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    Home » Recipes » Appetizers/Snacks

    Published: Jun 4, 2021 by Usha Rao

    Chili Garlic Shrimp Recipe

    Jump to Recipe

    Chili garlic shrimp is a delicious, easy, under 15 minutes recipe. Shrimp is stir fried in dry red chilies infused oil along with lots of crushed garlic. A must try appetizer and a side dish.

    Chili garlic shrimp in a cast iron pan.
    Jump to:
    • Recipe Inspiration
    • Why this Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Preparation
    • Serving
    • Tips & Frequently Asked Questions
    • Related Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    Recipe Inspiration

    Inspiration for this recipe is chili prawns we ate a Chinese restaurant in Seneca Niagara Hotel Casino during one of our visits to Niagara Falls. Prawns coated with a thin batter were deep fried and garnished with fried peanuts and dry red chilies.

    Flavor of the dry chilies with prawns was really good. Keeping that flavor in mind, chili garlic shrimp is my take on chili prawns from that restaurant.

    This inspired recipe is now a regular at home, along with the regular shrimp pakoda, shrimp curry and shrimp dum biryani. We love prawns and is a regular at home. Check out more shrimp recipes from my kitchen.

    Why this Recipe

    Chili garlic prawns or shrimp requires minimal basic kitchen ingredients and cooks under 15 minutes. It is filled with flavor and, works both as an appetizer and a side dish for rice & bread.

    Infuse oil and butter with dry red chili peppers, saute prawns in infused oil with crushed garlic for a lip smacking appetizer. It is an easy peasy recipe! For green chilies and black pepper flavor, check sauteed shrimp.

    Ingredients

    Ingredients for shrimp chili garlic stir fry.
    Dry red chilies missing in the frame.

    Shrimp - use good quality and decent size shrimp. We prefer 16-20 count shrimp and 26/30 count also works for this recipe. Use fresh or fully thawed frozen shrimp for a tasty chili shrimp.

    Red Chilies - One of the main seasoning ingredients for this recipe is dry chilies. I use dry red chilies from Indian store. Use any red chilies and adjust the number of chilies according to heat level of chilies and your tolerance level.

    Garlic - We love garlic and am liberal with it's usage. Finely chopped garlic works best but coarsely crushed works as well and that is what I do.

    Oil/Butter - Use combination of oil and butter or only oil, as per your dietary needs. Do add at least a 1-2 teaspoons for added flavor. Prawns taste amazing cooked in butter and a teaspoons or two goes a long way.

    Other Ingredients - Chili powder, cumin and salt are the other ingredients. Though recipe calls for red chilies, for extra heat, add some chili powder or cayenne pepper. This recipe does not require any chili garlic sauce.

    Preparation

    Time consuming process of the preparation is cleaning prawns. Once that is done, cook time is 10-15 minutes maximum. Hence purchase fresh, cleaned ones from the seafood counter to cut down on prep time.

    When using frozen ones, thaw it well before cooking. Check the recipe card for detailed recipe.

    Clean shrimp - Thaw completely if frozen, peel and remove the vein using a knife or the thumb nail. If the shrimps/prawns are smelly, rub some lime juice/vinegar/yogurt and salt. Let it sit for few minutes. Then wash it several times to wash off the salt and lime juice.

    Marinate - This is an optional step. Marinate cleaned shrimp with some salt and chili powder for 10 minutes to up to one hour.

    Step by step picture collage of chili garlic shrimp preparation.

    Stir Fry - Use either a cast iron pan or a nonstick pan for the preparation. Heat oil and/or butter and roast red chilies (images #1-2). Then add shrimp and stir fry for few minutes until they curl up (image #3-4).

    Add crushed garlic and cumin, chili powder and salt (image #5). Stir fry until garlic is light brown, shrimp is succulent and tender (image #6). Do not over cook.

    Serving

    Serve it as a starter with some lemon wedges on the side or as a side dish with rice. With liberal amount of oil/butter, serve it some bread and the butter/oil works as a great dip for the bread.

