No one will believe that this delicious shrimp marinara takes less than 30 minutes to make! It’s an easy dinner recipe that’s also great for entertaining.
Looking for easy and healthy dinner recipes? (Who doesn’t?) Well, we have the answer for you: marinara shrimp! It combines the easiest and most delicious marinara sauce with delicious sautéed shrimp. Serve it over pasta and it’s a classic Italian recipe that conveys the carefree vibe of the Mediterranean without fuss. Alex and I only recently discovered shrimp marinara and it’s now part of our weekly repertoire. (If you’re wondering, yes, 2-year-old Larson loves it!) But it’s also flashy enough to entertain. With a large salad, it’s perfect for a simple dinner. Ready to cook?
Shrimp Marinara Keys
A few months ago we had no idea shrimp marinara existed. After finding the perfect romantic date recipe, Clam Marinara, we thought Shrimp Marinara had to be something special. It’s unclear if this is a traditional classic Italian or an Italian-American invention (feel free to weigh in below). In any case, it’s damn delicious. Shrimp are tossed in a flavorful marinara sauce and served over pasta. It’s a delicious Mediterranean diet recipe that’s healthy too. How can you go wrong with that?
Not a lot of technology is required to make it. But here are the keys to the best marinara for shrimp:
- Dry the shrimp. After thawing the shrimp (see section below), be sure to pat dry or you will end up with too much standing water.
- Cook the shrimp until almost done. The main part of the recipe to pay attention to is cooking the shrimp. You should cook them until almost done, then transfer them to a bowl and let the marinara simmer. Once you drop them in the hot marinara, they cook the rest of the way in the hot sauce.
- Prepare our best marinara sauce. OK, you can definitely substitute a store-bought pasta sauce here. But why not do it yourself? Here our recipe is very simple and only takes 15 minutes to simmer.
How to thaw frozen shrimp for shrimp marinara
One myth about fish is “fresh is better”. But if you’re wondering about fresh shrimp versus frozen shrimp, frozen is good too! As soon as an animal dies, it begins to decompose; Freezing suspends this process. If a fish is frozen when you catch it and stays frozen until it gets to your kitchen, it’s of higher quality than a raw fish that took a week to get to your plate. Conclusion: Both are possible!
How do I thaw frozen shrimp? There are a few different options, depending on how much you’ve thought ahead.
- Place the frozen shrimp in the refrigerator overnight.
- If using same day, place frozen shrimp in a large bowl of very cold water. Shake the bowl every 5 minutes to break up clumps of shrimp that have frozen together. Shrimp should be defrosted in about 15 minutes.
Buying sustainable shrimp: What you should pay attention to
Considering buying sustainable fish for this shrimp marinara? (If so, congratulations!) Here are some tips for buying sustainable seafood:
- If possible, look for wild fish. If you live in the United States, look for the united states taken. 90% of the seafood we eat in the United States is imported. Imported seafood is at risk of being overfished, caught under unfair labor conditions, or farmed in environmentally harmful ways.
- It matters how your fish is caught. Seek hook and line as an example of a type of durable gear. Bottom trawling is considered to be the most destructive and least sustainable method.
What to serve with marinara shrimp
Shrimp Marinara is perfect for a leisurely Italian dinner or weeknight dinner. The freshness of a crunchy green salad goes perfectly with it. Here are some sides we would serve with shrimp marinara to make a meal out of it:
Looking for easier Italian recipes?
Easy Italian recipes are our forte here at A Couple Cooks! Here are a few others we recommend if you like that clam marinara:
- Tuscan Lentil Stew This easy and hearty stew features kale, tomatoes, and artichokes. This is a healthy and easy soup recipe that’s bursting with Italian flavor.
- Skillet Eggplant Marinara: Here’s an easy one-skillet version of eggplant marinara! Aubergines do not need to be breaded or fried.
- Easy Creamy Gnocchi: Basically a fancy Italian macaroni and cheese that combines with pecorino cheese and pepper in 15 minutes.
Want a meal plan?
This recipe is included in our Mediterranean Diet Plan! Check out 1 month’s recipes including download a meal planning spreadsheet.
This Shrimp Marinara Recipe is…
pescetarian. Use olive oil for non-dairy products.
The description
No one will believe that this delicious shrimp marinara takes less than 30 minutes to make! It’s an easy dinner recipe that’s also great for entertaining.
For the shrimp and pasta
- 8 ounces spaghetti noodles
- 1 Pound large shrimp, deveined (peeled or unpeeled)
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)
- Parmesan for garnish (optional)
For the marinara sauce
- 28 ounces canned fire-roasted tomato passata (or best quality tomato passata)*
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8th fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
- Thaw shrimp (according to package directions or see section above). Once thawed, pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel or clean cloth.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta al dente (start tasting a few minutes before the package recommends: you want them to be tender but still a bit firm inside). Then drain.
- In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, basil and kosher salt. Cook the shrimp for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until almost cooked, turning them with tongs (they will cook more if you add the marinara at the end). Remove the shrimp from the pan to a bowl, leaving the juice in the pan.
- In the same pan, add the ingredients for the marinara sauce, scraping all the bits off the bottom of the pan while mixing. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the shrimp to the pan and remove from the heat. Serve over pasta and garnish with parmesan (optional) and chopped basil.
Remarks
*If you can’t find fire roasted tomatoes, use the best quality tomatoes you can find. Taste the tomatoes before you start. If they taste bitter, you may need to simmer the sauce a little longer than the time listed. Fire roasted tomatoes taste sweet straight out of the can, so they take less time to simmer, while other brands taste bitter and take longer to simmer.
- Category: main course
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: Italian
Keywords: Shrimp Marinara, Shrimp Recipe, Shrimp Dinner Idea, Easy Dinner Ideas
