Italian Marinated Shrimp is ready in 1 hour when you use your favorite Italian salad dressing as a marinade.
This recipe uses your favorite Italian dressing to make delicious, marinated shrimp that doesn’t require grilling or cooking because you use cooked shrimp from your local fish market that has already been peeled and deveined.
Just add a squeeze of lemon and some fresh herbs to round out the flavors and you have a gorgeous dish for a casual dinner or an elegant buffet.
Even better yet, this dish can be served as a main course, salad, side dish, or appetizer.
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Ingredients
- Cooked Shrimp - Select medium-sized shrimp that are 26 to 30 per pound. Most seafood counters offer shrimp that are already cleaned and cooked.
- Italian Salad Dressing - A well-seasoned Italian vinaigrette dressing is ideal.
- Lemon - You will need lemon juice and a halved lemon makes a nice garnish.
- Sliced Green Onions - These add another flavor note and make a pretty green garnish.
Please see the recipe card for the exact quantities.
Instructions
Whisk. In a large bowl whisk together the Italian salad dressing and fresh lemon juice.
Combine. Add the cooked shrimp and gently toss to cover each shrimp with the marinade.
Chill. Cover the bowl and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
Garnish & Serve. Transfer the marinated shrimp to a serving bowl or platter and garnish with the sliced green onions.
Cooked shrimp can be marinaded for up to 2 hours in an acidic marinade without toughening the texture.
However, if the shrimp is raw and the marinade is acidic, you can only marinade shrimp for up to 30 minutes without changing the texture of the shrimp to soft or mushy.
Substitutions & Variations
We enjoy this recipe for marinated shrimp as written, but there are a few tweaks you can make that are also delicious!
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes to the marinade for a bit of heat. Try ⅛ teaspoon per pound and then add more to your taste.
- Dill - Dill weed has a bright and aromatic flavor that is popular in seafood dishes. Add a few fresh sprigs of dill before serving.
- Lime - change up the citrus and try lime juice instead of lemon.
Make-Ahead & Storage
This recipe is meant to be made 1 to 2 hours in advance of serving. But, you can make this marinated shrimp up to 5 hours ahead of time if you don't add the lemon juice to the marinade.
Cooked shrimp will become tough if left in citrus juice for several hours, so add the lemon juice just before serving if you plan to make this in advance.
Seafood is always best if consumed the same day it is prepared. However, this marinated shrimp can be kept in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 2 days.
My Top Tips
Seafood Safety
Seafood should never have a fishy, sour, or ammonia smell. These are signals the seafood will make you sick. Even if you get just a whiff of these odors you must not eat it. It is impossible to cook, marinate, or freeze away the danger of spoiled seafood.
When working with seafood always work quickly to minimize the time that it is not refrigerated.
Shrimp Size
I like the size of shrimp that are 26 to 30 per pound. They are substantial and have the best flavor and presentation.
Shrimp Tails
You can leave the tails on the shrimp or remove them. I've made this dish both ways for family and guests and have had compliments on both versions and the tails look very pretty on the shrimp.
Overall if I am using the shrimp for an appetizer I leave the tail on. If the dish is a side dish or part of the main course, I take the tails off.
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📖 Recipe
Italian Marinated Shrimp
Ingredients
- ⅓ Cup Italian Salad Dressing
- 2 Teaspoons Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 Pound Cooked Shrimp, 26-30 Count Per Pound
- ¼ Cup Sliced Green Onion, Green Tops Only
Instructions
- Whisk. In a large bowl whisk together the Italian salad dressing and fresh lemon juice.⅓ Cup Italian Salad Dressing, 2 Teaspoons Fresh Lemon Juice
- Combine. Add the cooked shrimp and gently toss to cover each shrimp with the marinade.1 Pound Cooked Shrimp
- Chill. Cover the bowl and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Garnish & Serve. Transfer the marinated shrimp to a serving bowl or platter and garnish with the sliced green onions.¼ Cup Sliced Green Onion
Notes
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes to the marinade for a bit of heat. Try ⅛ teaspoon per pound and then add more to your taste.
- Dill - Dill weed has a bright and aromatic flavor that is popular in seafood dishes. Add a few fresh sprigs of dill before serving.
- Lime - change up the citrus and try lime juice instead of lemon.
Nutrition Per Serving
All nutritional information on this site is an estimate. Your results may vary.
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