The 51 Best Weeknight Shrimp Recipes

Shrimp can have a bit of luxury aura about it, despite that it's been readily and plentifully available since the mid-twentieth century. Even in a world of chain restaurant all-you-can-eat-shrimp-offerings, this shellfish's air of exclusivity has remained pretty much intact, thanks to grocery store prices for the freshest shrimp and delicate dishes like classic shrimp cocktail on restaurant menus.

But once you've found a good deal on it and gotten some tips on how to prepare shrimp, it's easy to see that it's the perfect seafood choice for weekday dinner duty. In fact, if you're looking for weeknight recipes that deliver wonderful flavor with minimal effort and little time spent on prepping and cooking, we can't imagine why you would look any further than shrimp.

There are just a few basics that we recommend keeping in mind when cooking and shopping for shrimp — such as the difference between shrimp and prawns and why you should never buy farm-raised shrimp that came from outside the U.S. But overall, the learning curve for cooking shrimp is wonderfully gentle, and we think you'll agree after trying any or all of these best weeknight shrimp recipes.

Who would have imagined you could take a trip to the tropics on a weeknight and be back in time for dessert? Well, that's exactly what you get when you make this stunningly easy recipe for crispy coconut-battered shrimp. From start to finish, it should take you no more than 30 minutes, and for your efforts, you'll be smoothly and safely transported to a warm, sunny place where dinners always come with a daquiri. Now, close your eyes and let yourself daydream about someone else doing the dishes.

Recipe: Easy Coconut Shrimp

We can think of at least 10 perfect ways to cook shrimp, but it's hard to imagine one more perfect than grilling. Fire plus sweet, succulent shrimp equals Maillard-reaction goodness that you simply cannot achieve with a sauté or a boil. And then there's this added bonus for busy weeknights: when you grill shrimp, you don't have to peel the shrimp first. In fact, it's probably better if you do not (yes, of course there's a reason for this). Our recipe for a grilled shrimp with a simple marinade that goes with absolutely everything. Try it along with this ridiculously easy hack that keeps your grilled shrimp from drying out.

Recipe: Quick Grilled Shrimp

Who says you can't get fancy on a weeknight? "Surf and turf" has been associated with delightfully frivolous excess since the 1960s, according to Ruth's Chris Steak House. In fact, the "original" version of surf and turf is believe to have been filet mignon and lobster. But cracking lobster shells on a weeknight? That's asking a lot. And frankly, when we're not focused on finding the leanest meat possible, we actually prefer a nice strip (that marbling can't be beat). Fortunately, and clearly as a matter of pure coincidence, we found this surprisingly easy sheet pan surf and turf recipe that calls for — you guessed it — shrimp and strip.

Recipe: Easy Sheet Pan Surf And Turf

It may seem hard to imagine, but this recipe for shrimp rolls is so easy and efficient that if you have the ingredients on hand, dinner can be on the table in 20 minutes flat, start to finish. It helps speed the process further if you're using shrimp that comes pre-deveined and peeled. But even if you didn't think of that while you were running to the grocery story in between finishing up your last Zoom meeting and walking the dog, you're in luck because you can fall back on this genius shrimp-peeling hack that you'll wish you'd known about sooner.

Recipe: Easy Shrimp Rolls

Having sandwiches for dinner can be a deliciously efficient weekday solution, especially if you have little ones. And with the quickness of cooked shrimp, you can truly take this quick dinner up a notch. Sure, cold cuts or leftovers seems the obvious choice for a sandwich, but why limit yourself, especially when we found this shrimp po boy recipe with a homemade remoulade that comes together in under 30 minutes?

Recipe: Shrimp Po Boy

Taco night is always fun, but let's face it: As much as we love our classic beef tacos, after awhile, they can get to feeling a bit mundane. But who says tacos have to always be the same? After all, even the most authentic Mexican tacos offer plenty of room for variation, even for seafood lovers. On that note, we happen to know and love this game-changing shrimp taco recipe that was created specifically for weeknight meals by life-style blogger and recipe developer Shanika Graham-White. And this is not the only outstanding shrimp taco recipe on this list.

Recipe: Shrimp Tacos

Although the fact that it's Tuesday is always a perfectly legitimate excuse for making tacos, these parmesan crusted shrimp tacos are simply too good to be reserved for just one day of the week. That's why we are issuing a free pass to enjoy them any time, and especially weekends, when there's time to savor their complex flavors. That being said, considering their cooking time, these babies are perfectly appropriate for weekdays. It might seem hard to believe, but they actually come together in under half an hour — and that includes the 20 minutes the pickled onions require to marinate.

