Hey there! As a seafood enthusiast and home cook, I’ve noticed lots of folks get confused about shrimp portions. Today, I’m gonna break down exactly what 4 ounces of shrimp looks like and share some handy tips I’ve learned along the way.
Quick Answer
4 ounces of shrimp typically equals:
- 12-16 medium-sized shrimp
- 8-10 large shrimp
- 5-6 jumbo shrimp
- About half a cup when loosely packed
Understanding Shrimp Sizes
Let me tell ya shrimp sizing can be super confusing! Here’s a simple breakdown of how many shrimp you’ll get per pound
| Size Category | Count per Pound |
|---|---|
| Super Colossal | 8-12 |
| Colossal | 13-15 |
| Jumbo | 16-20 |
| Extra Large | 21-25 |
| Large | 26-30 |
| Medium Large | 31-35 |
| Medium | 36-40 |
| Small | 41-50 |
Visual Guide for 4 Oz of Different Shrimp Sizes
Here’s what you’ll get with 4 ounces based on different sizes
Jumbo Shrimp (16-20 per pound)
- About 5-6 pieces
- Each shrimp is roughly thumb-sized
- Perfect for grilling or as appetizers
Large Shrimp (26-30 per pound)
- About 8-9 pieces
- Size of your index finger
- Great for stir-fries and pasta dishes
Medium Shrimp (36-40 per pound)
- About 10-12 pieces
- About the size of a quarter
- Ideal for salads and smaller dishes
Practical Tips for Measuring 4 Oz
I’ve found these methods super helpful:
-
Palm Method
- 4 oz roughly equals the size of your palm (not counting fingers)
- Works best for medium to large shrimp
-
Cup Method
- Use a 1/2 cup measure
- Fill it loosely with shrimp
- This usually equals about 4 oz
-
Kitchen Scale (most accurate)
- Place bowl on scale
- Zero it out
- Add shrimp until you hit 4 oz
Cooking Tips for 4 Oz of Shrimp
Here’s what I’ve learned from cooking tons of shrimp
Cooking Times
- Jumbo: 5-7 minutes
- Large: 3-5 minutes
- Medium: 2-4 minutes
Best Cooking Methods
- Pan-frying: Quick and easy, perfect for all sizes
- Grilling: Better for larger shrimp
- Boiling: Works great for medium sizes
- Baking: Good for any size, usually takes 8-10 minutes at 400°F
Storage and Prep Tips
Some quick tips I always follow:
- Keep raw shrimp in fridge max 2 days
- Cooked shrimp lasts 3-4 days refrigerated
- Always thaw frozen shrimp in fridge overnight
- Pat dry before cooking for better results
Nutritional Info for 4 Oz Shrimp
Just FYI, 4 oz of shrimp gives you:
- About 100 calories
- 20g protein
- Low in fat
- High in omega-3s
- Good source of vitamin B12
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Trust me, I’ve made these mistakes before:
- Overcooking (makes ’em rubber-like)
- Not cleaning properly
- Using wrong size for recipes
- Forgetting to thaw completely
Final Thoughts
Now ya know what 4 oz of shrimp looks like! Whether you’re cooking for yourself or meal prepping, this guide should help you portion your shrimp just right. Remember, practice makes perfect, and don’t be afraid to eyeball it once you’re familiar with the sizes.
Got any questions about cooking shrimp? Drop ’em in the comments below – I’d love to help out! And hey, if you found this helpful, share it with your foodie friends!
Shrimp Sizes in Recipes
Each recipe calls for specific shrimp sizes and there’s an element of personal preference. For example, with Coconut Shrimp you may prefer making them as one-bite appetizers with medium shrimp or as two-bite appetizers with jumbo shrimp.
Just bear in mind to adjust the cooking time to the different size shrimp, i.e. larger shrimp will need extra cooking time, whereas smaller shrimp will require less cooking time.
For menu planning, it’s sometimes helpful to know how many shrimp you get per serving. Here’s what to expect for a 4-oz (113 gram) serving:
- Colossal shrimp: 1-4 per serving
- Jumbo shrimp: 5-6 per serving
- Large shrimp: 7-9 per serving
- Medium shrimp: 10-12 per serving
- Small shrimp: 13-18 per serving
How Many Shrimp in a Pound
The other confusing thing is that the larger the count, the smaller the shrimp! Huge shrimp may count 10 per pound, while very small shrimp count 60 per pound.
