I love shrimp and these little shrimp appetizers are so addictive. Forget the fireworks, bring on the Firecracker Shrimp apps. They have a spicy, garlic-y kick that will blow your mind.
This is an easy recipe that you can make in advance and keep stashed in the fridge until company arrives. When the party starts, set them out and serve up the cold shrimp appetizers. How easy is that?
- Can I Make These Firecracker Shrimp in advance?
- How to buy the freshest shrimp
- How to thaw frozen shrimp
- How to Cook Shrimp
- Making These Spicy Shrimp Appetizers
- How to Make These Firecracker Shrimp
- Making Marinade Safe to Use as a Sauce
- More Appetizer Recipes
- Cold Shrimp Appetizers
- Weight Watchers and Slimming World friendly
- Some Other Recipes You Will Love
Here it is again, Independence Day is just around the corner. We love to celebrate the big Fourth of July with parades, picnics and BBQ’s. We are planning a ribs cookout but I have made up some finger-food. Firecracker Shrimp appetizers will get us going while the grill heats up.
If you are the one elected to bring an appetizer to the big Fourth of July shindig then this is your ticket to fame. They are not called ‘Firecracker Shrimp’ for nothing though. We’ve got big bold flavors here. Bright red jalapeños, red pepper flakes and chili-garlic sauce all sautéed in a lemony garlic sauce. SO GOOD!
Can I Make These Firecracker Shrimp in advance?
You can absolutely make these spicy shrimp appetizers the day before your event and keep them covered and refrigerated. They are delicious served well-chilled.
Serving cold shrimp appetizers makes party planning easy. Make them a day in advance and then you won’t have any last minute work when guests arrive.
How to buy the freshest shrimp
Do you buy the fresh shrimp under the fishmonger’s glass case? Actually, those have already been frozen and thawed out. A better buy is in the glass case of the freezer section. They will be packaged according to their size.
Shrimp are highly perishable so as soon as they are netted and brought aboard the shrimp boats they are flash-frozen. Right there on the shrimp boat.
For our firecracker shrimp, we are using large frozen shrimp with 21-25 in a pound which makes a good size for appetizer munching. Be sure to check on the bag of shrimp to determine what size shrimp you want.
How to thaw frozen shrimp
We like to buy bags of frozen medium-size shrimp, cleaned with the tails still on. Shrimp are always in our freezer for a fast stir-fry or salad at the spur of the moment.
- Thaw the frozen shrimp in a covered bowl in the refrigerator overnight then rinse it before cooking. The following is our recommendation for an emergency or spur-of-the-moment thaw:
- Place the frozen shrimp in a colander and submerge it into a basin of cold water. That is cold tap water, not even a hint of warm. Let it sit for ten minutes.
- Lift the colander out of the water and refill the basin with cold water again. Add the colander of shrimp back into the basin for another 10 minutes to finish thawing out.
- Gently shake the colander of shrimp to drain the water from them and tip them out onto a kitchen towel. Pat them with paper towels to remove as much of the water as possible before cooking.
- Although your microwave has a defrost setting on it, do not thaw the shrimp in the microwave. Shrimp cook quickly and microwaves are not dependable for thawing shrimp evenly.
How to Cook Shrimp
Shrimp are easy to over-cook so you need to watch them closely. When the shrimp are pink and partially closed into the shape of a letter ‘C’ they are perfect. An overcooked shrimp will close up like the letter ‘O’ and will be a little tough and chewy.
Making These Spicy Shrimp Appetizers:
This is a quick and easy recipe that you can make any time of the year. We usually always have the ingredients on hand and they make a terrific last-minute appetizer. You can serve them hot or cold and if you have leftovers, use them in shrimp tacos.
How to Make These Firecracker Shrimp:
Here is a brief overview to get an idea of what to expect with the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.
- Combine the marinade and let the shrimp marinate for 30 minutes.
- Sauté the peppers and garlic.
- Add the shrimp and cook them in batches to prevent overcooking.
- Remove the shrimp and set aside. Bring the broth to a boil and reduce. Stir in the chili garlic sauce.