Recipe: Parmesan-Crusted Shrimp Tacos

While admittedly, shrimp scampi isn't the most authentic Italian dish, it's nevertheless beloved by many, including chef and food writer Sher Castellano, who gave us this five-ingredient shrimp scampi recipe that works perfectly with Aldi's 12-ounce bag of frozen shrimp. The whole thing, start to finish, takes under 20 minutes, and that includes time to boil up some pasta or to toast some Italian bread to serve with it. Pro tip: Castellano suggests that to bring out all the complexity of the flavors, it's best to serve your scampi with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Recipe: 5-Ingredient Shrimp Scampi

The very first Alfredo sauce was created in 1914 by a Roman chef by the name of Alfredo di Lelio. His recipe was a simple melding together of butter (lots of it) and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, but once the recipe made its way to the U.S., it required cream to compensate for a lack of richness in American butter and cheese. Shrimp is, of course, not required, but boy does it add a beautiful, juicy sweetness to the richness of Alfredo sauce. And this recipe for Shrimp Alfredo takes only 20 minutes, making it perfect for a low-key super-impressive mid-week dinner.

Recipe: 20-Minute Shrimp Alfredo Pasta

Pad Thai probably sounds like a dish you'd never attempt on your own, let alone in the middle of the work/school-week. For that matter, it also only sounds authentically Thai, because according to The Atlantic, literally everything about this dish owes its origins to China. Be that as it may, pad Thai is nevertheless one of Thailand's proud national dishes, and it is delicious, filling, and for the most part, gluten-free (as long as you use gluten-free soy sauce). And here's the kicker: This recipe for pad Thai takes a mere 30 minutes, start to finish.

Recipe: Homemade Pad Thai

Chinese-American food-writer Jennifer En brought our attention to this recipe for har gow, which is what the dish is called in Canton, China, its place of origin. "I spent my youth developing my long-lasting affinity for har gow," En told Mashed. "Made with a filling of shrimp and bamboo shoots wrapped up inside thin, translucent dough wrappers, these delicate Cantonese dumplings are soft, pillow-y, and perfect with sips of tea in between bites." If you've got 25 minutes and the ingredients on hand, we highly recommend you try this recipe for Cantonese-style shrimp dumplings, also known as har gow.

Recipe: Cantonese Style Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow)

Believe it or not, shrimp and grits originated in the 1930s as a breakfast food, according to Erin Byers Murray, writer for The Local Palate, who told Mashed that back then, the grits were cooked in a pot, with seawater, along with anything else that was cheap and available. Our favorite authentic Southern recipe for shrimp and grits doesn't stray too far from the dish's humble roots in the sense it's meant to be customized according to what you like and what you have available. Best of all, it's "pretty dang easy for just about anyone to pull off," according to its creator, food blogger Ashley Scheuring.

Recipe: Shrimp and Grits

Although our healthy one-pot jambalaya recipe will take just a bit longer to make than our other weekday shrimp dishes, at least half of that time is just for simmering with the occasional stir, leaving you ample time to open your mail and give the kids a kiss or the dog a belly-rub while it chugs along. What makes this particular recipe for one-pot jambalaya so very worth your time is that it's a lower sodium and saturated-fat version, and yet no one will know the difference.

Recipe: One-Pot Jambalaya

While the name of this dish might imply that it's super-spicy, these firecracker shrimp actually don't have all that much heat. The sauce that gives the shrimp their flavor is made from sugary sweet chili sauce mixed with mayonnaise and spiked with just a teensy bit of Sriracha. If you want more bang from your firecracker shrimp, feel free to add additional Sriracha, or you could step up your condiment game by using chili garlic sauce or sambal oelek instead.

Recipe: Easy Firecracker Shrimp

Jambalaya and gumbo are perhaps the two most famous dishes in the entire Cajun/Creole culinary repertoire, and they often share many of the same ingredients, namely the "holy trinity" of peppers, onions, and celery, of course, as well as tomatoes, shrimp, and rice. What, then, is the difference between the two? The last-named ingredient is key: While the rice in jambalaya is cooked right in the pot with the rest of the ingredients, gumbos such as the one here are typically served over rice that is cooked separately. If you want to cut down on the carbs, you could even enjoy this gumbo sans rice. (We promise we won't rat you out to the Cajun food police!)

