Instant Pot Shrimp Recipes for Summer

Instant Pots are great at cooking many different things, but did you know you could cook shrimp, too? Shrimp can be made a few different ways, but the Instant Pot speeds things up. There are enough Instant Pot shrimp recipes to keep you returning for more.

The best Instant Pot shrimp recipes for summer can help you enjoy seafood dinner recipes at home more often. Shrimp is relatively easy to cook. However, things can go wrong as well.

It seems like a contradiction, but a lot of the mistakes don’t happen when cooking. Instead, the errors occur in the prep. The first mistake is defrosting the shrimp. Shrimp should never be defrosted on the counter; sticking them in the fridge overnight is not enough either.

Instant Pot Shrimp Recipes Close Up of a Shrimp and Pasta Dish Garnished with Parsley

It would help to defrost shrimp in a colander in the fridge overnight. Another option is to stick them in an airtight Ziploc bag with cold water running over it for about 5 to 10 minutes.

The next common mistake is not cleaning the shrimp properly. We have to remove the digestive tract before we cook it, not because it is bad for you or dangerous. Instead, we want to get the sand and dirt out of there; otherwise, the bites will be gritty.

Instant Pot Shrimp Recipes Close Up of Cooked Shrimp

The shells don’t have to be removed either. They are filled with flavor and add a nice crunch to the bite. However, some people prefer them without shells, so do whatever you want with the shells.

However, leaving the shells on while cooking Instant Pot shrimp recipes could be beneficial. The only mistake people often make with shrimp while cooking is overcooking the shrimp.

But leaving the shells on will decrease the odds of you overcooking the shrimp. This all seems like a lot. However, they are just common mistakes when cooking shrimp. You will find that most of this is easy to do and makes for a better-tasting result.

Instant Pot Shrimp Recipes Close Up of a Shrimp and Rice Dish

Shrimp Scampi | Garden in the Kitchen

Shrimp and Broccoli | Little Sunny Kitchen

Fajitas with Shrimp | Nourish Plate

Shrimp Boil | Eating Instantly

Garlic Shrimp and Rice | Kitchen at Hoskins

Instant Pot Shrimp Recipes Close Up of a Seafood Paella With Shrimp and Oysters

Instant Pot Shrimp Recipes Fresh vs. Frozen Shrimp

We have to get one thing out of the way; all shrimp is frozen shrimp. Shrimp are caught, beheaded, and then frozen as fast as possible to preserve the shrimp for shipping.

You could find some shrimp at the grocery store that was not in the freezer aisle or even out on top of a mound of ice. Rest assured, that shrimp has already been frozen and defrosted before you even got your eyes on them.

Instant Pot Shrimp Recipes for Summer Close Up of a Platter of Shrimp

The only way to get absolutely fresh shrimp is to get it straight from the boat that caught it. That being said, fresh is always better than frozen, but no one will be able to tell the difference when it comes to shrimp.

Shrimp Fried Rice | Beyond the Noms

Shrimp Lo Mein | The Peculiar Green Rose

Paella | Easy Healthy Recipes

Shrimp Alfredo Pasta | Cooked by Julie

Grits and Shrimp | The Crumby Kitchen

Instant Pot Shrimp Recipes Close Up of a Single Shrimp Being Held by Chopsticks

Defrost Shrimp or Not

We now know how to defrost shrimp properly, which is an important step. However, cooking Instant Pot shrimp recipes is an entirely different story. You will come across a lot of recipes that require you to refrain from defrosting the shrimp first.

Remember the only problem that arises while cooking shrimp? Overcooked shrimp is terrible; no one wants that. But the Instant Pot uses a combination of heat, steam, and pressure to speed up the process.