    Tips & Frequently Asked Questions

    Which size shrimp to use? What to determine the size of the shrimp?

    Size of the shrimp depends on shrimp count. 16-20 or 26-30 count you see on the packet depends on the size of the shrimp. 16-20 count means you get 16-20 pieces of shrimp per pound. 26-30 count means you get 26 - 30 shrimps per pound.

    Shrimp is very smelly? How to get rid of the smell?

    After peeling and deveining, rub some salt and lime juice or yogurt or vinegar to shrimp. Let sit for few minutes and wash shrimp several times in clean water.

    Plate of chili garlic shrimp.

    Related Recipes

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      Shrimp Pakoda ~ Fried Shrimp
    • Bowl of prawns biryani.
      Shrimp Biryani
    • a bowl of Indo Chinese Chili shrimp gravy.
      Indo Chinese Chili Shrimp Gravy
    • Bakeathon, Blogging Marathon, One Pot Dish, One Pot Meal, One Foil Packet Meal, Broiled Shrimp boil foil packet, Grilled Shrimp Boil Foil Packet, Broiled Shrimp Packet, Grilled Shrimp Packet, Shrimp, Grilled Shrimp, Broiled Shrimp,
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    📖 Recipe

    Plate of chili garlic shrimp.

    Chili Garlic Shrimp

    Chili garlic shrimp is a quick, easy under 15 minutes spicy starter. Serve it as a snack, appetizer or as a side dish with rice.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American, Indo American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Peeling Shrimp: 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 3
    Calories: 312kcal
    Author: Usha Rao

    Equipment

    • 10" Frying or Saute Pan (cast iron or nonstick)
    • Wooden Spoon
    • Mixing Bowl

    Ingredients

    For Cleaning Shrimp

    • 1 lb Shrimp peeled and deveined (I used jumbo shrimp, 16 – 20ct. with shell on)
    • ½ teaspoon Salt opt. to be used when washing the shrimp
    • 2 teaspoon Lime/Lemon Juice or Yogurt or Vinegar

    Marinade

    • 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
    • ½ teaspoon Salt

    Stir Fry

    • 2 tablespoon Oil can use another tablespoon. Check note below.
    • 1 tablespoon Butter optional
    • 5 Dry Red Chilies
    • 6 large Cloves of Garlic
    • 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
    • 1 tsp Chili Powder adjust to taste and can use another. teaspoon depending on heat tolerance level.
    • ½ tsp Salt adjust to taste

    Instructions

    Clean Shrimp

    • Peel & devein shrimp.
    • This step is optional. I usually skip this step but follow it when shrimp is smelly. Rub ½ teaspoon salt & lime juice to shrimp and let stand for few minutes. Wash several times under running water.
    • Squeeze excess water from the shrimp and keep aside in a bowl.

    Marinate

    • Add 1 teaspoon of chili powder & salt to shrimp and mix well. Keep aside for at least 10 minutes.

    Stir Fry

    • Crush together garlic and cumin seeds. When crushed, it would be about 1½ - 2 tbsp.
    • In a 10” pan, take oil and butter (if using). When oil is hot, add whole or broken dry red chilies and saute until chilies change color.
    • Add shrimp and saute on medium high until shrimp curl up a little, about 3-5 minutes. Turn or stir the shrimp for even cooking.
    • When shrimp are 75% cooked, add crushed garlic, remaining chili powder, salt and stir.
    • Continue to cook until shrimp are curled and well cooked. Keep stirring the shrimp for even cooking.
    • Taste the shrimp and adjust salt & chili powder to taste.
    • Serve hot as an appetizer with/without bread or as a side dish with rice.

