Shrimp Cooked In Beer

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This super simple recipe for shrimp cooked in beer is an instant seafood supper party! A lemon butter dipping sauce rounds out the deliciousness.

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Why we love this recipe
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
How to make this recipe
Equipment we used for this recipe
Recipe FAQs
What should I serve with this recipe?
Other shrimp recipes we love!
Could you leave us a review?
Shrimp Cooked In Beer

Why we love this recipe

This delectable peel and eat shrimp recipe is probably one of the speediest recipes I have, and one of my very favorite ways to eat one of my very favorite seafoods!

All you need is a pile of your favorite shrimp (we like large or extra large for this recipe) along with some garlic, a little fresh parsley, some Old Bay seafood seasoning and your favorite beer.

You throw all of these ingredients into a pot, boil it all for two minutes, and you are done. Yes, TWO MINUTES.

While the shrimpies are cooking up in their beer bath, you’ll be stirring together a speedy buttery lemony dipping sauce, and that’s it! It just may be a new indoor record in terms of getting a pretty great-tasting dinner on the table in as little time as possible.

Now a word to the wise: this dish is messy, and I mean that in the best way.

One of the reasons it is so fast is that you don’t peel the shrimp first (yes!!!) – they cook in the shell.

You dump the whole thing into one big bowl, have another empty bowl on the table for the shells, give everyone their own personal little container of the lemon butter dipping sauce, and go to town.

Peel and eat, baby…no forks involved anywhere. At my house, this always results in a merry, festive attitude during dinner, and that in itself is worth the butter spatters all over the table.

When I remember, I cover the table with newspaper first, which catch the drips…or we eat outside!

Ingredients you need

Ingredients needed for shrimp cooked in beer.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Shrimp: We recommend getting your shrimp from the seafood counter at your grocery store (rather than frozen ones) ideally on the day you are making this dish, or at the most one day before. We like large or extra large shrimp!
Old Bay: Look for this seafood seasoning mix in in the spice aisle of your supermarket
Beer: We tend to use a lighter beer for this recipe, but you can use whatever kind of beer you like. The shrimp will take on a little of the taste of whatever beer you choose.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.

How to make this recipe

STEP 1: Put 2 pounds of large unpeeled shrimp, 4 cloves of peeled and smashed garlic, a handful of fresh parsley, 2 teaspoons of Old Bay seafood (you can find it in the spice aisle) and one 12 ounce can or bottle of beer into a pot, give it all a stir and bring it to a boil over high heat.

STEP 2: Let the shrimp simmer until they are opaque (about 2 minutes) and then scoop them out onto a platter or bowl to cool off a little.

STEP 3: While the shrimp are cooling, make the dipping sauce by stirring together 4 tablespoons of melted butter, the juice from one lemon and a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce. Divide the sauce into individual containers (I like to use tiny prep bowls for this).

STEP 4: Serve up the shrimp in the shell, letting people peel their own. Put a bowl in the middle of the table so folks have a place to toss the shells, and instead of napkins, hand out individual wet washcloths for their hands.

Equipment we used for this recipe

These are some of my favorite kitchen tools! These are Amazon affiliate links, which means I get a little something if you buy through my links at no extra cost to you. (Which helps pay for all that bacon I keep buying! 😄) And I only share things I use and love. I’m so grateful for your support!

Medium Pot: This is our go-to pot for so many things. Including these shrimp!
Spider: No, not that kind! 🕷️ This is a large mesh spoon that is perfect for scooping all kinds of things out of pots.
Prep Bowls: Once you get a set of these bowls, you will wonder how you lived without them. Perfect for ingredients, dips and so on.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use any size shrimp?

You can, but the large kind are easiest to peel so that what I usually go for.

What kind of beer should I use for this recipe?

Any kind is fine! If you have a favorite, definitely use that one, and if you aren’t a beer drinker (raises hand!) I would use a lighter beer. It’s going to add just a subtle flavor so don’t worry too much about it.

What is Old Bay?

Old Bay is a seafood seasoning that is a mixture of celery salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, paprika and a few others. You can find it in the spice aisle of your grocery store, and it adds a delightful flavor to your shrimpies. And if you want to try your hand at mixing up your own, here’s a recipe for the homemade version!

What should I do with the shrimp shells?

If you are like my mama, you will find a wonderful recipe for making shrimp broth from the empty shells. But if you are like me, before you toss them out put them in a sealed plastic bag or container of some sort so your trash doesn’t get, um, aromatic.

Have a question that I didn’t cover?

Drop it in the comments below and I will answer you pronto!

Shrimp. Beer. More beer (or a margarita) on the side. Happiness! It just may be my favorite seafood supper ever…hope you love it too!

What should I serve with this recipe?

We love us some cheese fries and/or onion rings with this shrimp supper. And maybe some glazed strawberry bread for a sweet ending!

Other shrimp recipes we love!

Looking for more seafood deliciousness? Here is our complete collection of seafood recipes!

Could you leave us a review?

If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.