Salt and Pepper Shrimp in Air fryer

Salt and Pepper shrimp is served at Chinese restaurants and is a delicious favourite appetizer or main. It is usually deep fried. To avoid excessive oil. I made salt and pepper shrimp in air fryer.

It turned out fantastic. Crunchy outside with punchy flavours of garlic and pepper shining through. Also super quick and easy to make.

Everyone at home loved it. Shrimp cooks beautifully in the air fryer. I love making it both breaded and with just a light marinade.

Try these Buffalo shrimp, coconut shrimp, Bang bang shrimp, lemon garlic shrimp, Cajun shrimp, Tandoori shrimp, bacon wrapped shrimp, Tempura shrimp, frozen shrimp and air fryer old bay shrimp done to perfection in air fryer.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

The shrimp are perfectly cooked and crunchy. Taste fantastic. No guilt of deep frying or excessive oil.

Shrimp taste so good with just the basic spices bringing their sweet taste to the fore.

The recipe is newbie friendly. Needs no expertise at all and is so delicious.

Ingredients

1. Shrimp: I have used one pound large shrimp or about 450 gm. These were fresh but frozen ones that are thawed work well too.

2. Olive oil: I used 2 tsp. Of olive oil to help everything adhere well to the shrimp.

3. Seasoning: Pepper, sliced garlic, green or red chilli and salt is all that I have used here.

4. Parsley: Some freshly chopped parsley for garnish is used.

Variations and Substittutions

Cornstarch helps make the shrimp crunchy. You can use chickpea flour or rice flour as gluten-free substitutes here.

This recipe is dairy free as is. Vary the quantity of pepper used as per taste. You may skip the green or red chillies if you like. Or can use chilli flakes in their place.

I have used olive oil but sesame oil works well too.

Serving Suggestions

1. As an appetizer: Salt and pepper shrimp work perfectly as an appetizer. Serve with a dipping sauce on the side like sweet chilli sauce and it will be a hit.

2. As a main: I love to serve these delicious shrimp with some fried rice or noodles and a side of sautéed vegetables.

3. In salads: These crunchy shrimp add protein to any favourite salad or in a wrap or sandwich.

Can I use frozen shrimp in this recipe?

You can use frozen shrimp here but be sure to thaw it well before using. Generally, washing it 3-4 times with normal water helps thaw them out quickly.

Instructions

I have used jumbo shrimp here. These have been peeled and deveined. I normally leave the tail on, but I took them off here as my husband doesn’t like them.

Dry them well and place in a bowl.

Roast 2 tsp. peppercorn in a skillet without oil till they are fragrant. Say about 2-3 minutes. Now pound them in a mortar and pestle.

You can also use a pepper mill. Keep that aside. 

In a bowl, take 2 tbsp. cornstarch or rice flour. Add the shrimp and toss them well. Now add 2 tsp. ground pepper and 1 tsp. salt. Mix well to coat.

Add 2 tsp. oil and toss well. Your shrimp should be nicely coated.

Preheat air fryer at 390F or 200C for 5 minutes. Lay your coated shrimp in one layer.

Close the air fryer basket and air fry for about 6-8 minutes at 390F or 200C.Flip them midway for even cooking. Also spray them lightly with oil during air frying.

Don’t overcook them. So keep an eye on them after 3 minutes. Check after every one minute. Mine were done in 6 minutes.

Remove them and keep aside. Meanwhile heat 1 tsp. of oil in a pan. Add 1 sliced red or green chilli and 1 tsp. crushed garlic.

Cook for about 30 seconds. Take off the heat. Then add the air fried shrimp and toss in this flavourful oil.

Serve your salt and pepper shrimp immediately. If you like you could top with some more pepper and salt. I didn’t need any more. Yes, I ate one and checked. 🙂

Expert Tips

1. When cooking shrimp, be very careful about overcooking them. So watch your shrimp depending upon their size and the size of your air fryer.

2. Adjust the seasonings as per taste. This recipe is spicy especially the hot green chilli that I used.

3. You can use rice flour in place of cornstarch for gluten-free cooking. Both of these make the coating crispy.

4. In place of sliced chillies, you can use chilli flakes or you may skip them too. I would recommend adding the fried garlic though as it gives immense flavour to the shrimp.

5. If you have left tail on, then your shrimp looks more elegant.

6. Don’t overcrowd the basket. For 1 lb. Or 450 gm. you may need to do two batches.

7. Storage: This recipe is best enjoyed fresh. But you can store the shrimp in the refrigerator for a couple of days in an air tight container. Reheat till heated through in the air fryer and serve. It may not get very crispy though.

Here’s the recipe card:

📖 Recipe Card