Salt and Pepper Shrimp in Air fryer

Salt and Pepper Shrimp in Air fryer

These air fryer salt and pepper shrimp are the healthier take on the famous salt and pepper shrimp that you get in Chinese restaurants. Very easy recipe.

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword air fryer salt and pepper shrimp, salt and pepper shrimp air fryer

recipe air fryer shrimp

Prep Time 3

Cook Time 12

Total Time 15

Servings

Calories 126kcal

Author Rachna Parmar

Equipment

1 Air fryer
1 Chef's knife

Ingredients

1 lb. Jumbo Shrimp or 450 gm.
2 tsp. Pepper ground
1 tsp. Salt
3 tsp. Olive oil
1 chilli green or red sliced
1 tsp. Garlic minced
1 tsp. Parsley optional for garnish

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. :)

Notes

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.

Nutrition