Recipe: Louisiana Seafood Gumbo

Planning a tapas party? Then you'll for sure want to make these scrumptious Spanish-style garlic shrimp. They're seasoned with a zesty blend of lemon juice, paprika, garlic, and chopped chiles and are baked rather than pan-fried so they can soak up all of the flavoring. Even if you're not doing a whole party spread, these shrimp make for a quick, yet delicious dinner accompanied by a loaf of bread, a simple green salad, and perhaps a glass of sangria.

Recipe: Spanish Garlic Shrimp

While spicy garlic shrimp may not be a traditional Hawaiian dish, this food truck favorite is popular throughout the Aloha State. The ingredients aren't specific to that area, though, but are the kind of thing you can pick up in any supermarket anywhere in the U.S. — even Alaska. All you'll need are some standard spices (cayenne, paprika, salt, and pepper) and some flour to coat the shrimp, oil to fry it in, plus some garlic butter and maybe a squeeze of lemon to take it over the top. Serve this dish with plenty of rice, bread, or noodles to sop up every last bit of the yummy sauce.

Recipe: Hawaiian Spicy Garlic Shrimp

When you read the title of this recipe, two questions might come to mind: what is a mofongo, and what makes this one so colossal? Or are the shrimp the ones responsible for this dish's hefty title? (Sorry, we actually had three questions.) Mofongo is a Puerto Rican dish made from garlicky fried plantains that are mashed with pork rinds. Indeed, it's the shrimp — cooked in a mild sofrito of bell peppers, onions, and wine — that are colossal. You can certainly make the dish with smaller ones, though, and it will taste just as good.

Recipe: Colossal Shrimp Mofongo

Shrimp fra diavolo has a name that proves people were trying to be edgy back in the 18^th century, too — it means "brother devil." As could be expected with such a moniker, the recipe is on the spicy side. There's nothing evil about the flavor, though, as it's a classic marinara sauce pepped up with crushed red pepper and lemon juice and simmered with shrimp. Serve this shrimp fra diavolo over a bed of linguine so not a single drop of sauce is lost.

Recipe: Spicy Shrimp Fra Diavolo

If you're not familiar with frogmore stew, you might be a bit apprehensive about the name — no, I don't want any more frog stew, thank you very much, I'd prefer to have less or none at all! As any South Carolinian could tell you, though, frogmore stew is an entirely frog-free preparation. While recipes vary from cook to cook, ours includes andouille sausage, shrimp, corn, and potatoes, none of which are sourced from a swamp.

Recipe: Authentic Frogmore Stew

How spicy is this spicy shrimp bowl? To be perfectly honest, not very. The heat (or what there is of it) comes from sriracha, which is itself not exactly a knock-your-socks-off kind of sauce. What's more, the honey in this recipe helps to temper even sriracha's mild heat. If you want more Scovilles in your sauce, you can always amp this shrimp and veggie dish up by adding some hotter chiles, either fresh or dried. If just a slight hint of heat is your thing, though, you'll love this sweet/warm shrimp bowl just as it is.

Recipe: Spicy Shrimp Bowl

When you think chorizo, you may be picturing the Mexican kind which comes loosely packed. If you're a charcuterie board fan, though, you may also be familiar with the Spanish variety which is more solid in texture and resembles salami or pepperoni. The latter kind of chorizo is used in this recipe, stir-fried with shrimp and tomatoes and served over spaghetti. If you're not sure where to find the "king prawns" called for here, don't worry. The recipe developer is British, as are the ingredients she uses, but you can use extra-large shrimp instead (or even smaller ones, if you prefer).

Recipe: Chorizo And Shrimp Pasta

A true shrimp boil may be the kind of thing you'd concoct in a steaming cauldron suspended over a fire pit at an outdoor party. If you live in an apartment or even a house with a small yard and nearby neighbors, though, that sort of thing could constitute a fire hazard. In this case, you can always do as we do here and employ your trusty Instant Pot to boil this tasty mixture of Cajun-spiced shrimp, sausage, potatoes, and corn safely indoors.

Recipe: Instant Pot Shrimp Boil

Bang Bang Shrimp is a dish you may have enjoyed at Bonefish Grill, but if you're not familiar with it, all you need to know is that it's fried shrimp served with a sauce made from mayo and sweet chili. This copycat version is pretty easy to put together, although it will help if you have a deep fry thermometer to help monitor the temperature as the buttermilk-battered shrimp are cooking. As for the sauce, there's not a lot of "bang" to it in terms of spice, but feel free to add more sriracha or even some crushed red pepper if you want.

