Looking for what to serve with Shrimp? Here are some of my best sides that are easy across pasta, other grain options, and vegetable sides for shrimp that you and your family will love!
Shrimp is a delicate protein often reserved for special occasions. So when it comes to what to serve with shrimp as the main dish, you want things that will not overpower. You don’t want sides that will hide the flavor or texture and overshadow the shrimp. You also want something that seems special enough to pair with shrimp.
What to Serve with Shrimp: Flavors Profiles
There are many flavors, spices and seasonings that go with shrimp! When you think about what to serve with shrimp, there are a few that really stand out, such as garlic, lime juice, saffron, and chili powder. But let’s look more at the different flavor profiles that can go so well with shrimp. This is by no means a complete list of all of them, but rather a ‘taste’ of some profiles and shrimp dishes for inspiration.
Mexican – Shrimp is a wonderful main course option for Mexican recipes. It tastes amazing with cumin, chili powder, and chipotle. Just be careful not to bury the shrimp in sauce and cheese to the point that it is unrecognizable. A great option to use shrimp is in shrimp tacos. My Shrimp Baja Tacos with Mango Salsa and Chipotle Crema are easy to make and delicious. Or how about just grilled shrimp with Zippy Pineapple Salsa with Avocado (red bell peppers, jalapenos, cilantro, and pineapple) and tortilla chips for a more tropical vibe?
Italian – I’m sure Shrimp Scampi comes to mind. Italian cuisine uses shrimp in a wonderful way with just garlic, olive oil, white wine and lemon juice often. But you can also get creative and add it to Fettuccine Alfredo or this Garlic and Parmesan Pasta with Pancetta and Black Pepper.
French – French food is known for it’s amazing sauces, many of which are based in glorious butter. So this Best Orange Brown Butter Shrimp is a wonderful way to celebrate shrimp.
Asian – Whether Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, or other delicious cuisines, shrimp plays a large role. Flavors such as ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and chilis just to name a few, bring out the delicious flavor and texture of shrimp. Try this shrimp recipe: Shrimp Mei Fun Recipe {Singapore Rice Noodles} to see how amazing shrimp is with these flavors. There is also Creamy Chinese Coconut Shrimp Recipe with coconut milk.
Cajun – Cajun food pairs hot and spicy with cool and calming. And that’s just what you get with my recipe for Shrimp and Grits with Cream Sauce and Chicken Andouille Sausage.
Can Cheese Be Used with Shrimp?
There is a myth that you cannot pair cheese with seafood. Well, I say NONSENSE! You can pair cheese with anything you want! I will say that moderation is important with what cheese to serve with shrimp. If you pour a thick and rich cheese sauce all over the shrimp, they may get very lost. However, a dusting of parmesan cheese or cotija cheese, a sprinkle of feta cheese or cheddar cheese, a round of goat cheese will go far with shrimp. So, experiment and have fun with it, but don’t be held back by any no-cheese rules that you’ve heard when it comes to shrimp!
Here is What to Serve with Shrimp!
Here are some of the best side dishes that pair wonderfully with Shrimp. It’s a good assortment of pasta, other grain, and vegetable side dishes for shrimp that you and your family will love!
So, without further ado, here is what to serve with shrimp…
1. Creamy Barley with Bacon and Gruyere
When you think about what to serve with shrimp, a pasta or gain usually comes to mind. So here is a perfect side dish and variation on that theme…
Creamy, rich, nutty, smokey, hearty, and utterly delicious describes this one here, my friends! This is my Velvety Barley Recipe with Bacon and Gruyere Cheese and it is definitely a delicious side dish for Shrimp! This recipe takes a healthy, let’s face it, rather unappealing and chewy grain, and turns it into something so delicious, it’s almost naughty. The garlic, bacon, and gruyere cheese work together to give barley the make-over it deserves!
Everything, including boiling the barley, can be prepped ahead, so that right before eating, you just need to spend 15 minutes making the sauce, then mixing it with the barley. The best way to cook your shrimp is either on skewers on the grill or sear them in a pan and lay right on top of the creamy barley.
2. Saffron Butter Crispy Rice
This Saffron Butter Crispy Rice recipe is based on a traditional Persian dish that is full of flavor and texture and it’s my next great side dish for shrimp. The saffron brings that slightly sweet, floral note that’s hard to replicate. Saffron also gives that beautiful yellow-orange hue to this rice. Added to the butter is what gives this crispy rice the buttery, crispy bottom that is irresistible. Saffron and butter are such a perfect pairing with Shrimp too!
While it may seem like a complex, too-sophisticated-for-family-dinner dish, it really isn’t! It’s simple to make and perfect for a Shrimp family dinner side! Try my Best Orange Brown Butter Shrimp with this Crispy Rice.
3. Easy Tzatziki Recipe!
Now, you may be thinking that Tzatziki sauce really isn’t a side. But isn’t it? I mean, all of that delicious cucumber swimming in the tangy yogurt sauce? It screams Side Dish to me. This is a bright, tangy, creamy and EASY Tzatziki Recipe that you will want to put on EVERYTHING!
