Pesto Shrimp

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on Last updated

15 Comments

5 from 5 votes
6 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
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Pesto Shrimp made with homemade pesto is the easiest and most flavorful shrimp with an herby, Parmesan flavor and it looks so impressive!

We love easy shrimp recipes like Shrimp Tempura, Easy Honey Garlic Shrimp, and Kung Pao Shrimp and this Pesto Shrimp is no different.

Pesto Shrimp in Pan Pesto Shrimp

Pesto Shrimp is a “pantry” recipe you can keep in your back pocket for anytime you need a 15 minute meal. If you have a favorite Pesto recipe (see below) or love your favorite jarred variety you just need a few minutes and you’ve got an easy dinner or the beginning of a fantastically easy pasta recipe.

Let’s discuss the ways you can enjoy this recipe.

Grilled Pesto Shrimp:

Marinate the shrimp in the pest for 15 minutes and skewer the shrimp onto a soaked wooden skewer. Since the shrimp will cook in just 1-2 minutes on each side you can also skewer cherry tomatoes on the skewer to add more freshness and flavor to your skewers. If you would like to serve over pasta the charred tomatoes also add a great flavor addition to some pesto pasta.

Baked Pesto Shrimp:

Once the shrimp is done marinating add the shrimp in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for 5 minutes before tossing with some shaved Parmesan cheese and serving.

Creamy Pesto Shrimp:

Once the shrimp is done marinating add the shrimp to a hot skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side before removing it from the pan. Add in the remaining pesto that you added to the shrimp along with 1 cup seafood or chicken broth, ½ cup heavy cream and 4 ounces of cream cheese. Stir the mixture until thickened and creamy before adding the shrimp back into the pan and garnishing with Parmesan cheese.

Easy Pesto Shrimp

What to serve with Pesto Shrimp?

We love enjoying this shrimp with Garlic Bread, Olive Garden Italian Salad, and Rainbow Roasted Vegetables.

Homemade Pesto Recipe

¼ cup pine nuts
3 cups basil leaves
4 cloves garlic
¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup olive oil

Add the pine nuts to a small pan on medium heat and let toast until you can just smell them.
Add all the ingredients to a small food processor until smooth.

Pesto Marinade over Shrimp

Can you freeze Pesto Shrimp?

YES, but don’t freeze it after cooking. Add the pesto to the shrimp with a bit more olive oil in a large ziploc bag and make sure you squeeze out all the air before closing the bag and freezing. When ready to cook just defrost fully submerged in cold water for 1 hour before cooking the shrimp.

Can you swap the shrimp for chicken?

Yes, you can absolutely swap the shrimp for chicken, scallops, fish or pork. If you’re using chicken make sure you score the chicken through the fat or through the coating on boneless skinless chicken breast so that the marinade can flavor more of the chicken.

If you use fish or chicken instead of shrimp make sure you cook it on a high heat for just a few minutes on each side. If you can cook it in the oven instead of the skillet it’ll keep the pesto from getting overcooked.

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Dinner, then Dessert

Pesto Shrimp

Pesto Shrimp made with homemade pesto is the easiest and most flavorful shrimp with an herby, Parmesan flavor and it looks so impressive!
Yield 6 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Author Sabrina Snyder
Pesto Shrimp in Pan
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup pesto , divided
  • 1 pound shrimp , peeled and deveined
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Add the shrimp to the pesto (reserve two tablespoons) and let sit for 15 minutes.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the shrimp (scrape off the pesto) to the pan, cooking on each side for 1-2 minutes.
  • Transfer to a bowl and toss with the remaining pesto and garnish with Parmesan cheese before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 199mg | Sodium: 1107mg | Potassium: 68mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 900IU | Vitamin C: 3.1mg | Calcium: 275mg | Iron: 1.9mg
Keyword: basil, parmesan cheese, Pesto Shrimp, shrimp

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About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. 1 cup pesto’ divided
    Please explain what is done w/the other half of the pesto?
    Thank you

    Reply

    1. Thanks for catching that. You want to reserve about 2 tablespoons to toss the cooked shrimp in before serving.

      Reply

  2. Oh, my! Those shrimps look so delicious. I love pesto on anything and I live for shrimps, can’t wait to try this recipe!

    Reply

  6. Going to get some shrimp, and make this tomorrow. Sounds like something my family will love. I’ll serve the shrimp over angel hair pasta, with a great big tossed salad on the side. YUM!

    Reply