Air Fryer Pesto Shrimp is a great addition to have with cocktails. The Pesto Shrimp are perfect with white wine, Gin or Vodka Martinis, Manhattans, and yes, they're even awesome with Mint Juleps. These shrimp are so good they are even great with a soda!
Homemade Pesto
There are many varieties of pesto, but my personal favorite is made with basil, parsley, lemons, parmesan cheese, olive oil, and either pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or sunflower seeds. It may sound unusual, but we've found that these seeds work just as well as pine nuts, which we used to use for our pesto shrimp dish. However, since we have a nut allergy in our household, we needed to find a substitute. The best part is that pumpkin and sunflower seeds are much more affordable and easier to find than pine nuts. In fact, two pounds of pumpkin or sunflower seeds cost around $14 to $16, whereas two pounds of pine nuts can cost as much as $60! Yes, that's a huge saving. Plus, for us, we don't have to make a run to the emergency room!
Growing your own basil and parsley is a great way to make homemade pesto. Basil is particularly easy to grow and can thrive in cloth patio grow bags as long as it is watered regularly. By growing your own basil, you will have a plentiful supply of fresh herbs to use in a variety of delicious recipes. Give it a try!
Making Pesto for Pesto Shrimp
The hardest part of making pesto is picking the leaves off the basil plant. However, once you have the leaves ready, the rest of the process is fairly quick and easy. To make pesto, you need to chop basil and parsley with garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, pepitas, parmesan cheese, and olive oil. If you like it spicy, you can add a habanero, but that's completely up to you.
NOTE: For this recipe, we omit the parmesan cheese to save calories, but it's a great addition for other dishes like pasta or a pesto pizza.
Spicy Basil Pesto Recipe
For the complete recipe of Spicy Basil Pesto utilized in our Air Fryer Pesto Shrimp, simply click below. In case you prefer not to have spicy basil, you can exclude the habanero.
Air Fryer Pesto Shrimp
This recipe is incredibly simple and can be prepared in just a few minutes, even if you are using frozen shrimp. It's a go-to for us, as we always keep shrimp and pesto in our freezer. The combination of the two is delightful and can be used for a variety of occasions, from a quick and easy appetizer on a Friday night to impressing unexpected guests with a fun meal.
NOTE: Here's a simple and efficient method to thaw shrimp. Start by taking them out of the freezer and putting them in a bowl. Then, fill the bowl with warm water and wait for about 10 minutes. If the shrimp has an unpleasant smell, try our easy solution to eliminate it. As for defrosting the pesto, simply microwave it for a minute or so.
To ensure that the pesto will stick to the shrimp, we suggest using paper towels to dry the shrimp beforehand. After tossing the shrimp in the pesto, gently stir to ensure even coating. For air fryer cooking, place the shrimp in a single layer on the tray and air fry for 10 minutes, checking periodically as cooking times may vary depending on the air fryer. Be mindful not to over-crowd the tray. If using an oven, cooking times may be slightly longer but the end result will still be delicious.
Enjoy with your favorite cocktail!!!!
Cheers!!!!!
Air Fryer Pesto Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 Pounds Shrimp
- 1 Cup Pesto
- 2 teaspoons Coarse Salt
Instructions
- Remove the shells and use a paper towel to dry them and remove any excess water.2 Pounds Shrimp, 1 Cup Pesto, 2 teaspoons Coarse Salt
- Coat the shrimp with the pesto
- Prepare the air fryer by lightly spraying the basket with an olive oil spray.2 Pounds Shrimp
- Place the shrimp in the basket and lightly spray the top with cooking spray to help brown and crisp them up.
- Air fry the shrimp at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, flip the shrimp and lightly spray again with cooking spray. Cook for an additional 2 minutes or until the shrimp are fully cooked and have a nice bright color.
- Once done, remove the shrimp from the air fryer and sprinkle them with coarse salt if desired.2 teaspoons Coarse Salt
- Finally, enjoy the delicious shrimp with your favorite cocktail, like a gin martini.