The Tzatziki Sauce has cool and creamy yogurt with fresh cucumber, lime zest, garlic, and scallion. All of these go so well grilled garlic shrimp! Make the Tzatziki ahead, then on the night you want to eat this, cook the shrimp for just a few minutes for a super quick meal with a simple cucumber and red onion salad! Add in a Greek salad and it’s really an entire meal!
4. Roasted Carrots with Cumin and Avocado Crema
Roasted Carrots seasoned with smoky cumin, scallions, salt and pepper and then topped with a creamy and tangy Avocado Crema are such a delicious and quick side dish for a shrimp dinner. The roasting brings out all of the natural sugars in the carrots, so they get this sweet caramelization in the oven which combines with the salty and smoky cumin seasoning so wonderfully. The Avocado crema can be drizzled over the carrots and the shrimp taking them over the top with a creamy and silky balance. Absolutely a must-make side dish!
5. Roasted Vegetable Pasta Primavera Recipe
This Creamy Roasted Vegetable Pasta Primavera is an easy side dish or main dish for a shrimp dinner. This version uses fresh vegetables, asparagus, carrots, and fresh corn kernels that get simply roasted in the oven for a toasty flavor. You can of course use your favorite veggies.
A 5-minute garlic, grape tomato, half and half, and pasta water sauce is mixed with pasta and lots of parmesan cheese to create a creamy and luxurious sauce. Finally, the roasted veggies are mixed into all this goodness. In every cheesy pasta bite, you get earthiness from the asparagus, sweetness from the sweet corn kernels and carrots, and fresh juiciness from the tomatoes.
Mix in pasta, noodles, or even zucchini noodles. Then top with or mix in cooked shrimp and your done!
6. Quick Asparagus & Tomato Quinoa Risotto
This Asparagus and Tomato Quinoa Risotto is quickie-version that’s such a hearty, delicious, and healthy side dish. Just add grilled or sauteed shrimp and you have a complete meal!
It’s a way to incorporate that fantastic superfood, Quinoa, into your dinner rotation! The Quinoa beautifully absorbs and plumps up with all of the flavor from the broth, onions, garlic, tomato paste and oregano. Then cut fresh asparagus is mixed in along with nutty and creamy parmesan cheese for a perfect finish.
7. Herb Parmesan Crisps and Shallot Vinaigrette Salad
Grilled shrimp on a fresh green salad is always a winner. This is a super simple Herb Parmesan Crisps and Shallot Vinaigrette Salad. The buzz-worthy Herb Parmesan Crisps that take the place of the crouton crunch. The Vinaigrette is sweet from the honey, tangy from the dijon and vinegar, creamy from the emulsion of the dijon and oil, and has a slight bite from the mild shallots. But the real heroes of the dish, the ingredient that will have people talking about this delicious salad, are the Herb Parmesan Crisps, which are salty and nutty and crispy and delicious and addictive…oh, and so easy to make you will not believe it!
8. Sage Butter Potatoes Side Dish
How about potatoes as a side dish for shrimp? This simple recipe is my salty, crispy, irresistible Sage Butter Potatoes Side Dish Recipe! The potato is truly one of the most iconic comfort foods. It’s filling, warm, creamy, and always available! But this recipe uses small creamer potatoes, cut in halves, then seared in olive oil in a skillet, then finished in a delectable buttery sauce flavored with just a little salt and ground black pepper, garlic, and sage. Yup, buttered potatoes are where it’s at!
9. Addictive Crispy Parmesan Green Bean Fries!
If you’re making Fried Shrimp or better yet, Baked Coconut Shrimp, then look no further for a side! These crispy, crunchy, salty, addictive, but also healthy, Crispy Parmesan Green Bean Fries! Such a great way to transform green beans and add a new vegetable into dinner rotation. The beans really take on the crunchy saltiness from the parmesan and breadcrumbs, but also hold onto the freshness from the beans. They are also really easy to make, with only 4 simple steps: clean, dip in egg, coat in parm breadcrumbs, bake!
10. Cilantro Lime Quinoa Side Dish
This Cilantro Lime Quinoa Side Dish is fluffy, nutty, citrusy, salty, and the perfect accompaniment for Shrimp! With just a few simple ingredients, you can make this fantastic healthier alternative to rice. Just 25 minutes to cook the Quinoa, 3 ingredients, and this is yours too!
10. Red Potato Salad Recipe with Harissa
Here is a bonus idea! This Baby Red Potato Salad with Edamame and Harissa is delicious and flavorful and lovely with some grilled or pan seared shrimp on top!
This Baby Red Potato Salad is creamy, crunchy, meaty, tangy, peppery, salty, and oh, it’s UNBELIEVABLE! You get crunch from the celery, sweetness from the bell pepper, an onion bite from the scallions, and creamy texture from the edamame. All mixed with soft potatoes and a creamy dressing with smoky Harissa. You can also replace the mayo with sour cream or greek yogurt.
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