Recipe: Best Bang Bang Shrimp

Bobby Flay might be the King of the Grill, but he's also known for his Southwestern cooking. Although he's not from the region himself, he has adopted its cuisine as its own and many of his best recipes have some Southwestern influence to them. Among them is his recipe for shrimp and roasted garlic tamales, a dish we've simplified a bit to make it more accessible for us non-chefy types. For starters, we use an Instant Pot to cook the tamales rather than steaming them in the traditional way. We also eschew roasting and peeling our own green chiles in favor of using the convenient canned kind instead.

Recipe: Bobby Flay's Shrimp And Roasted Garlic Tamales With A Twist

The word "diablo" is Spanish for devil, and often foods that reference that unholy name are meant to be spicy-hot (deviled eggs and devil's food cake being well-known exceptions, of course). While there is some heat in this shrimp dish, provided by canned chipotles, it's tempered quite a bit by the butter, milk, cream cheese, and parmesan in the sauce. All that dairy helps to put out the flames, as does the pasta over which the shrimp and sauce are served.

Recipe: Creamy Shrimp Diablo

Grilling is a fun way to cook shrimp outdoors in the summertime, although you'll either need to employ a grill basket or choose shrimp large enough that they won't fall through the grates. If the weather is inclement or you live in an apartment, though, you can still use this recipe. After the shrimp have marinated in a tasty sauce flavored with chiles, garlic, and lemon, simply toss them a hot frying pan and cook until they're pink and just the right amount of charred.

Recipe: Spicy Grilled Shrimp

Pasta alfredo is kind of a fancied-up version of mac and cheese, featuring longer, flatter fettucine instead of elbow macaroni and parmesan in place of cheddar, Velveeta, or whatever that neon-orange powdery stuff is. With this recipe, though, pasta alfredo becomes an entire meal by throwing in some shrimp and a bunch of broccoli. You could leave the latter addition out if you're not a broccoli fan, but in that case you have to promise to at least have a green salad on the side. (This rider comes courtesy of your mom.)

Recipe: Shrimp Alfredo

Is fried rice really fried rice if it's cooked in an Instant Pot? No, technically it isn't, but "Shrimp Instant Potted Rice" just doesn't have the same ring to it. If we can bend the rules governing word usage enough to allow for such a thing as "oat milk," then "Instant Pot fried rice" is maybe not such a stretch after all. Etymological issues notwithstanding, it is pretty convenient to be able to start this dish with raw rice which then pressure-steams in the pot as the shrimp and veggies cook alongside it.

Recipe: Instant Pot Shrimp Fried Rice

Like so many folk recipes, paella seems to have evolved over time rather than having been created at a specific time and place. There are numerous versions of the dish, but all of these seem to involve rice, vegetables, and some type of meat. In this paella recipe, we're going with shrimp, Spanish-style chorizo (rather than Mexican-style), onions, and peas. Here's a tip for the budget-conscious: While truly authentic paella may require saffron, turmeric will give you that same golden color for a lot less money.

Recipe: Paella

This recipe, as its name implies, does deliver a reasonable facsimile of the Olive Garden's creamy-sauced pasta version of surf-and-turf ... Or surf and barnyard, or wherever a chicken's natural habitat may be. Although this chicken and shrimp carbonara does not come with all-you-can-eat breadsticks, the great thing about this DIY dish is that you can tweak the ingredients to suit your own personal preferences. Give it some zing with extra garlic and crushed red pepper, replace all of the chicken with shrimp (or vice-versa), leave out the bacon or bell pepper, or otherwise customize it to your liking with no fear of upsetting your server.

Recipe: Copycat Olive Garden Chicken And Shrimp Carbonara

A Low Country boil might have been cooked over an open fire back in the olden days, and it would likely have been made with shrimp fresh from the Atlantic and corn right off the stalk. Today our shrimp comes straight from the freezer case and we pluck our corn from the produce bin, so why not do the "boil" in an Instant Pot to put a thoroughly modern spin on a decidedly old classic?

Recipe: Quick Instant Pot Low Country Boil

Egg Foo Young is a quintessentially American-Chinese dish, as it was created in the 19^th century by Cantonese restaurateurs specifically to appeal to Western tastes. A century and a half later, the fact that it still appears on restaurant menus is a testament to the success of their omelet-like creation. While our version is made with shrimp, bean sprouts, and green onions, egg foo young can be made with just about any type of meat and veggies you have on hand and actually makes a great "use up the leftovers" recipe.

