5 Crazy-Delicious Shrimp Recipes You'll Make Again & Again

From Greek Shrimp with Feta to Grilled Shrimp Tacos, these simple shrimp recipes will make any meal special. Just remember: unless you live on the coast and have access to fresh shrimp, its best to buy frozen shrimp. The fresh shrimp you see in the seafood case at the supermarket are almost always thawed frozen shrimp, and who knows how long theyve been sitting there. Most shrimp are cleaned and flash-frozen shortly after being caught, so youre better off buying frozen shrimp and defrosting them yourself. And nowadays, you can buy shrimp already deveined, making recipe prep a breeze!

1. Greek Shrimp with Tomatoes & Feta

Made almost entirely from pantry and freezer staples, this dish is one of my go-to meals when I have to hit the kitchen running. You begin by making a quick Greek-spiced tomato sauce on the stovetop. Then you nestle the shrimp in the sauce, top it with chunks of feta, and slide it into the oven to bake. Before serving, you flash the pan under the broiler to brown the cheese and sprinkle the whole lovely dish with fresh mint. Yum! GET THE RECIPE

2. Cioppino

Brimming with fresh seafood in a tomato and wine broth that tastes like the sea, cioppino (pronounced cho-pee-no) is a rustic Italian-American fish stew. Serve it with garlic bread or a baguette for sopping up the broth and dont forget a second bowl for shells and plenty of napkins. GET THE RECIPE

3. Shrimp Pad Thai

Full disclosure: this pad thai is not quite authentic. Fact is, its difficult to find many ingredients for traditional Pad Thai like dried shrimp, tamarind paste, and pickled white radishes in most supermarkets. So I make this version with ingredients from the Asian food aisle of my neighborhood grocery store. It tastes pretty close to the version we all know and love served at most Thai restaurants. GET THE RECIPE

4. Grilled Pesto Shrimp

There are endless ways to use pesto the Italian sauce made from olive oil, basil, garlic, nuts and Parmesan cheese but this dish has to be one of my favorites. Whether you serve the shrimp for dinner with pasta or as an appetizer all alone, theyll disappear in a flash. Trust me, no matter how much you think youll need, make extra! GET THE RECIPE

5. Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Salsa

These crowd-pleasing shrimp tacos are perfect for a casual patio dinner party. You can prepare most of the recipe ahead of time, and then just fire up the grill and lay out all of the components for your guests to help themselves. Its one of those recipes with a long list of ingredients but please dont let that discourage you; these tacos are truly quick and easy to make! GET THE RECIPE