Hey there! I’m Julia from Julia’s Cuisine and today I’m gonna share my absolute favorite recipe for making the most amazing bacon wrapped shrimp. This appetizer is literally to die for – crispy bacon hugging perfectly cooked jumbo shrimp. What could be better? Let me walk you through exactly how to nail this dish!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Super easy to make with just 6 ingredients
- Perfect for parties and gatherings
- Can prep ahead of time
- Looks fancy but totally doable
- Um, hello… it’s BACON + SHRIMP!
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
- 16 jumbo shrimp (raw, peeled with tails on)
- 8 strips thin-cut bacon (cut in half)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Toothpicks
- Small mixing bowl
- Paper towels
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Prep Work
First things first, let’s get everything ready:
- Preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C)
- Cut those bacon strips in half
- Peel and devein shrimp but keep the tails on (they make great handles!)
2. Pre-Cook the Bacon
This is my secret trick for perfect results:
- Lay bacon pieces on a baking sheet
- Pop in oven for 5-8 minutes
- You want it partially cooked but still flexible
- Remove and let cool slightly
3. Season the Shrimp
While bacon’s cooling
- Mix melted butter with salt, pepper, and paprika in a bowl
- Toss shrimp in this yummy mixture
- Make sure each shrimp is well coated
4. Wrap Those Bad Boys
Now for the fun part:
- Take a piece of partially cooked bacon
- Wrap it around a seasoned shrimp
- Secure with a toothpick
- Place on baking sheet
- Repeat with remaining shrimp
5. Final Bake
- Pop the wrapped shrimp back in the oven
- Bake for about 10 minutes
- Look for pink shrimp and crispy bacon
- Don’t overcook or shrimp will get rubbery!
Pro Tips from My Kitchen
Getting the Best Results
- Use jumbo shrimp: Seriously, bigger is better here! They’re easier to wrap and cook more evenly
- Thin bacon is your friend: Thick-cut bacon takes longer to crisp up and can overcook the shrimp
- Don’t skip pre-cooking: This ensures crispy bacon without overcooking the shrimp
- Keep those tails: They make perfect little handles for picking up
Make-Ahead Tips
Y’all can prep these earlier in the day:
- Follow all steps up to wrapping
- Cover and refrigerate
- Bake just before serving
- Don’t prep more than 8 hours ahead
Common Questions I Get
Can I use pre-cooked shrimp?
Nope! Raw shrimp is the way to go Pre-cooked will get super tough and rubbery
What about reheating leftovers?
TBH, these are best fresh. Reheating makes the shrimp tough. But between us, I’ve never actually had leftovers!
Can I grill these instead?
You sure can! Just watch them carefully – they cook fast on the grill.
Perfect Pairings
These bacon wrapped shrimp go great with:
- Lemon wedges for squeezing
- Cocktail sauce
- Sweet chili sauce
- Cold beer or champagne (my personal fave!)
Nutritional Info (per shrimp)
- Calories: 69
- Protein: 3g
- Fat: 6g
- Carbs: 0.2g
Final Thoughts
Listen, I’ve made these bacon wrapped shrimp like a gazillion times, and they’re always a hit. They’re perfect for everything from fancy dinner parties to casual game day snacks. The key is really in that pre-cooking step and using good quality jumbo shrimp.
Remember, cooking should be fun, so don’t stress too much about making them perfect. As long as you’ve got crispy bacon and juicy shrimp, you’re golden!
Would you like me to explain or break down any part of this recipe further?
How To Serve These Shrimp
- Party food – Serve these as part of a holiday buffet along with dishes like the Baked Rosemary Camembert, Italian Stuffed Mushrooms and Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Tarts.
- Before dinner appetizer – These little bites would go great as part of a bigger dinner. You could serve them before a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Or any other special dinner you might be hosting.
No, these do not reheat well. I recommend making them as you are about so serve them. Reheating them will dry them out and make them rubbery.
You an marinade the shrimp in lemon juice and garlic. Keep in mind not to do this any longer than 30 minutes. The acid in the lemon juice will start to break down the fibers of the shrimp.
- 16 jumbo shrimp
- 8 strips bacon cut in half
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees f/218 degrees c.
