Red Argentine Shrimp
Curious about how to cook red Argentine shrimp? This easy recipe is flavorful, fast, and delicious. Simple ingredients come together into an amazing pan sauce. Serve with your favorite grain or veggies for a quick yet elegant dinner.
Red Argentinian shrimp are such a fun and flavorful addition to your menu. They are every bit as quick and easy to cook as regular shrimp, but have a slightly sweeter flavor and feel extra elegant. Some even say they have a taste and texture that reminds them of lobster — but they’re definitely way easier to prepare!
This recipe literally takes 15 minutes, goes with just about any side dish, and requires minimal prep or clean-up. What could be better!?
Ingredients & Common Substitutions
Here are a few notes and shopping tips about the ingredients you’ll need to make this, as well as possible substitutions.
- Shrimp: Be sure to buy raw shrimp, already peeled and deveined if possible, to save time.
- White wine or broth: A dry white wine, such as a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, adds subtle flavor to the sauce despite the alcohol cooking off. Freely substitute chicken broth or seafood stock if you prefer.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is an important part of the pan sauce. Mince your own or use pre-minced from a jar, but try not to fall back on garlic powder here.
- Lemon juice.
- Staples: butter, salt, and pepper.
- Optional additions: fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, and extra lemon wedges make pretty and flavorful garnishes to sprinkle on at the end.
What are red Argentinian shrimp?
Red Argentinian shrimp are plump, meaty shrimp that have a naturally red color when raw and are caught wild in the frigid waters off the coast of Patagonia, in the southernmost part of South America. They stand out for their vibrant color, but also for their rich, sweet flavor in comparison to regular deep water shrimp. They have become extra popular in the last year or two because some people claim the flavor and texture more closely resembles lobster than other shrimp.
What is the difference between Argentine red shrimp and regular shrimp?
Regular deep water shrimp are a translucent gray color when raw; Argentinian red shrimp have a reddish-pink hue in their raw state. They are also larger on average than regular shrimp or prawns, and have a mildly sweeter flavor.
Argentinian red shrimp are not the same as Royal Red shrimp. They are found in different areas, though both are considered a delicacy and prized for their tender, sweet flavor.
Do you remove the tails from shrimp before cooking?
Removing shrimp tails prior to cooking is completely optional. I often leave them on for looks only; it is honestly easier to eat shrimp when the tails are already removed. If you want to encourage kids or other picky eaters to dig in, take off the tails to remove a barrier to dinner consumption. 🙂 You can toss the tails or freeze them in a tightly-sealed zip-top bag to use in shrimp stock.
What’s the fastest way to defrost shrimp?
Place frozen shrimp in a large colander, place in the sink, and run them under cold water for about 5 minutes. Why cold water? Shrimp are so easy to cook that hot water can start doing so prematurely!
You also can defrost shrimp in the refrigerator overnight or during the day. They are truly so easy to defrost right before cooking, though. This makes them a perfect protein to keep in the freezer for last-minute meals.
How To Cook Red Argentine Shrimp
These literally take less than 15 minutes start to finish, so get ready to enjoy dinner in record time. Here are the steps:
- Melt butter in a large skillet and sauté garlic very briefly, just until fragrant.
- Add shrimp in a single layer and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Make sauce by adding wine or broth, a squeeze of lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. I like to use kosher or sea salt for optimal flavor.
- Flip shrimp and cook 1-2 minutes more.
How to tell when Argentinian shrimp are cooked
One slight challenge with cooking red Argentine shrimp? Because they are naturally reddish in hue, rather than the translucent gray color of regular shrimp, you cannot rely quite as easily on a change in color to know when they are cooked. The best way to tell when Argentinian shrimp are done? They will curl into a tight “C” shape and have a more opaque white color on both sides. The red tint will remain along the edges.
All shrimp cook very quickly, so you want to pay attention and know the signs, otherwise you will end up with tough, rubbery shrimp–not very tasty!
Are Argentine red shrimp healthy?
Most consider Argentinian shrimp, like traditional shrimp, a healthy source of protein. Pound for pound, they are low in calories and fat, but offer a good amount of protein, as well as omega 3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and important minerals such as iron, potassium, and zinc.
Serving Suggestions
This makes an easy dinner served over rice, orzo, or pearl couscous. It’s also nice served alongside your favorite salad or vegetable with a few slices of crusty bread to mop up the extra garlic butter sauce.
Argentine shrimp also make an impressive appetizer; pile the cooked shrimp on a salad plate and serve with toothpicks or small forks. Add cocktail sauce only if you love it – these are very flavorful all on their own.
Of course these shrimp are also delicious served from the grill. You would not in that case have the pan sauce described here, but a simple marinade of lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil adds amazing flavor, and they cook in no time on skewers.
Add these plump, deliciously sweet-tasting shrimp to your menu the next time you need a simple meal to impress!
More Easy Shrimp Recipes
Want to use this sauce for regular shrimp? This 15 minute garlic butter shrimp recipe is written for that. You’ll also love to make and eat honey garlic shrimp and broccoli, blackened shrimp Alfredo, and these light and flavorful Greek shrimp skewers.
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Red Argentine Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound red Argentine shrimp peeled and deveined
- 3 Tablespoons dry white wine or chicken or shrimp broth
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 10-12 cranks fresh-ground black pepper
- red pepper flakes fresh parsley, and lemon wedges, optional garnish
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds, just until fragrant, then add shrimp to the pan in an even layer.
- Cook shrimp for 1-2 minutes, just until they begin to curl and turn a more opaque white color on the bottom. Stir in the wine or broth, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, then flip shrimp so that the opposite sides are on the bottom. Saute 1-2 minutes more, just until shrimp are fully cooked. The liquid will be very slightly reduced.
- Toss shrimp to coat in the sauce. Garnish with more lemon, red pepper flakes, or a sprinkling of parsley, as desired. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- When done, Argentine red shrimp will curl into a tight “C” shape and have a more opaque white color on both sides, with the red tint remaining along the edges. As do all shrimp, they cook very quickly, so pay attention and remove from heat as soon as they are finished cooking, otherwise you will end up with tough, rubbery shrimp–not very tasty!
- For an extra dash of flavor and heat, add a dash of paprika — smoked or sweet — or a lemon pepper seasoning mix along with the garlic.
Oh my, this shrimp was so delicious and very tasty! Everything was perfect and the texture is really great!
I love seafood, and this shrimp is so delicious! Recommendable for anyone like me who loves seafood!
A fantastic recipe that gives the prawns so much flavour, my wife loved this so much we will be making it again this Saturday 🙂
Listen, I love garlic but that’s all I could taste here. Super overpowering.Â
WONDERFUL – Fast, delicious and simple to make.
The recipe said the shrimp cooked fast, so I planned for that. I prepped everything and set it aside. Then I started the pasta. The shrimp and delicious sauce were ready at the same time as the pasta time. Following directions carefully created a wonderful dinner in less than 15 minutes.
After the shrimp was cooked, I thickened the sauce (I stirred 1 TBSP of cornstarch & 3 TBSP of water, just before the finish. The satin-like sauce perfectly covered the pasta.
I did.  Yummm.  There is no better shrimp than Argentina red shrimp .  Smooth taste like lobster.  That’s why I love it.  No it’s doesn’t have that snap.  Which is fine with me. Everyone should eat this. Scrumptious to the end   I get it from wild fork.   It’s cleaned and peeled. Frozen too.  Or from a local butcher shop.  Reasonable price too. Â