Recipe: Egg Foo Young

Paella can be a pretty complicated dish to make, what with a number of different meats and veggies plus rice adding up to a multi-step recipe. Not in this case, though. All of the ingredients, from raw rice to frozen peas, not to mention the shrimp, scallops, and chorizo, all come together in a single pot -– a crock pot, that is. While you will need to open the lid occasionally as different ingredients go in at different times, for the most part this paella pretty much just cooks itself.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Seafood Paella

You know what they say about building a better mousetrap? Well, something similar could be said about macaroni and cheese: Build a better one, and the world will beat a path to your bistro. This mac and cheese upgrade is just like something you'd see on a restaurant menu — it's made with penne pasta and parmesan cheese, with a pinch of crushed red pepper rescuing it from blandness. With the addition of shrimp, this cheesy pasta is practically a full meal all by itself. If you feel that no meal is complete without a vegetable of some sort, you could always have it with a salad on the side.

Recipe: Spicy Shrimp Parmesan Pasta

While shrimp are often used to top green salads, that's not the kind of salad we're talking about here. Instead, this recipe is for a creamy, mayonnaise-based salad that's more along the lines of tuna and chicken salad and includes similar ingredients such as chopped onions and celery. What sets this dish apart from similar salads, however, is the Cajun seasoning (or Old Bay, if you prefer) used to flavor it. This spice blend is not particularly incendiary, but it does lend your sandwich the taste of a Low Country shrimp boil.

Recipe: Cajun Shrimp Salad

With many types of stew, the longer you cook them, the better they taste, which is why many stew recipes ask you to slow-simmer them all day long. Not so with this shrimp stew, as shrimp cook very quickly and any further stewing will tend to turn them dry or rubbery. While it may not be the kind of thing you can cook in a crock pot, the good thing about this stew is that comes together pretty quickly. First you cook up a sauce of tomatoes, bell peppers, and wine, then you stir in the shrimp. 5 minutes later, dinner is done.

Recipe: Spicy Shrimp Stew

Egg rolls are something you tend to take for granted. You enjoy them when you get them with Chinese takeout, but they're not something you necessarily think to order on their own. If you make your own egg rolls and stuff them with tasty shrimp, though, you'll gain new appreciation for this often-underrated dish.

The best part of these shrimp egg rolls, as with any DIY dish, is that you can tweak the recipe to suit your own preferences. Skip the sprouts, double up on ginger, add some crushed red pepper flakes, or make any other alterations you see fit. As long as your filling doesn't get too goopy, it'll work just fine.

Recipe: Crunchy Mini Shrimp Egg Rolls

Once upon a time, back in ye olde 1980s, eating raw fish was seen as trendy, yet slightly daring. By the end of the last millennium, sushi had gone mainstream. That meant that when ceviche became popular, it didn't have to clear the same "ick! raw fish!" hurdle. This ceviche isn't even made with fish, but rather with shrimp, a type of seafood that "cooks" just as well in lime juice as it does in a hot pan. The lime-pickled shrimp are then combined with tomatoes, onions, and peppers to make for a tasty-yet-healthy appetizer or light meal.

Recipe: Authentic Mexican Shrimp Ceviche

While clam chowder may be the best-known type of seafood chowder –- perhaps even the most famous of all the chowder clan -– there's no reason why clams should have all the fun. In this seafood chowder recipe, you can mix and match any type of fish or shellfish you'd like: tilapia, crayfish, mussels, lobster, shrimp, and yes, even clams.

In addition to seafood, this soup is bulked up with potatoes and corn so it makes for a hearty, filling bowlful. Manhattanites take note, though: this "chowdah" is of the creamy New England ilk rather than your beloved tomato-based broth.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Seafood Chowder

While fettucine alfredo has its own subtle charm, it can be kind of, well, monotextural, not to mention just a bit bland. You know what can fix that? Shrimp. Just toss some of these little crustaceans in there, and suddenly you have contrasting flavors and textures to complement all of that cheese and pasta. In this recipe, we even kick things up a notch by adding a fair amount of Cajun seasoning to bring a little bam! to the dish.

Recipe: Cajun Shrimp Pasta Alfredo

If you've spent a lot of time with your houseplants lately, the word "succulent" may bring to mind aloe vera or cacti. Well, there are no nopales in this dish, though you could always add some if you like. Here we're using "succulent" in the other sense of the word, meaning moist and tender, something shrimp tend to be if you don't overcook them. The shrimp in this casserole play a starring role; they don't share the spotlight with vegetables, rice, potatoes, or pasta. Instead, they're simply baked with a savory breadcrumb topping.