- Add the cooked shrimp to the sauce and toss to coat the shrimp well.
Make sure you check out the full details below.
Serve these firecracker shrimp appetizers garnished with fresh cilantro or parsley sprigs. Last year for Independence Day I posted my Picnic Potato Salad and I just may prepare that again to go with our raspberry chipotle pork ribs.
Making Marinade Safe to Use as a Sauce:
This recipe has you recycle the marinade for a sauce. There are some important safety tips to keep in mind when you turn a marinade into a sauce.
After you place raw meat in a marinade, you should treat it as if it is contaminated and it should not be consumed without cooking it first. This recipe follows an approved suggestion on the foodsafety.gov site to boil the marinade after it comes in contact with raw meat. You need to make sure it comes to a full boil in order to kill any food born bacteria.
More Appetizer Recipes
- Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs
- Shrimp Cocktail Appetizers
- Olive and Cheese Pinwheels
- Smoked Salmon Pinwheels
- 37 Easy Party Appetizers
Cold Shrimp Appetizers
The best way to keep these shrimp appetizers cold when you set them out for a party is to keep them on ice. Place them on a stainless steel platter that is set on a larger platter of ice. Or you can keep them in a bowl that is in a larger bowl filled with ice.
Weight Watchers and Slimming World friendly:
Are you counting SmartPoints for Weight Watchers or Syns for Slimming World? We calculated the points and Syns for you.
- For Weight Watchers there are 2 points per serving.
- For Slimming World there are 2 Syns per serving.
Some Other Recipes You Will Love
- Shrimp Cocktail Appetizers
- Mascarpone and Smoked Salmon Bruschetta
- Garlic Shrimp and Butternut Party Bites
Connect With Savor the Best:
Please follow us on our social media accounts
Facebook * Instagram * Pinterest * Youtube * Twitter
Did you make this recipe? We would love to hear from you. Drop us a comment below.
Firecracker Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 pounds shrimp (21-25 per pound), deveined, peeled and with tail attached
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 medium-size red jalepeno peppers finely chopped
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 3 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce
- Cilantro sprigs for garnishment
Instructions
- Using paper towels, pat the shrimp dry and add to a large bowl.
- In a small dish, whisk together the red pepper flakes, salt and lemon juice and pour over the shrimp, tossing to coat them well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to marinate.
- Add the olive oil to a medium-size skillet and when it is hot, sauté the red jalepeno peppers until softened, about 1 minute, then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Pour the marinade from the dish into the skillet and add the white wine. Increase the heat to medium-high heat and bring the sauce to a boil, cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to simmer and add the shrimp and cook just until the shrimp turn pink. Remove the cooked shrimp from the skillet as they cook and reserve. Do this in batches to prevent over cooking the shrimp.
- Remove the cooked shrimp and reserve.
- Bring the sauce in the skillet to a boil and reduce it by half. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow to cool. Stir in the chili-garlic sauce.
- Add the reserved cooked shrimp and toss to coat the shrimp well. Transfer to a serving dish and pour the remaining sauce over the top. Refrigerate until chilled.
- When ready to serve, garnish with fresh cilantro or parsley sprigs. These are excellent appetizers but could also be added to a salad.
Notes
- Do not allow the garlic to turn brown as it will have a bitter taste.
- Flip the shrimp as they turn pink and remove when they become partially closed in a ‘C’ shape.
Cori Tschida
Thursday 2nd of September 2021
Hello. Can I make this a day ahead and travel with it a cooler? Is there a way to make using pre-cooked shrimp? It's what I have on hand.
Dahn Boquist
Thursday 2nd of September 2021
Sure, you can use pre-cooked shrimp but they might get over-cooked and tough if you are not careful. I would skip the marinating in step 2 and just make the sauce then reduce it down and add the cooked shrimp to it. You shouldn't have to cook them any longer since they are pre-cooked. Then make sure they stay cool when you transport them in the cooler. If you have plenty of ice then it should do fine. If you are traveling a long distance, you may want to get some dry ice to keep the cooler extra cold.