Ready in a matter of minutes, this Old Bay shrimp recipe is easy to make and can be served over rice and paired with a salad or green veggie to make a fast and flavorful dinner.
Quick steps for making this recipe
- Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the shrimp and sprinkle with Old Bay Seasoning. Sauté for about three minutes.
- Drizzle with fresh-squeezed lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and a dash of Tabasco. Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.
- Toss the shrimp in the sauce until coated, season with a little black pepper and serve.
Serving suggestions
To serve, plate some rice, top with shrimp, and spoon all those delicious pan juices over the top. Add a salad or a simple vegetable like green beans or peas to round out the meal.
If you like this dish, you may want to try our Louisiana Style Shrimp and Rice too.
What is Old Bay Seasoning?
Originally developed by the Baltimore Spice Company for flavoring crab and shrimp, Old Bay Seasoning is a blend of salt, celery seed, black pepper, red pepper, paprika, and other spices.
It’s named after the Old Bay line of passenger ships that sailed the Chesapeake Bay from Baltimore to Norfolk, Virginia in the early 1900s.
The brand was sold to McCormick & Company in 1990, but the flavor has remained the same. McCormick now makes some other Old Bay products including a reduced-sodium version, prepared cocktail sauce, and a crab cake mix.
If you like the flavor profile of Old Bay, you might want to try the Crab Boil with Beer and Old Bay from Southern Living.
Old Bay Shrimp Sauté
Ingredients
- 1.25 lbs large shrimp, peeled (tails on) and deveined
- 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 1-1/2 lemons
- 4 to 5 dashes of Tabasco
- 3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 5 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
- 2 to 3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Steamed white or brown rice
Instructions
- Combine the lemon juice, Tabasco, and Worcestershire in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large pan over medium-high heat until foamy.
- Add the shrimp, sprinkle with the Old Bay Seasoning and sauté until pink and opaque, about 3 minutes total.
- Add the lemon juice mixture, thyme leaves, and the remaining tablespoon of butter and toss until the shrimp are well coated.
- Season with freshly ground black pepper and remove from the heat.
- To serve, plate individual servings of steamed white or brown rice, top with a portion of shrimp and spoon the pan juices over the top.
Morales says
I was excited to try this but it came out very lemony. I followed the recipe. Is the lemon flavor supposed to overpower all the other flavors?
Lynne Webb says
Hi there,
Our concept for this dish is essentially a lemon-butter sauce for shrimp that uses Old Bay seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and fresh thyme as flavor enhancers. It should have a noticeable lemon flavor and the quantity of lemon juice we call for is what we found to be appropriate in order to balance the assertive flavors of the Old Bay seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. That being said, we’re sorry it wasn’t to your liking and should you want to try it again, simply reduce the amount of lemon juice. It shouldn’t affect the overall success of the dish.
Barb says
This recipe is delicious! We made tacos with homemade coleslaw, Mexican 4 cheese and sour cream.
Maureen says
Best ever!! Thank you so much.
Lynne Webb says
Glad you liked the shrimp, Maureen! Thanks!
Alicia says
This was yummy. The only thing I did differently was half butter, half olive oil and didn’t measure the old bay, just seasoned the shrimp to our liking. The sauce addition was great. Thanks!
Lynne Webb says
Hi Alicia,
I’m happy to hear you liked the shrimp. Thanks for taking the time to let us know!
Marsha Bownds says
This was one of the best shrimp dishes I’ve ever tasted!!! Definitely a keeper. I cooked it in my cast iron skillet.
Vivian Haley says
This is really delicious. I like the kicky flavor pared with the shrimp. I would like to know how many calories are in it, however.
Lynne Webb says
Hi Vivian,
We’ve been steadily updating all of our recipes to include nutrition info. I’ve just done this one for you!
Tresha says
Delicious!! Nice light calorie meal
Lynne Webb says
Hi Tresha,
So glad you liked the shrimp. Thanks for letting us know!
Alex G. says
Made it and loved it!! Thx for the recipe!!
Lynne Webb says
Hi Alex,
Glad to hear you enjoyed the shrimp – thanks for taking the time to let us know.
BETTY says
Nice and easy recipe and the white rice with bacon and onion is a great accompaniment to the main flavors of old bay and shrimp..
Lynne Webb says
Hi Betty,
The Old Bay seasoning really does have a unique flavor – just perfect for shrimp. Glad you enjoyed both the shrimp and the rice.