    Notes

    • Oil - I usually make it with only oil.  But when in mood for some indulgence, I use half oil and butter.  I usually use 2 - 2½ of oil, in which case, keep an eye on shrimp and recommend a nonstick pan.  You can easily use up to 4 tablespoon of oil.
    • Butter - is optional but highly recommend using at least 1 -2 teaspoon of oil.  Use 2-4 tablespoon of oil+butter combined.
    • Shrimp - Recommend big shrimp and I usually use 16-26 count.  26-30 count also works.
    • Frozen Shrimp -  when using frozen shrimp, thaw shrimp completely before cooking.  I prefer shell on frozen shrimp.  It is extra work to peel the shrimp but it is worth the extra labor.  If using peeled frozen shrimp, make sure shrimp is fully thawed.
    • Dry Chilies - I used chilies from Indian store.  Use any dry chilies of your choice and adjust the quantity as per the heat level of the chilies and your taste.
    • Nutrition - Nutritional values are approximate values.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 6pieces | Calories: 312kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 391mg | Sodium: 2014mg | Potassium: 426mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1235IU | Vitamin C: 116mg | Calcium: 253mg | Iron: 5mg
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    This post was originally published in Sep 2015. Republished with new content and images.

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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Narmadha says

      July 07, 2021 at 1:46 pm

      5 stars
      I tried this chilli garlic shrimp for weekend dinner and everyone loved it a lot. So simple and easy recipe too. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    2. Radha says

      June 21, 2021 at 8:03 pm

      5 stars
      Love your take on restaurant food. Sounds delicious and lovely clicks.

      Reply
    3. Rafeeda - The Big Sweet Tooth says

      June 12, 2021 at 2:49 pm

      The masala for the shrimps sounds super delicious. I can't have shrimps due to allergy issues but surely I can try this for my folks.

      Reply
    4. Vaishali says

      June 11, 2021 at 4:23 am

      Usha , this must be a treat for shrimp lovers, and the pics as usual are awesome.

      Reply
    5. Suma Gandlur says

      June 08, 2021 at 4:35 pm

      It must be a great snack for shrimp lovers. BTW do you cook in that cast iron pan and how do you season it?

      Reply
      • Usha Rao says

        June 09, 2021 at 7:04 am

        Sometimes I do Suma. This time I cooked in the cast iron pan. I wash it with, immediately wipe dry. Sometimes I even apply few drops of oil and then store. Once a year or twice a year if I feel it needs deep seasoning I apply oil and put it in the oven for 1 - 2 hours.

        Reply
    6. cookingwithsapana says

      October 02, 2015 at 11:25 am

      The shrimp looks very inviting , would have tasted great. Love reading your post.

      Reply
    7. Pavani says

      October 01, 2015 at 9:36 pm

      Lovely clicks Usha. Going to read your travel posts next.

      Reply
    8. Sandhiya says

      September 30, 2015 at 5:44 am

      Nice clicks,great recipe for shrimp lovers

      Reply
    9. srividhya says

      September 29, 2015 at 3:00 pm

      I am sure shrimp lovers would love this. Travel based recipe theme is great too.

      Reply
    10. Priya Srinivasan says

      September 29, 2015 at 4:50 am

      Oh what a beautiful setup usha!! Lovely clicks

      Reply
    11. Vaishali Sabnani says

      September 28, 2015 at 8:39 am

      Beautiful clicks and a super set up..love those bottles and specially the cap..absolutely stunning Usha

      Reply
    12. Srivalli says

      September 28, 2015 at 8:14 am

      The pictures are stunning Usha..what a lovely composition!...and glad you share the first recipe..I am so senti about the first one too as that's what makes us go ahead!

      Reply
    13. Priya says

      September 28, 2015 at 5:15 am

      Hard to resist to this beautiful shrimps, my mouth is watering, definitely a fabulous treat to seafood lovers like me..

      Reply
    14. Sowmya says

      September 28, 2015 at 1:50 am

      the masala is looking yumm!!! great option for shrimp lovers!!

      Reply

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    Hi, I am Usha! Welcome to my space. I am the content creator and photographer here. I love cooking and all the recipes on the site are tried and tested in my kitchen.

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