Seriously, guys, this is so easy.
It’s one of my favorite ways to bang out a delicious, stick-to-your ribs meal on a weeknight.
Season the shrimp, cozy a half a slice of bacon around it, and fry in a really hot pan.
By the time the bacon is crisped on each side, the shrimp will be cooked inside.
Easy, peasy.
I usually season the shrimp with my favorite cajun spice blend, but feel free to mix it up. I’m thinking green herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage), or garlic and lemon zest, or even curry powder.
Whatever you use, go easy on the salt if you’re sensitive. Bacon is plenty salty on its own.
I used beautiful jumbo shrimp I got at a local fish market in the next town.
Don’t use thick-cut bacon
I love thick-cut bacon as much as the next red-blooded carnivore, but for this kind of thing, you want to use regular bacon.
Thick-cut bacon can take too long to crisp (so you’ll overcook your shrimp) and won’t stay in place nicely around the shrimp (unless you toothpick it).
Spicy Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
12 jumbo shrimp
3 Tbls. cajun spice blend
dried parsley
6 pieces regular-cut bacon (not thick)
Olive oil
Serves about 2 for dinner, or about 4 for an appetizer
Shell and clean your shrimp
If your shrimp still have their jackets on, you need to take them off 😉
I shell my shrimp in the sink, under running cold water.
For detailed pics on how to shell and clean shrimp, check out my post on how to shell shrimp for shrimp cocktail.
You’ll wind up with a beautiful bowl of clean shrimp.
If you dig on seafood chowders, freeze the shells and toss them into homemade fish stock the next time you make some.
Season and wrap the shrimp
Take your cleaned shrimp and toss them in a zip-top bag.
Dump in the cajun spices (or whatever other spice mix you’d like), seal the bag, and shake it around to coat the shrimp as evenly as you can.
Once you’ve seasoned your shrimp, it’s time to wrap them up!
Cut each slice of bacon in half.
Wrap each shrimp in a half a slice of bacon.
Wrap on the tighter side, so the bacon stays on while it cooks, like this:
Sprinkle with a little dried parsley, and you’re ready to get cooking!
Fry the bacon-wrapped shrimp
Set a large, non-stick pan on the stove over high heat.
I like to drizzle in a little olive oil to get the frying started.
(If you’re fat-averse, you can totally skip this step. But hey, this isn’t exactly diet food to begin with, right?)
When the oil starts to shimmer, the pan is hot enough to add your shrimp.
Fry the shrimp on one side until the bacon is nicely browned and crisp.
(Keep an eye on the pan. They cook quickly, don’t walk away from the stove.)
When they’re browned underneath, flip the little guys over.
Fry on this side until the bacon is browned and crisp.
Shrimp cook quickly. When they’re done underneath, they’ll be cooked through on the inside.
Serve, inhale & enjoy!
When they’re done, transfer the shrimp to a serving plate.
I’ll admit it: Half the time, we eat these standing up in the kitchen as soon as they’re cool enough to touch.
When we’re feeling more civilized, I like to serve with buttery saffron rice and a big salad.
 
The Hungry Mouse
Yields about 2 entree servings
Season the shrimp, cozy a half a slice of bacon around it, and fry in a really hot pan. By the time the bacon is crisped on each side, the shrimp will be cooked inside. Easy. Peasy.
Save RecipeIngredients
Instructions
- Take your cleaned shrimp and toss them in a zip-top bag. Dump in the cajun spices (or whatever other spice mix you’d like), seal the bag, and shake it around to coat the shrimp as evenly as you can.
- Cut each slice of bacon in half. Wrap each shrimp in a half a slice of bacon. Wrap on the tighter side, so the bacon stays on while it cooks.
- Sprinkle with a little dried parsley.
- Set a large, non-stick pan on the stove over high heat. I like to drizzle in a little olive oil to get the frying started. When the oil starts to shimmer, the pan is hot enough to add your shrimp.
- Fry the shrimp on one side until the bacon is nicely browned and crisp. When they’re browned underneath, flip them over.
- Fry on this side until the bacon is browned and crisp. Shrimp cook quickly. When they’re done underneath, they’ll be cooked through on the inside.
- When they’re done, transfer the shrimp to a serving plate. Enjoy!