- Place the bacon on the baking sheet and cook for about 5 – 8 minutes depending on the thickness of your baking. You are only looking to partially cook the bacon at this stage. Remove from oven.
- Peel and devein the shrimp leaving the tails in tact.
- In a small bowl combine the shrimp with the melted butter, paprika, salt and black pepper. Give a good stir to combine.
- Wrap each shrimp in a slice of bacon. Use a toothpick to secure the bacon. Place back in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the shrimp is pink and cooked through.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately.
*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
- Pre cooking bacon – You’ll see in this recipe that the bacon is partially cooked before wrapping the shrimp. This is really important. Bacon takes longer to cook than shrimp. If you wrap the shrimp in raw bacon, the shrimp will be well cooked long before the bacon is crisp.
- Best way to cook bacon – Without doubt, cooking bacon on a sheet pan in the oven is the best method. Cooks perfect every single time.
- Use large or jumbo shrimp – This recipe is best if you use large shrimp. Mine were jumbo size and they are easy to work with and a perfect bite.
- Prep ahead – You can completely prepare these ahead of time and keep them in the fridge. If you are hosting a party or serving these as an appetizer, I recommend you prep them in the morning and keep them covered in the fridge until you are ready to cook them.
Nutrition Facts Oven Baked Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Amount Per Serving (1 shrimp)
What Makes these Shrimp Great
- Delicious – these taste amazing!
- Easy to make – this appetizer requires very few ingredients and it comes together very quickly.
- Prep ahead – If you are planning to serve these at a party, you can prep ahead and keep them refrigerated until baking time.
- Shrimp – I used frozen jumbo shrimp for this recipe . I used the kind that come in the shells and you peel and clean them at home.
- Bacon – This recipe uses thin streaky bacon.
- Butter – I used unsalted butter in this recipe.
- Seasonings – Salt, pepper and sweet paprika.
REMEMBER, The full recipe and instructions is always found at the end of the post in the recipe card.
- Preheat oven – Preheat oven to 425 degrees f/218 degrees c.
- Pre cook bacon – Place the bacon on the baking sheet and cook for about 5 – 8 minutes depending on the thickness of your baking. You are only looking to partially cook the bacon at this stage. Remove from oven.
- Peel shrimp – Peel and devein the shrimp leaving the tails in tact.
- Season shrimp – In a small bowl combine the shrimp with the melted butter, paprika, salt and black pepper. Give a good stir to combine.
- Wrap & cook shrimp – Wrap each shrimp in a slice of bacon. Use a toothpick to secure the bacon. Place back in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the shrimp is pink and cooked through.
- Serve – Remove from oven and serve immediately.
- Pre cooking bacon – You’ll see in this recipe that the bacon is partially cooked before wrapping the shrimp. This is really important. Bacon takes longer to cook than shrimp. If you wrap the shrimp in raw bacon, the shrimp will be well cooked long before the bacon is crisp.
- Best way to cook bacon – Without doubt, cooking bacon on a sheet pan in the oven is the best method. Cooks perfect every single time.
- Use large or jumbo shrimp – This recipe is best if you use large shrimp. Mine were jumbo size and they are easy to work with and a perfect bite.
- Prep ahead – You can completely prepare these ahead of time and keep them in the fridge. If you are hosting a party or serving these as an appetizer, I recommend you prep them in the morning and keep them covered in the fridge until you are ready to cook them.
- Jumbo Shrimp – I always like to use jumbo shrimp that are bought in their shells. I find the shrimp frozen in their shells have a better flavour. You can buy the shrimp that are already peeled and cleaned if you prefer. Just make sure they are raw shrimp and not cooked.
- Streaky bacon – For this recipe I like the thinner bacon. Remember if you use thicker bacon, you will have to cook it a little longer in the oven.
- Melted butter – I like the flavour that melted butter gives to these shrimp. You can use olive oil if you prefer.
- Seasoning – I used a simple blend of salt, black pepper and sweet paprika. Feel free to add any other seasonings that you like. Onion powder, garlic powder, dill, thyme, oregano are just a few other flavours you might like to try.
