz whole shrimp)
- 2 tbspwhite wine
- 2.5 tbspolive oil
- 1 tbspgarlic (minced)
- 2 tspdried oregano (divided)
- 1 tsplemon juice
- 0.5 tspsalt
- 0.5 tsppaprika
- 0.5 tspcayenne
- 0.5 tspground black pepper
- 3 tbspunsalted butter
- 10 ozwhite mushroom (sliced)
- 8 ozasparagus (cut into 2” segments)
- 6 ozred bell pepper (cut into 1” squares)
- 6 ozred onion (cut into large chunks)
- 2 tbspparsley (finely chopped)
INSTRUCTIONS
Place 20 oz potatoes in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, then microwave on medium power for 7 minutes. Remove the wrap once finished, and set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
In a large bowl, combine 16 oz peeled shrimp with 2 tbsp white wine, 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp garlic, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp cayenne, and 1/2 tsp ground black pepper. Set aside to marinate.
Place the partially cooked potatoes onto a lined baking tray along with 10 oz sliced mushrooms, 8 oz asparagus, 6 oz red bell pepper, and 6 oz red onion. Brush the vegetables with 3 tbsp unsalted butter, sprinkle 1 tsp oregano over the top, then broil on the top rack of the oven for 15 minutes.
Transfer the cooked vegetables to a bowl, then remove the greasy parchment. Line the tray with foil, spread the marinated shrimp out, and broil on the top rack for 13 minutes.
Sprinkle the shrimp and vegetables with 2 tbsp parsley and serve.
NUTRITION
Luna Regina
Founder
Natalie Butler, RD, LD
Nutrition Reviewer