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6 Ways to Prepare Frozen Shrimp Using an Air fryer
There are so many different ways to prepare shrimp, it can be difficult to keep track of how they should all be cooked. Luckily for you, all of these preparations can be realized using an air fryer!
If there are no air fryer specific cooking instructions on your favorite pre-made frozen shrimp appetizers, you can adjust the baking instructions by lowering the temperature by 20 °C (36° F) and by reducing the cooking time by about half. Check the shrimp while they are in the air fryer to avoid overcooking them.
Below are some of the most popular types of shrimp along with instructions on how to make them.
Frozen breaded shrimp
When fried, breaded shrimp have a crunch on the outside and a soft bread layer on the inside. Now with air frying it’s even easier to cook your frozen breaded shrimp.
Cooking Time: 5 – 7 minutes
Ingredients: frozen breaded shrimp
Method
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 ° F (204 ° C).
- Place the desired amount of frozen shrimp into the air fryer basket.
- Air fry frozen breaded shrimp for 5 to 7 minutes (until done).
Cooking tips
Shake the air fryer basket halfway through the cooking time to make sure the shrimp are cooked evenly.
Frozen popcorn shrimp
Popcorn shrimp are small bites of golden brown, breaded, fried shrimp. They are easy to make and even more fun to snack on! Try dipping them in all sorts of different sauces.
Cooking Time: 7 – 9 minutes
Ingredients: Frozen popcorn shrimp
Method
- Without preheating, place a single layer of frozen popcorn shrimp into the air fryer basket. Avoid overlapping the shrimp to get a crispier texture.
- Cook the shrimp at 375° F (190° C) for 7 to 9 minutes.
- Turn the shrimp halfway to ensure even cooking.
Cooking tips
If you are cooking more than one batch, be careful when placing shrimp in a preheated basket. Reduce the cooking time by 2 minutes for any baskets of shrimp going into a preheated air fryer.
Frozen butterfly shrimp
Butterfly shrimp are filleted, panko breaded, and fried shrimp- usually made with jumbo shrimp. They have a crispy, brown coating over the juicy inside. These treats usually take a long time in the oven, but are twice as fast in the air fryer!
Cooking Time: 5 – 6 minutes
Ingredients: Frozen butterfly shrimp
Method
- Preheat the air fryer to 380° F (193 ° C).
- Place the frozen butterfly shrimp in a single layer in the air fryer basket.
- Cook the shrimp for 5 to 6 minutes, turning halfway to ensure they cook evenly.
Cooking Tips
To fit more frozen butterfly shrimp in your air fryer at once, try leaning them against the sides of the basket. With this method, you don’t need to turn the shrimp halfway.
Frozen fried shrimp
Buying premade frozen fried shrimp may be easy, but nothing tastes as good as food you make yourself. Lucky for you, frying your own shrimp has never been easier thanks to the air fryer. With minimal effort you can make fresh fried shrimp that will impress everyone that tries it!
Cooking Time: 5 – 7 minutes
Ingredients: 1 pound frozen raw shrimp (dethawed, peeled, deveined, tails on), ⅓ cup flour, 3 eggs, 1.5 cups panko bread crumbs, seasoning of choice, non-stick cooking spray
Method
- Beat eggs until frothy in a medium bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and seasonings.
- Dredge the shrimp in the flour, shaking off excess. Then dip the shrimp into the eggs before pressing into panko on both sides.
- Lightly spray the shrimp with cooking spray.
- Place the shrimp into the air fryer basket in small batches and cook at 350 ° F (177° C) for 5 to 7 minutes until the panko is a crispy golden brown.
Cooking Tips
If you are having trouble with the shrimp sticking to the air fryer basket, try spraying the basket with a non-stick spray of your choice before putting the shrimp into it.
Frozen beer battered shrimp
Beer battered shrimp is a favorite snack in restaurants and bars all over the world. Now you can easily make it at home with a lot less oil! In a matter of minutes you can have delicious beer battered shrimp that are bound to be a star appetizer on game day or any get together.
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients: ¾ pound frozen raw shrimp (dethawed, peeled, deveined, tails on), ½ cup flour, ½ cup cold beer, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, salt and pepper, non-stick cooking spray
Method
- Rince the shrimp under cool water, then pat dry so the batter will stick.
- Mix the flour, beer, and seasonings and whisk until smooth.
- Preheat the air fryer to 350° F (177° C).
- Spray the air fryer basket with the non-stick cooking spray of your choice.
- Dip the shrimp into the batter and place a single layer into the air fryer basket.
- Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, flipping the shrimp halfway through, until the batter is golden brown.
Cooking Tips
This dish is best served hot as the batter will start to get soft inside as it cools. To bring a fresh, bright flavor, squeeze a wedge of lemon over the shrimp right before serving.
Frozen tempura shrimp
Usually found in Japanese restaurants, tempura is a deep fried dish that is often made with shrimp and assorted vegetables. The golden brown tempura batter gives a delicate crunch that complements the perfectly cooked inside. Thanks to the air fryer, you can now make tempura at home using a fraction of the oil as traditional tempura.
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients: ½ cup rice wine, ¼ cup cornstarch, 1 egg yolk, ¼ cup flour, ⅓ cup ice water, ¼ teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon shortening, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ pound frozen uncooked shrimp (dethawed, peeled, deveined, tails on), non-stick cooking spray
Method
- Mix rice wine and ¼ teaspoon of salt together in a medium bowl. Place the shrimp into the mixture, cover, and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
- While the shrimp are marinating, mix together the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl.
- When the shrimp are done marinating, preheat the air fryer to 350 ° F (177° C).
- Spray the air fryer basket with non-stick cooking spray.
- Dip the shrimp into the batter, avoid covering the tails.
- Place the battered shrimp into the air fryer basket in a single layer, avoid letting them touch.
- Cook the shrimp for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the batter is a light golden color and the shrimp is cooked.
- Serve with a ginger soy sauce or other dipping sauce of your choice.
Cooking Tips
You can also make tempura battered vegetables such as green beans, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini, onion, eggplant, bell pepper, and many more! Just follow the same directions as described above, marinate and batter your desired vegetables, and fry in your air fryer.