When reading shrimp package labels, you’ll see numbers like 16/20 or 16-20 count. That means there are between 16 and 20 shrimp per pound. Since bigger shrimp are more expensive, it’s important to know you’re getting the actual size you’re paying for!
Different kinds of shrimp such as white shrimp, pink shrimp and rock shrimp are usually available in multiple sizes. However, mantis shrimp harvested from the southeast tends to be colossal only.
The table below shows the counts per pound for each shrimp size. For most sizes, a count range is used. For the largest colossal sizes, a “U” refers to “under” or “fewer than” a certain number in a pound:
| Shrimp Size | Shrimp Per Pound |
| Extra Small | 61-70 |
| Small | 51-60 |
| Medium | 41-50 |
| Medium Large | 36-40 |
| Large | 31-35 |
| Extra Large | 26-30 |
| Jumbo | 21-25 |
| Extra Jumbo | 16-20 |
| Colossal | Under 15 (U15) |
| Super Colossal | Under 12 (U12) |
| Extra Colossal | Under 10 (U10) |
Note: These numbers are for fresh or frozen shrimp without heads, shell-on or shell-off. Shrimp with heads weigh in one category higher.
What’s the biggest shrimp size? Extra colossal shrimp is the largest size available in seafood markets with counts as large as 5 shrimp per pound. However, there are Asian tiger shrimp that weigh 7-11 ounces each with a count of just 1-2 per pound!
What’s the smallest shrimp? There are extremely small shrimp with counts like 150 per pound or occasionally even 250-350 per pound, usually labeled incorrectly as extra small shrimp!
SAMPLE 4oz. SIZE, NOW AVAILABLE ON MY WEBSITE‼️
FAQ
How many pieces of shrimp is 4 oz?
How many shrimp is 1 oz?
You get 61/70 shrimp per pound, while an ounce contains 15-17 shrimp.
How many pieces is 3oz of shrimp?
For small shrimp, you usually get anywhere from 71 to 90 shrimp per one-pound bag. This equates to about 18 shrimp per standard 3 oz serving, meaning that each individual shrimp weighs about 0.17 oz.
How to tell the size of shrimp?
Many shrimp are sold with labels that indicate their size, such as “Jumbo” or “Large.” These labels can be helpful in giving you a general idea of the size of …
How many shrimp are in 4 oz?
How many shrimp are 4 oz? 4 oz. is a standard serving size for protein-based foods; depending on the size grade of your shrimp, this translates to the following approximate shrimp serving sizes: Jumbo (21/25 count per pound): 5-6 shrimp. Large (31/35 count per pound): 8-9 shrimp.
How many ounces of shrimp are in a pound?
A: 4 oz. is a standard serving size for protein-based foods; depending on the size grade of your shrimp, this translates to the following approximate shrimp serving sizes: Jumbo (21/25 count per pound): 5-6 shrimp. Large (31/35 count per pound): 8-9 shrimp. Medium (41/50 count per pound): 10-11 shrimp. How many pieces of shrimp is 3 ounces?
How big is 1 ounce of shrimp?
One ounce of medium sized shrimp is approximately To visualize it another way: 1 ounce of peeled, deveined shrimp fits in the palm of your hand or fills a golf ball sized volume. 1 ounce of shrimp in the shell takes up slightly more volume, about the size of a racquetball. Laid flat, 1 ounce of shrimp fills an area about 3-4 inches wide.
How many shrimp per 4 ounce serving?
Now let’s look specifically at how many shrimp you get per 4 ounce serving for the different sizes: As you can see, the number ranges quite a bit based on the size. With colossal shrimp, 4 ounces is just 5-6 shrimp, while with small shrimp that same 4 ounces will give you 22-28 shrimp. Keep in mind that these numbers are approximations.
How do you know if a shrimp is big or small?
Shrimp are considered two counts larger with their heads on (head-on shrimp) and one count larger with just their shells on (unpeeled shrimp with no heads). Shrimp sizes can also be determined by descriptions on the bags, such as “Large” for large shrimp and “Jumbo” for even bigger shrimp.
How do you measure a pound of shrimp?
Shrimp size is measured by the number needed to make up one pound. The lower the count per pound, the bigger the shrimp size. Labels will usually include a count range, such as “21/25” which means there are between 21-25 shrimp per pound.