Cooking Bacon Wrapped Shrimp to crispy, juicy perfection is easier than you'd think. With the help of a few secrets we're more than happy to divulge, you'll be able to confidently get both the bacon and the shrimp just right every time. You're on your way to delicious success!
This entire dish takes less than 30 minutes, start to finish and the brown sugar spice rub makes it seriously addictive. Like our Air Fryer Shrimp and Bacon Wrapped Smokies, this is the perfect, crowd-pleasing party appetizer. And if you like the bacon wrapped situation, try taking it to the next level with our Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast.
HOW TO MAKE BACON WRAPPED SHRIMP
The first thing you want to do for this Bacon Wrapped Shrimp recipe is to get your oven preheating to 450°F.
Temperature is fairly important in this recipe because shrimp cook very quickly, however, it takes bacon much longer to cook through and caramelize. So we will be cooking at a high heat to get that bacon cooked through, followed by a quick broil.
While the oven is working its way up to temperature, knock out a few of your prep items. Let's start with the shrimp!
For this Bacon Wrapped Shrimp recipe, we will be using jumbo shrimp, which typically has a shrimp count of 16 to 25 shrimp. You can use fresh or frozen shrimp, it is entirely up to you.
If you love shrimp recipes as much as we do, be sure to check out our Shrimp Po Boys next!
We are team frozen shrimp around here since we live in Central Texas, which is relatively landlocked. It may come as a surprise to you, but in a landlocked area, frozen shrimp is often fresher than the "fresh shrimp" behind the seafood counter.
The shrimp behind the seafood counter has most likely been frozen once, and it is on its way to thawing as it sits. Unless you plan to cook your shrimp that very day, it is probably best for you to go with frozen shrimp as well. Just make sure you have it completely thawed before using it for this Bacon Wrapped Shrimp recipe.
Now that you know what shrimp you'll be working with, go ahead and peel and devein it. Whether or not you'd like to leave the tails on is completely up to you.
Next, lay out a few sheets of paper towels, place all of your shrimp on top and cover them with another few sheets of paper towels. Press down on the paper towels to absorb any excess moisture from the exterior of your shrimp.
That's all the prep you'll need to do for your shrimp; moving on to the bacon!
The important thing to note here for the bacon is that you will need to use thin-cut bacon for Bacon Wrapped Shrimp, and you'll need to avoid thick-cut bacon. Thick-cut bacon will not cook through in a timeline that makes sense for your shrimp. Remember, shrimp cooks fast, so you want thin-cut bacon that will take less time to cook through and crisp up.
Cut your bacon in half crosswise, and wrap each shrimp in a half piece of bacon slightly overlapping the bacon as you turn. Then, lay the shrimp on a baking sheet lined with nonstick aluminum foil.
As long as you lay the tail end of the bacon flat on the baking sheet you shouldn't have to worry about securing it with a toothpick.
Once you've got your shrimp wrapped in bacon, you'll kick off the rub. You can use light or dark brown sugar, and you also want to have kosher salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder on hand. If you don't have any smoked paprika in the spice cabinet, feel free to sub in chili powder. Combined all of these ingredients in a small bowl.
Now, take your brown sugar spice rub and sprinkle a generous pinch all over the top of the Bacon Wrapped Shrimp. Transfer the shrimp to the oven and bake for 7 minutes at 450°F.
Once the time is up, turn on the broiler. This will help us get some major crispy bacon vibes going on! The important thing to note regarding the broiler is that you absolutely cannot walk away. Everyone's broiler functions at a different heat level and intensity, and the last thing you want is burnt bacon and overcooked shrimp!
Make sure that your eyes are on the shrimp at all times. Keep the broiler going until you can see the brown sugar on top of the bacon begin to bubble and caramelize. As soon as that brown sugar has caramelized and the shrimp is fully cooked through, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool slightly before handling.
This caramelized brown sugar spice rub is so delicious, you'll find a dipping sauce is not necessary in the slightest. Just serve them up as is and enjoy!
6 MORE APPETIZERS YOU’LL LOVE
- Texas Trash
- Cream Cheese Corn Dip
- Baked Brie With Jam
- Meat and Cheese Platter
- Pulled Pork Quesadillas
- Refried Bean Dip
Texas Trash
Corn Dip Recipe with Cream Cheese
Baked Brie with Jam
Meat and Cheese Tray
Pulled Pork Quesadillas
Refried Bean Dip with Cream Cheese
When it comes to appetizers, Bacon Wrapped Shrimp is a show-stopper. Crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and so easy to make!
- ¼ cup light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp (16/25 count), peeled and deveined
- 1 (12-ounce) package bacon (not thick-cut)
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Preheat the oven to 450°F and have ready a rimmed baking sheet lined with nonstick aluminum foil.
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Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels, and set aside.
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Cut the bacon strips in half crosswise and wrap each shrimp with a ½ slice of bacon, ever so slightly overlapping as you loop it around. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
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Combine the sugar and all of the spices in a small bowl, sprinkle a generous pinch of the brown sugar-spice mixture across the tops of the bacon-wrapped shrimp, and pat to adhere.
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Bake for about 7 minutes. Turn on the broiler and do not step away. Once the brown sugar begins to bubble and caramelize on top of the bacon and the shrimp are fully cooked through, about 2-3 minutes, remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
