Can You Fry Frozen Shrimp?

Last updated on September 17th, 2022 at 09:38 am

When you forget to take something out to thaw for dinner, you may think that you have to wait for it to thaw until you can cook frozen meat. But, did you know that there are some meats you can cook frozen? 

It may take a little longer to cook them since you are skipping the thawing process but some meat can be cooked while they’re still frozen. So, what about shrimp? 

Can you fry shrimp frozen?

You can fry shrimp frozen. Since they are so small and quick to cook, it is difficult to undercook shrimp. Frying shrimp that is frozen can even help to avoid overcooking them. So you can still get juicy and tender shrimp by frying it frozen.

When you realize you can cook shrimp right out of the freezer, it may make your life just a little easier. We’ve all had times where we were in a rush that morning and totally forgot to thaw the shrimp for dinner. When you arrive home you don’t want to wait until it is defrosted to cook it. 

You may not even want to use the defrost setting on your microwave. 

Some good news is that you can fry shrimp frozen! And they can still end up being juicy and tender. Meat like chicken and salmon have to be cooked to a certain temperature where they are safe to consume. But shrimp are so small that it is hard to undercook them. 

They fry up very nicely even when placed in the frying pan from frozen state. If you love shrimp you have to try out these things called shrimp chips!

Can You Fry Frozen Shrimp Without Thawing?

Shrimp is a popular cuisine around the world. Americans eat about a billion pounds of shrimp every year. This tiny seafood can be cooked several ways. 

You can broil, sautee, and even fry shrimp. If you are waiting to fry up some shrimp but don’t want to wait for it to thaw, can you just fry the shrimp without thawing it?

You can fry shrimp without thawing it first. You can just place them straight out of the freezer into the pan. Now, it may be hard to bread shrimp you want to deep fry, so for deep-frying you will likely need to thaw the frozen shrimp.

Now, if you were just going to be placing the frozen shrimp directly into a pan or pot to cook and fry, then this is fine to do. But deep-frying is something a little different. You will want to batter and bread the shrimp and since it is frozen, the batter won’t stick to them. 

So, for deep frying the frozen pieces of shrimp, it is best to thaw first. But if you are going to be frying the shrimp as is with some seasoning in a pot or pan, this can be done without thawing it.

How Long Does It Take To Fry Frozen Shrimp?

Just like you can fry frozen fish or chicken, you can also fry frozen shrimp. This can be very helpful if you are in a hurry and don’t have time to thaw the tiny seafood. 

Frozen shrimp will take a little longer to cook than thawed shrimp because they have defrost at the same time. So, how long does it take to thaw frozen shrimp?

Although it depends on how many and how big the shrimp are that you are frying, on average it will take about 5 to 6 minutes to fry frozen shrimp. It takes about twice as long to cook frozen shrimp as it does to cook thawed shrimp.

When frying thawed shrimp you cook them for about 2 to 3 minutes per side. And so when you are frying frozen shrimp, you cook them for about twice as long, bringing the frying time up to about 5 to 6 minutes for each side. 

Even though it takes a few minutes longer, it is a lot faster than waiting for the shrimp to thaw before frying them. Frying frozen shrimp can also be a good way to avoid overcooking them. 

Since shrimp are so small, they cook quickly making it difficult to under cook them. By frying up frozen shrimp, you can prevent them from being overdone making them juicy and tender. 

Frying frozen shrimp can cut back on thawing time as well as avoiding cooking them too long. So, it only takes a little longer to cook frozen shrimp.

Final Thoughts

You can fry frozen shrimp. It may be hard to batter and bread it but it is safe to cook the shrimp straight from the freezer. This can cut down on thawing time but you will need to fry the shrimp twice as long per side. 

The good news is that shrimp doesn take that long to cook anyways since they are so small, so frying time for frozen shrimp is only a few minutes more than for thawed shrimp. 

So, if you are in a hurry and need to cook shrimp right away, you can fry them frozen.