Recipe: Succulent Baked Stuffed Shrimp Casserole

If you order pasta in a restaurant, you may have a wide variety of sauces from which to choose, but in many cases they'll likely fall into two main categories: creamy and tomato based. While both types have their fans, if you're on Team Creamy you may be on the lookout for recipes that branch out from the basic alfredo model. One such sauce is this creamy seafood pasta topper, a dish that dresses up the standard parmesan white sauce with the addition of mussels, scallops, and shrimp.

Recipe: Creamy Seafood Pasta

Aguachile is a Mexican spin on ceviche that uses the same technique of marinating raw seafood –- shrimp, in this case -– in lime juice, but seems to involve a different variety of vegetables. Instead of chopped tomatoes, the marinated shrimp in this recipe are mixed with sliced avocado and cucumber and topped with cilantro to make for an extremely verdant dish. In fact, this aguachile is so very green that you might want to serve it at your next St. Patrick's Day get-together.

Recipe: Aguachile

Bobby Flay is New York City born and bred, but he made his bones with Southwestern cuisine and subsequently branched out into Southern cooking, as well. While this recipe is inspired by Flay's take on shrimp and grits, it does differ from his creation in one very significant respect: It omits the bacon, which makes this dish a possibility for anyone who's unable to eat pork for dietary or religious reasons. If you're trying to restrict the fat in your diet, you may also appreciate the fact that this recipe replaces Flay's cheddar with lower fat parmesan to make for a slimmed-down, more heart-healthy version of the dish.

Recipe: Bobby Flay's Shrimp And Grits

Coconut shrimp is a favorite restaurant appetizer, but it's actually not too difficult to make this dish at home. The trickiest part of the process may be getting the coconut to stick, but combining it with panko breadcrumbs helps to ensure that this all-important ingredient stays in place. With this recipe, you can also skip the messy deep frying and also give your expensive air fryer a task to do so it doesn't just sit there gathering dust.

Recipe: Quick Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp

There are many different types of curries from a number of different regions, but Thai-style red curry seems especially suited to shrimp. The sauce in this recipe is sweet and creamy from coconut milk and is very mild, though it can, of course, be pepped up with the addition of peppers and/or a hot sauce such as sriracha. The best part about this recipe is how quickly it comes together. If you use pre-cooked shrimp, this curry can be on your plate in just 15 minutes.

Recipe: 15-Minute Thai Red Curry With Shrimp

Gumbo may be the official state dish of Louisiana, but you don't have to live in the Bayou State to enjoy a bowl of this classic Cajun dish. While the dish may be official, the recipe is not, since there are as many ways to make gumbo as there are cooks. Some gumbos call for chicken, others ham, and still others may even include crawfish. Ours, however, is made with shrimp and andouille sausage cooked in a slightly spicy tomato broth with bell peppers, celery, and onions. While you can eat gumbo as a type of thick soup, spooning it over a bed of rice turns the dish into a complete meal.

Recipe: Gumbo

Frutti di mare is Italian for "fruit of the sea," which is not to be confused with Chicken of the Sea. Well, okay, maybe there is some overlap, as these sea fruits of which they speak encompass all types of seafood, up to and including canned tuna. This recipe, however, calls for fresh mussels, clams, scallops, and shrimp, although frozen ones could be used as well. This seafood bounty is then cooked in an Italian-seasoned tomato sauce and served over spaghetti.

Recipe: Frutti Di Mare

Cioppino, despite its Italian name, is 100% American, as it was created in San Francisco back when Fisherman's Wharf was an actual wharf used by fishermen rather than a tourist destination. It was most likely made with the catch of the day, whatever that might include, but in this particular recipe we're using clams, mussels, fish, and shrimp. This seafood mixture is cooked in a tomato/white wine broth seasoned with garlic, onions, and fennel, and is typically dished up in soup bowls with a side of bread. You could also serve it in cute little bread bowls if you're trying to start a tourist attraction of your own.

Recipe: Cioppino

As aguachile has the word "chile" right there in its name, you might expect that such a dish would be on the spicy side. While this is certainly true of many aguachile recipes, this one is for those who prefer to walk on the mild side. The most incendiary thing in this dish of lime-marinated shrimp with avocado and cucumber is a single jalapeno. While these peppers can pack a punch, they lose much of their heat if you remove the seeds and ribs while you slice them.

Recipe: Mild Aguachile