This pickled shrimp has all the flavors you love in a classic Southern dish-vibrant, tangy, and just the right amount of spice. It's an easy, make-ahead appetizer, brunch, or lunch you serve all year round.
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My shrimp recipe isn't technically pickled in the traditional sense. Instead, it's infused with a flavorful brine without fully preserving it. Think of it as marinated shrimp that you can serve it chilled at cocktail parties with a creamy remoulade or horseradish aioli dip on the side, or serve it over orzo salad.
📖Why My Recipe Works
Most pickled shrimp recipes require you to cook it by boiling it and then peeling it. But am known for big flavors, so we are going to boil the peeled and deveined shrimp with my Cajun seasoning. This gives an extra layer of flavor before we even get to the marinade.
🧾Ingredient Notes
- Raw Shrimp- Use medium or large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined before cooking. It's up to you if you want to keep the tail on or remove it.
- Cajun Seasoning- You can use mine or storebought, just check the salt.
- Apple Cider Vinegar- The base of the brine. Rice vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Garlic- Use fresh garlic, no garlic powder.
- Mustard Seeds- Black or yellow mustard seed.
- Red Onion- Substitute with shallots or sweet onions.
- Capers- Using the capers with its juices adds salty and tangy flavors to the marinade.
- Red Pepper Flakes- Adds a subtle heat to the brine. For a mild flavor use black peppercorns. If you want a spicier flavor, you can add cayenne pepper or a few slices of fresh jalapeño.
⏲️How to Make Pickled Shrimp
- Add the shrimp to the boiling water (seasoned generously) and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and opaque. Shrimp tend to cook quickly, so keep your eyes on them.
- Transfer it to a bowl of ice to immediately stop the cooking process without rinsing the flavors from it. DO NOT RINSE off the seasoning.
- It's important to balance the olive oil and vinegar so that the acidity isn't overpowering. After combining the ingredients, you can toss the shrimp in the bowl to fully coat it before transferring to a jar. I recommend using a tall jar to make sure the shrimp are fully submerged. You can use more than one jar if it doesn't fit. Top with more oil if not fully submerge.
- Refrigerate pickled shrimp for at least one day. You'll get the optimal flavor if you let it chill for around 48 hours.
Expert Tip
Undercooking the shrimp for a few seconds will help prevent tough and rubbery shrimp. They tend to continue to "cook" while marinating in the vinegar and lemon mixture.
More Appetizer Recipes
🌡️Storing Leftovers
Keep pickled shrimp in a jar in the refrigerator until ready to serve. You can store it for 3-4 days. I don't recommend freezing the pickled shrimp.
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📖 Recipe Card
Southern Pickled Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 pounds raw shrimp see note
- 1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 lemons thinly sliced
- 1 medium red onion thinly sliced
- ¼ cup capers with brine
- 1 Tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 4 cloves garlic smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ teaspoon crush red pepper flakes
- 3 sprigs fresh dill
- 3 sprigs fresh parsley
- remoulade sauce optional, for dipping
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of salted water to a boil. Add the Cajun seasoning and raw shrimp cooking for 2-3 minutes until just pink and opaque. Drain and immediately, place in a bowl of ice to cool but do not rinse.2 pounds raw shrimp, 1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, sugar and salt until the sugar dissolves.1 ½ cup apple cider vinegar, 1 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- Add the remaining ingredients and the cooled shrimp, toss to coat. The shrimp needs to be stored completely covered by the mixture. This is easiest to do in tall jars. Add more olive to cover if needed.2 lemons, 1 medium red onion, ¼ cup capers, 1 Tablespoon mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon celery seed, 4 cloves garlic, 2 bay leaves, ¼ teaspoon crush red pepper flakes, 3 sprigs fresh dill, 3 sprigs fresh parsley
- Refrigerate for at least 24 hours, up to 3 days before serving.
Video
Notes
- I recommend using raw shrimp to ensure it is properly cooked.
- You can use already peeled and deveined (cook 2ish minutes) or shell on shrimp and peel and devein before cooking.
- Serve with chopped dill and parsley for a splash of color.
Cynd says
I have made this recipe several times. It never fails to please. My family requests it when we have a grazing night for get togethers.
Jen Wooster says
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!