Fried shrimp is such a delicious treat that it’s incredibly popular all over the world. Almost everyone loves shrimp! Having leftovers of this dish is fairly common because of its beloved status.
However, a lot of times these leftover fried shrimps get thrown out because far too many people don’t know how to properly or safely reheat them.
If this is you, don’t worry! This guide will show you all the best ways to reheat fried shrimp, so that deliciousness won’t go to waste.
The best way to reheat fried shrimps is to use the oven: preheat to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, wrap your shrimps in aluminum foil and bake for 10-20 minutes.
But since this isn’t the only way, let’s dig into this.
How to store fried shrimp?
The key to maintaining the high quality of freshly cooked shrimp is proper storage. If you just wrap them in a paper towel, you’re setting yourself up for disaster here.
After it’s cooked, you should have your fried shrimp slapped into the refrigerator or freezer within a 2 hour window. As is the case with just about all seafood, shrimp is highly susceptible to spoilage and bacteria growth. Don’t risk you or your family’s health by letting it sit on the counter for too long.
Place your fried shrimp in an air-tight container, preferably made of glass, with a lining of paper towel in the bottom. The paper towel will prevent it from getting soggy by absorbing all the moisture and grease.
If you’re planning on long-term storage, you’ll definitely need to invest in some quality freezer-safe storage containers or bags.
Fried shrimp can be kept up to 4 days in the fridge, and no more than 6 months frozen.
How to reheat fried shrimp?
When reheating any foods, but especially seafood, the thing you need to keep in mind is that they’ve already been cooked exactly as long as they need. Too much longer and you’ll overcook it, dry it out, or burn the food.
The idea is to just warm the fried shrimp to the desired temperature, instead of looking at it like you’re cooking it a second time.
The following methods will be very helpful to you in reheating your fried shrimp so that it’s just as crunchy and flavorful as the first day.
Oven
This method is one of the better ones, not just for fried shrimp but any fried or battered foods. It keeps that crispy outer texture while maintaining the moisture inside.
But you’ll need to be careful not to heat for too long, as this can dry out your shrimps or even make them rubbery and nearly inedible.
A baking sheet would be your best bet here, lined with aluminum foil to trap in moisture – preventing drying. It’ll also trap in heat so you don’t end up with fried shrimp that’s still cold in the center.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit
- Line a baking or cookie sheet with aluminum foil
- Place the shrimp on the foil in a single layer – they can touch, but not overlap or lay on top of each other
- Cover the shrimps with another layer of aluminum foil
- Bake the shrimps for 10 minutes
- Flip the shrimps
- Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes
- Remove from heat
- Serve immediately
Air fryer
The air fryer is another great method for reheating leftover fried foods, not just for shrimps but for almost anything.
It’s quick, efficient and just as easy as the oven – but with the benefit of being a bit faster. And for certain it’ll give you higher quality taste and texture than the microwave.
This method is perfect for heating quickly, while maintaining that perfect crunch on the breading.Since you can perfectly control the temperature and positioning of the shrimp in the basket, you can get a nice even heat and run less of a risk of overheating and drying it out.
- Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Place a handful of fried shrimp into the basket
- Heat the fried shrimps for 3-5 minutes
- Once golden and crispy, remove from the air fryer
- Serve immediately
Stovetop
While this method is a bit unorthodox for reheating fried shrimp, it’s still a valid way to go if you don’t have an air fryer or an oven, and don’t want to ruin it in the microwave.
Reheating your fried shrimps on the stove in a skillet is definitely quick and easy, but you’re gonna lose out a bit on the texture. It’s super easy to overcook, or heat too quickly, if you’re not sure how to do it effectively.
The key to the stovetop method is to heat on medium, and splash in a tiny bit of oil to keep the fried shrimp from sticking to the pan.
- Choose a slightly smaller saucepan or skillet
- Grease the pan with cooking spray, oil, or butter
- Heat the pan on medium heat
- Add your shrimps, cooking in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan
- Heat for 3-5 minutes, occasionally stirring the shrimps to heat them evenly
- Remove from heat
- Serve immediately
Deep fry
A method you might not have thought of for reheating your fried, breaded shrimps is to try frying them again. It’s a well known fact that the absolute best way to reheat food is the way it was prepared initially: soup in a pan on the stove, baked chicken in the oven, and so on.
When fried foods are allowed to cool off or get chilled in the fridge, they tend to lose that crunchy crispy texture they had while fresh – softening up and getting an awkwardly soggy feeling.
Deep-frying your shrimps a second time can combat this easily, giving them a like-new crisp. If you like, you can even add some more breading for that extra crunch.
Thankfully, even the preparation of this method is simple, even if frying in a pan on the stove sounds intimidating.
- Choose your frying pan
- Add in as much oil as you need, starting with half a cup
- Optional rebreading step: Create an egg wash in a bowl – which is just two whipped eggs
- In another bowl, add your breading and seasonings – if you’re adding more
- Grab each shrimp and dip it in the egg wash, dunk them into the breading, then carefully place in the hot oil
- Do this for each shrimp you want to reheat, working in small batches to avoid burning
- Reheat each shrimp for about 60 seconds, flipping halfway through
- Once golden, remove from heat
- Set aside on a paper towel for 1 minute
- Serve immediately
Microwave
The microwave is last on this list, because as we all know well and good – the microwave does not lend itself well to high quality reheating. Your food comes out soggy, or rubbery, or even burned and dried out.
However, with a little careful prep and some doing, you can still reheat some fried shrimps in the microwave that are worth eating.
The key to get the perfect taste and texture out of your fried shrimps in the microwave is to cook gently and slowly. While you can’t avoid any changes in texture at all, you most definitely can mitigate a lot of it.
- Grab a microwave-safe bowl or plate
- Line the container with paper towel
- Place your fried shrimps in an even layer
- Lay a damp paper towel over your shrimps
- Microwave on medium power for 5-10 seconds, then check if they’re ready to serve
- If not, keep heating at 5 second intervals, checking for doneness each time
- When thoroughly heated, remove from the microwave
- Serve immediately
Final thoughts
Fried shrimp is an amazing food, whether it’s serving as the full meal, or a side dish. It’s totally understandable to want to get the most out of your fried shrimps, not letting such a delicacy go to waste.
With any of the methods presented here, you can enjoy your leftover fried shrimp just the same as when it was freshly prepared – with little to no quality loss in taste or texture.
You can enjoy your fried shrimp a second time with no worries. And we all likely know, fried shrimp is something you’re gonna want more than once!
