Fried shrimp is a super tasty dish and is really easy to make at home. What is even easier is the variety of side dishes which you can put with your fried shrimp! This is your full guide to what the best side dishes are for your fried shrimp, and a super simple recipe too!
Table of Contents
- What Sides Go With Fried Shrimp?
- How To Make The Best Southern Fried Shrimp
- The Best Sides for Fried Shrimp – Yummy!
- Fried Shrimp Sides – FAQs
What Sides Go With Fried Shrimp?
Fried shrimp is a quickly fried and crispy snack which tastes really good with so many different sides. I will go through some of my favorite dishes that go with fried shrimp in this blog post.
French Fries
It is no secret that french fries taste absolutely great with fried shrimp.
Salty french fries complement seafood really well and are the perfect fried shrimp sides. They can be eaten is a variety of different ways, with many dipping sauces, such as ketchup, Marie rose sauce (ketchup and mayo mixed together), or even just mayo on its own.
You can air fry a quick batch of curly fries if you want to be slightly less traditional in your fry choice!
Pasta
Pasta is a super versatile food that almost everyone loves. If I were to recommend any type of pasta to enjoy with fried shrimp, I would recommend using either tagliatelle, spaghetti, or fettuccine as these types of kinds of pasta are much easier to eat with fried shrimp.
If you are cooking pasta alongside your fried shrimp, it can be done in a super simple way which I will outline below:
- Salt your water and bring it to a boil. Add your pasta and reduce to medium heat so the water will simmer away.
- Start to make a white sauce: On a low medium heat, sauté some minced garlic with a tablespoon of butter.
- Add a tablespoon of all-purpose flour and constantly stir. Intermittently pour some milk bit by bit into the pan and make sure to keep whisking to ensure no lumps are in the sauce. Add a ladle of pasta water to the sauce. Pasta water gives the sauce a silky texture that sticks to your pasta and adds a salty flavor.
- Once the pasta is boiled, drain, but keep a cup of pasta water. Transfer the boiled pasta to your white sauce pot and stir into your sauce. If there is not enough sauce, add some pasta water. If the sauce is too liquidy, let the pot cook for a little longer until the sauce has reduced.
- Add some freshly ground black pepper, salt, and parmesan cheese to truly add to the flavor.
- Serve with your fried shrimp and enjoy!
Fried Rice
You’re telling me a shrimp fried this rice? If you like fried rice, shrimp goes perfectly with fried rice and is super easy to make too. Adding fried rice to your shrimp is a super easy way to turn this side dish into a main course.
I’ll go through the easy steps you need to follow in order to achieve this:
- Once you have boiled your rice, on medium-high heat add some olive oil and your favorite chopped vegetables, such as sweetcorn, chopped green beans, peppers, etc. You could also add in an egg here and keep stirring until it dissipates throughout your rice.
- You can add some of your favorite seasonings such as salt, pepper, cumin, chili flakes etc.
- If you do this alongside cooking your fried shrimp, they should be ready around the same time.
- Serve and enjoy!
Another great addition to this combination is some curry sauce. Just prepare your favorite curry sauce alongside this dish and pour it over the finished shrimp fried rice dish. You can thank me later!
You can use instant curry powder such as the one below. This one’s super easy to make and yields the most delicious results!
If you have some fried rice already made and are wondering the best way to reheat your fried rice, I have a separate blog post outlining the best way to do this which you should check out!
Grilled Vegetables
Grilled vegetables are always a super versatile option and probably the healthiest too. A tasty way to switch up this dish is by serving it with coconut shrimp. Another great aspect about this side dish is that it can easily be prepared ahead of time, which is great if you are preparing for guests.
Great grilled vegetable options can include chopped peppers, carrot, parsnip, celery, mushrooms, chopped walnuts, or any type of chopped potatoes.
- In order to prepare this dish, all you need to do is separate out each piece of veg so they have space.
- Season using salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- You can even add a sprinkle of brown sugar to bring out a sweet flavor from your vegetables!
Baked beans
A classic side dish, baked beans are a great pairing with shrimp, particularly BBQ shrimp.
Whether you are using canned baked beans or green beans, either are super easy to prepare. I have a separate blog post outlining a super tasty bacon green bean recipe, which you should check out!
Baked beans are a great option if you have young kids who can be quite fussy about what they eat. Not only this, baked beans are super easy to make and can be ready within 5 minutes.
Whether you usually make your baked beans on the hob or in the microwave, just add your beans to the pot or microwave-safe container and cook until they are hot throughout.
Creamy Spinach
Creamy spinach is an unusual side dish that goes well with fried shrimp. And if you have guests, it is one that will definitely impress them. You’ll probably have them asking you for the recipe afterward!
It goes really well with every other meat dish too and is a great vegetarian dish, which never disappoints.
- You can use the same white sauce recipe from above you use to make fried shrimp pasta. Just sautee garlic in butter and slowly add in teaspoons of all-purpose flour with milk, ensuring you keep whisking.
- Once your sauce is ready, add some spinach which will quickly wilt down. Mix well until the cream is thick and the leaves are blended in nicely.
Salted asparagus
If you are looking for another super healthy side dish for your fried shrimp, then salted asparagus is another delicious option. Whether you steam, roast, or grill your asparagus any option will taste great.
That being said, my favorite oven-roasted asparagus. The result will leave you with crusty-tasting asparagus. The key to preparing asparagus is cooking it just before it starts to go soft. This will give you this crusty texture and leave a little crunch, which is what makes asparagus a tasty texture.
- Just place your asparagus on a roasting tray and drizzle some oil or spray some low-calorie olive oil spray.
