. Make it sweet with honey or marinate it in lemon juice and dill to serve as an appetizer with white wine for an ethereal flavor pairing. But it doesn't end with the appetizer — there are thousands more ideas for cooking your garlic shrimp.

Grilled Shrimp

The grill is not just for burgers — marinated and skewered, there's a reason why shrimp on the barbie is a thing. Of course, you don't have to spear your chimichurri shrimp or your tequila-lime shrimp to do your outdoor cooking, wrap them up with all the seasonings you choose in aluminum foil packets, throw them on the grill and your grilled shrimp can be ready to eat in about five minutes.

Shrimp Pasta

If you want a pile of pasta to go with your shrimp, you can choose from recipes like bang bang shrimp pasta to shrimp and pesto pasta. You can even do a one-pot pasta with shrimp — just throw your dry noodles into the pot with sauce and chicken broth and bring it to a boil. Just remember to wait until the end of cooking to stir in the shrimp so it doesn't overcook. Sprinkle it with minced fresh basil and parmesan cheese and you have a meal.

Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp scampi is probably the most popular shrimp dishes which is why there are more than 1,000 shrimp scampi recipes to choose from on Yummly! It's a quick-cooking dinner that involves garlic, butter, noodles, and, of course, shrimp. There are different methods for making it and there are versions for some dietary restrictions — you can make it gluten-free with rice noodles or keto with zucchini noodles. Whatever your preferences are, there's probably a scampi recipe to suit you.

Garlic Butter Shrimp

Shrimp and most seafood go well with garlic butter as a topping or dipping sauce. You can't go wrong with sheet pan garlic butter shrimp served with couscous and broccoli for a well-balanced meal. For something out of the ordinary, try piling it on top of a mound of polenta or orzo pasta instead of fettucini. If you want to make garlic butter as a dipping sauce, all you need is butter, salt, and garlic powder for a simple sauce to serve with grilled, boiled, or sauteed shrimp.

Lemon Shrimp

Leon is the go-to citrus seasoning for shrimp — most shrimp recipes include at least a squeeze of lemon, but there are different adaptations and combinations to elevate both the shrimp and the lemon. You can try lemon shrimp foil packs for the grill, lemon pepper shrimp for the oven or lemon shrimp risotto on the stovetop. However you need to cook your lemon shrimp or serve it, there's a recipe that's right for you.

Butter Shrimp

There are few things better than butter shrimp. Drowning in butter, curry butter shrimp, beer buttered shrimp, sriracha butter shrimp -- there's almost no limit to the ways you can make butter shrimp.

Shrimp Fried Rice

If you're not into noodles, rice can soak up shrimp flavors for your next weeknight dinner. Shrimp fried rice is a family favorite, but if you want an adult dish, you can do a slow cooking shrimp risotto to serve with steamed vegetables. If you want a little more heat and less prep time, spicy Thai shrimp and rice might be something to try. If you want something simple, you could grill your shrimp and serve it on a bed of rice pilaf.

Shrimp Tips and Tricks

Shrimp can be difficult to cook properly because there's a very tiny window from a cooked shrimp to an overcooked shrimp. One of the most important tips is to dry them well before cooking them. Don't just pat them with a paper towel. Let them air dry for an hour or more in the fridge because the surface of the shrimp won't brown until it's dry and the longer it takes for the moisture on the shrimp to steam off, the more the middle cooks. By the time you have a dry surface, you'll have tough and overcooked shrimp, so it's important to give them a head start for drying off.

Grilling Shrimp

If you decide to grill your shrimp, be sure to cook them quickly. You should avoid cooking them longer than two minutes per side. You don't want to waste time flipping your shrimp one at a time. Skewering them will help you avoid that mistake. Not only does it make it easier to turn the shrimp, but they're also less likely to fall through the grill grate and helps them keep their shape. You should use two skewers per line of shrimp to avoid having them flip individually on the skewer. If you do peel your shrimp, do not throw away the shells. The shells of shrimp, as well as crab, lobster, and crawfish, are loaded with flavor. You can use them to make a bisque, stock, or consomme.

Salting shrimp before cooking helps it stay moist and delicious. Use about one teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of shrimp. Adding baking soda to the brine of shrimp will help the browning process and make the flavors of the shrimp pop. Only add about one-fourth of a teaspoon of baking soda for every pound of shrimp so you don't taste any soapiness, especially if you're also adding flavors like parsley, garlic, and lemon.

Mistakes to Avoid When Cooking Shrimp

While some tips and tricks will help make your shrimp outstanding, there are some things you need to avoid doing so you don't ruin the shrimp. Avoid buying "fresh" shrimp if you're not buying it from a live tank or directly from the ocean. The shrimp you see in the grocery store on top of a bed of ice is probably once-frozen shrimp that have been thawed and are now slowly becoming spoiled. Avoid this shrimp at all costs, especially if they're whole shrimp, as the heads contain an enzyme that quickly turn the flesh of the shrimp mushy if it's not separated from the body immediately after being plucked from the water. Buy individually quick frozen shrimp in the shell and defrost them yourself.

Thawing Shrimp

When thawing shrimp, never, ever use a microwave or leave them to thaw on the counter. The best way to do it is in a colander in the refrigerator overnight. If you didn't plan ahead and defrost them the night before, you could seal them in a plastic bag with all the air pressed out of it and run cold water (not warm or hot) over it for five to 10 minutes. Avoid running water over the shrimp without the bag because they'll soak up the water and turn soggy.

Shrimp do not need to cook for long. Because they're so small and their muscles and connective tissues are so short and thin, the heat doesn't take long to penetrate them. Shrimp are fully cooked when their interior reaches 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The best way to tell if they're done is if they turn an opaque pink color.

Shrimp Shells

Know when to leave the shells on and when to take them off. People all over the world eat shrimp with the shells on because they're crunchy and tasty. Since North Americans don't eat the shell, you're left with the question of removing the shells before or after you cook or letting your guests remove them. Most people find peeling shrimp to be messy and a hassle if they're having to dip the shrimp in a cocktail sauce or remove them from their pasta dish as they eat. In either case, it's best to remove the shells before serving. However, there are times when it's preferable to leave the shells on. You should always keep the shells on when you grill shrimp because they protect them from the dry heat of the grill. You're less likely to overcook them when the shell is on and they're more likely to be juicy when you bite into them. Leaving the shells on your grilled shrimp also helps them keep their shape.

If you're looking for delicious, easy shrimp recipes, it doesn't matter what you're in the mood for or how much time you have to cook dinner for the night, Yummly has you covered.