Simple Shrimp Recipes For Lent

Shrimp recipes are a good option for Fridays during Lent when Catholics can’t eat meat. Get inspired by these Simple Shrimp Recipes For Lent.

For more seafood ideas, check out the rest of our seafood recipes.

It’s Lent, which means no meat on Fridays if you’re Catholic. Or veggies only if you’re me. I don’t eat fish, so the whole fish on Fridays thing is lost on me. But maybe not on you. So for you, I put together a list of Simple Shrimp Recipes For Lent.

Now, real quick, in case you’re wondering “Can you eat shrimp during lent?” the short answer is yes.

The longer answer is that Catholics can’t eat meat on Fridays during Lent (from Ash Wednesday until Easter). Meat is (loosely) defined as anything with a backbone, which is why fish and seafood, like shrimp, are okay to eat on a Friday during Lent but beef and chicken are not.

If you’re really faithful, or if you were observing Lent back in the day, you’d abstain from dairy and eggs too. That’s why on Fat Tuesday, aka Pancake Day, occurred the day before Ash Wednesday. It was a way to use up all the milk and eggs before Lent started.

These days, people aren’t that specific about abstaining from dairy and eggs, but meat is still considered off limits on Lenten Fridays. Shrimp is still okay to eat. So all these recipes have shrimp in them, but no meat (even things like chicken broth), but they may have ingredients like fish stock.

Shrimp Recipes For Lent

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Shrimp Creole

Shrimp Creole is a classic Southern dish that is found in southern and Caribbean cuisine. A bunch of vegetables and seasoning complement the shrimp in this dish.

Baked Popcorn Shrimp

Skip the oil and the frying and make these Baked Popcorn Shrimp. They’re a lot easier and less messy than fried shrimp. There’s also an air fryer version of the recipe.

Oven Roasted Gulf Shrimp with Comeback Sauce

A little Old Bay seasoning, plus a couple other ingredients, simply season these Oven Roasted Gulf Shrimp, which you dip in the very popular Comeback Sauce.

Air Fryer Shrimp with Mustard-Horseradish Sauce

In this recipe, Air Fryer Shrimp with Mustard-Horseradish Sauce, the shrimp are classic but it’s the mustard-horseradish sauce that’s the real star of the show.

Garlic Shrimp with Mango Cucumber Salsa and Coconut Rice

Part of the secret of this Garlic Shrimp with Mango Cucumber Salsa and Coconut Rice recipe is that the shrimp are marinated in orange juice. That helps them to pair perfectly with the fruit-filled salsa.

Indian-Style Spicy Shrimp

If you’re looking for something spicy, this Indian-Style Spicy Shrimp, made with ginger, garlic, and Asian spicy pepper (plus some other spices) is the shrimp recipe for you.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo with Pasta

Fra Diavolo is a spicy marinara (which we actually sell at the farmer’s market). We always suggest people serve it with shrimp and pasta, just like this Shrimp Fra Diavolo with Pasta recipe.

Pomegranate Sriracha Shrimp

Pomegranate Sriracha Shrimp, a flavor forward Vietnamese dish, is made spicy with the sriracha, then balanced with the pomegranate molasses.

Honey Walnut Shrimp

This Honey Walnut Shrimp recipe combines battered shrimp and sweetened walnuts in a sweet honey sauce that will remind you of Chinese take out.

Instant Pot Shrimp Pasta in Lemon Cream Sauce

You can have this Instant Pot Shrimp Pasta in Lemon Cream Sauce on your table in under 30 minutes, thanks to the magic of the Instant Pot.

Shrimp Enchiladas

Shrimp Enchiladas are a Tex-Mex staple that combines tender shrimp with a tasty cream sauce. Plus tortillas.

Sinigang Na Hipon (Filipino Shrimp Soup)

If Lent is during soup season for you, or if you can just eat soup anytime, this Filipino Shrimp Soup is a good Lenten dinner idea. Keep in mind that it is traditionally a sour and savory soup.

Which of these Shrimp Recipes For Lent will you try first? Let us know in the comments.