- Next, grind some coarse sea salt all over your asparagus.
- Place your tray in the oven and let your asparagus roast for 12-15 minutes. This will leave your asparagus nice and crispy.
You could also fry off your asparagus in a pan. I recommend using only a minimal amount of oil and doing this on a high heat. Keep tossing the asparagus and add in small amounts of oil as necessary, but this will give you small burnt bits on your asparagus which really adds to the taste of your asparagus. Make sure to add lots of salt.
Salad
Salad is another super easy alternative that really complements fried shrimp. From easy-to-make simple vegetable salads to more creamy salads, the choices of what salad to have with your fried shrimp are endless.
If you are preparing your meal in a rush, the great thing about making a salad is that you can really just pop anything into and it will taste good.
I recommend using a normal salad recipe , such as Caesar salad, and swapping out the chicken for your fried shrimp. You could also make a tasty avocado dressing salad to go with you fried shrimp.
Cold Potato Salad
Potato salad is such a classic dish side dish for any summertime occasion. The creaminess of the potato salad makes it perfect to go with the fried shrimp. Having a little crunch to your potatoes adds great texture to the dish. This truly makes it the perfect pairing.
Shrimp Fried Tacos
Shrimp fried tacos are another great option in which you can enjoy fried shrimp. This is a super tasty alternative. You get the fresh ingredients from fresh guacamole and pico de gallo, while the fried shrimp bring a crispy texture and salty flavor.
Adding a spicy salsa will also mix the flavor up too by adding a little kick. You can also throw in some sour cream or coleslaw which will offset the crispy crunchy shrimp.
I recommend using some shell tacos for this because they are so much easier to eat than using hard shell tacos. Hard shell tacos always seem to crumble into your hands after the first bite!
Cold Pasta Salad
Another summertime favorite, you can never go wrong with pasta salad.
My go-to pasta salad recipe includes using farfalle pasta. I love making a big batch of this and adding lots of green pesto and parmesan.
Sometimes I’ll add some cheddar cheese. Next, I chop up lots green onions and quarter baby tomatoes to add a bit of freshness to the pasta salad. You can also add in some pine nuts into the salad to dd a little crunch.
This always goes down a treat and I recommend making a big batch, because it is usually the first dish to run out at big occasions!
Zucchini Noodles
If you are keeping with the healthy side dishes, then zucchini noodles are a surefire way to stay on track. These are a super handy alternative if you have nothing else in the fridge.
There is very minimal preparation too. You don’t even need to cook the zucchini noodles because most of them will be the soft interior anyway.
All you will need to do is grate your noodles in long motions to get the long noodle result you are most likely looking for. These noodles are high in fiber and are super low-calorie.
Just serve your zucchini noodles (or zoodles) with a zest of lemon juice on top to add to the flavor. This is a great alternative for pasta if you don’t want something so heavy, which pasta can sometimes be.
Coleslaw
Another easy side dish to go with your fried shrimp is classic coleslaw. Coleslaw is a great side dish because the vinegary flavor provides a tangy contrast to the crispy shrimp. The creaminess of the coleslaw will also offset the crunch of the shrimp. This makes it another seriously tasty pairing.
Cajun Butter Sauce
Another personal favorite of mine is using a cajun butter dipping sauce for fried shrimp. While this recipe can be used for preparing shrimp, it is also an amazing dipping sauce which I really recommend that you try! I have a separate blog post on how to make cajun butter sauce, so make sure to check it out!
If you want to check out some other delicious side dishes, you should check out the video below – it has some other alternative side dishes that you can enjoy with your fried shrimp!
How To Make The Best Southern Fried Shrimp
Now that you know all of the best foods to have with your fried shrimp, I am going to run through my absolute favorite way to make fried shrimp. I’m pretty sure that this will become your go-to recipe after trying it. It
Ingredients
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 12 oz large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- olive oil, for frying
Instructions
Southern Fried Shrimp Recipe
Prepare Your Ingredients
Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Next, combine your ingredients together – the flour, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt in a shallow dish.
Prepare Your Shrimp
In another bowl, put the milk in it. Next, coat your shrimp in the flour mixture before dipping it into the milk.
Put Your Shrimp On A Stick
Next, you will want to put your shrimp on a skewer to make it easier for grilling. If you are using wooden skewers, make sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before using them.
Grill Your Shrimp
Finally, pop your shrimp on the grill for about two minutes on either side, until they are pink and slightly charred. Serve and enjoy!
The Best Sides for Fried Shrimp – Yummy!
Hopefully you will have found a few of your favorite side dishes in my list and are now well equipped to make the best fried shrimp combo for your special occasion, or even just for a family dinner! You are sure to impress whoever you are cooking for with any of these combinations.
If you think that I have forgotten anything or you have tried one of these, please let me know in the comments!
Fried Shrimp Sides – FAQs
Does Chicken Go With Shrimp?
Unsurprisingly, chicken and shrimp taste really good together. It is no wonder why so many Asian dishes offer noodles or rice with a combination of chicken and shrimp. The saltiness of the shrimp draws out any of the flavor of the chicken which is what makes it taste so good!
What Sauce Goes With Shrimp?
There are so many dipping sauces that taste amazing with shrimp – Tartar sauce, cocktail sauce (which you can make yourself using ketchup, horseradish, and Worcestershire sauce), cajun butter sauce or lemon butter sauce.
What is Fried Shrimp?
Fried shrimp is a type of seafood that is prepared by breading and frying them. Fried shrimp is usually served as an appetizer or as a side dish. They can also be served as a main and served with a side.
