How to air fry frozen shrimp for a quick and easy protein

The air fryer continues to earn its reputation as a must-have kitchen appliance: Did you know you can just toss frozen shrimp in the fryer basket and they’ll be ready to eat in just a few minutes?

Yup. According to Lifehacker, it only takes the press of a few buttons and a couple of shakes of the basket. Next thing you know you’ve got taco fillings, or a salad protein, or just a festive snack.

Before you get too excited and start tossing icy crustaceans everywhere, take a look at what kind of shrimp you have in your freezer.

Air frying shrimp cooks best when it’s peeled and deveined already. You can work with unpeeled shrimp, but the deveining is essential —y vu need to thaw out veined shrimp first in order to devein them. We just want to toss ‘em in!

Once you’re sure about your shrimp, preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. While that’s going, select your seasonings. Toss the frozen shrimp with oil in a large bowl until evenly coated, then apply whatever seasonings you desire.

And now, the moment of truth: Add the shrimp to the air fryer basket in a single layer and cook. Lifehacker recommends checking after 3 minutes (yes, 3 very short minutes) to see how things are coming along, and to give the basket a little shake.  While how long the shrimp actually takes to cook varies by the size and number you put in, it should take about 5 minutes to cook eight medium-sized prawns this way.

The shrimp are done when the flesh is opaque and firm to the touch. Bon Appétit recommends checking the crevice where the vein once was, at the “head” end of the shrimp. When that bit goes opaque, the shrimp is ready.

Or at least they will be — the shrimp continues to cook for a few minutes after you’ve removed them from the heat. Take them out at the right time and you’ll prevent rubbery, overdone shrimp. (Side note: This works whether you’re cooking raw or cooked shrimp, but cooking raw shrimp in the air fryer may take a smidge longer.)

And now, the fun part: Eating the shrimp! Click here for more details on this super-fast shrimp technique.