Here’s an incredible way to cook shrimp in the oven – baked in a lemon garlic butter white wine sauce, finished with a golden crunchy parmesan breadcrumb topping. People call it Magic Baked Shrimp – because it’s so simple to make, yet it tastes like a million bucks. It’s basically an oven baked Shrimp Scampi!
Baked Shrimp (Prawns)
When you bake shrimp in the oven, you simply can’t achieve that same caramelisation that you get from searing prawns on the stove or grill, which means less flavour.
And frankly, shrimp is pricey compared to other day-to-day proteins. So when I cook it, I’m not going to compromise!
So here are the two things in this recipe that adds an extra edge to compensation for loss of flavour because we can’t caramelise shrimp in the oven:
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White wine reduction flavour base – white wine is the “secret ingredient” that gives many sauces a flavour edge to take them from fine to soooo tasty!! It’s used in the classic recipe for Garlic Prawns/Shrimp and it’s essential to include for Baked Shrimp to make a seriously amazing sauce!!
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That crunchy parmesan breadcrumb topping – Texture! Flavour!
This is an effortless, utterly incredible way to cook shrimp in the oven that’s worthy of company!
What you need to make GREAT baked shrimp
There’s not that many ingredients required – part of the Magic of this recipe!!
For convenience, I use store bought grated parmesan and frozen prawns/shrimp.
Note: The prawns/shrimp shown below ARE raw! They are from Costco and they’re a particular type that are pink when raw.
How to cook prawns / shrimp in the oven (and make them really tasty!)
So here is how I cook prawns / shrimp in the oven:
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Start with a white wine reduction in an empty pan in a hot oven. This creates an exceptional flavour base that’s usually missing from baked shrimp recipes!!
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Toss shrimp (prawns) with lemon, garlic, butter, salt and pepper;
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Top with parmesan panko breadcrumb topping;
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Bake just 12 minutes.
Yep, it’s that easy. No stirring, no stove splatters, all done in one pan!
And here’s what you end up with:
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Juicy, tender shrimp that are perfectly cooked;
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A pool of incredible lemon-butter-garlic-white wine sauce with an extra flavour boost from the shrimp juices; and
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The crowning glory – a golden crunchy parmesan topping. It just doesn’t get any better than this!!
The sauce that comes with this Baked Shrimp really is amazing. Even if it was just lemon and butter, it would be delicious. But with the white wine reduction, it’s INCREDIBLE!!!
Simple, effortless yet amazing
Recipes like this Baked Shrimp are my jam. It’s incredibly simple, yet utterly delectable.
It’s got it all! Flavour, juiciness, texture, depth of flavour, tang from lemon, savoury from parmesan.
So few ingredients, so effortless.
It’s like…. MAGIC!!! – Nagi x
PS I presume you figured it out from the outset, but just to clarify: prawns = shrimp. 🙂 I’m in Australia, and we call them prawns here. So most of my recipes are titled “prawns (shrimp)” but from time to time, depending on the recipe and given I have a large proportion of US readers, I will title a recipe “shrimp” rather than prawns. 😇
Watch how to make it
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Crispy Baked Shrimp in Lemon Butter Sauce (Prawns)
Ingredients
- 500g/ 1 lb jumbo prawns/shrimp , peeled and deveined (Note 1)
- 3/4 cup dry white wine (sub chicken broth)
- 75g/ 5 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Crunchy Topping:
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (Note 2)
- 1/4 cup parmesan , finely shredded
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
Garnish:
- Finely chopped parsley
- Lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220°C/430°F (all oven types).
- Pour wine and half the butter into 9 x 13" / 22 x 33cm baking pan (see Note 3 if using glass). Place in oven for 10 minutes to reduce.
- Toss prawns with remaining butter, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Butter may harden - that's ok.
- Mix Crunchy Topping ingredients.
- Remove pan from oven. Add prawns - spread out in single layer, but snug.
- Top with Crunchy Topping. Bake 12 minutes.
- Flick to broiler/grill on high, broil for 1 - 2 minutes (max) to brown top a bit more.
- Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and crusty bread to mop up the incredible sauce!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published August 2019. Tidied up for some housekeeping matters July 2020 – no change to recipe!
More Fuss-free yet amazing Prawns / Shrimp recipes
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Life of Dozer
Too much garlic in this Baked Shrimp for Dozer. So I offered him something else to taste test instead (this Bacon and Egg Muffin – with a whole egg baked inside!) – and he seemed totally ok with it. 😂
Deserves six stars! Uber delicious
Wahoo, thanks Anka!
Hi.
I noticed Directions say 430° preheat oven.
Note 3 mentions 450°.
My non-digital oven has 5° increments.
So is 450° the correct oven temp?
Thanks!
Hi Tammy, the note refers to what temp pyrex is ok to bake at – N x
This was absolutely delicious!
One question is 75 g of butter really 5 tablespoons ? Doesn’t seem like enough . I added a bit more 😀
Hi Fi, yes one tablespoon is 15g – but I wont judge if you add more (I secretly do to at times) 😬
Sorry, I also wanted to ask, does your comment mean all your measures (eg tablespoon, teaspoon, cup etc) are American size thus any Aussie wanting to make your recipes would need to convert every ingredient to accommodate our larger size measures? Disappointing but if so your recipes would be more useful if you gave specific weights or volumes. I’ve had so many bloggers recipes result in disappointment when they don’t specify if they are using the smaller American measures.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing this Carol! I’m in Sydney, Australia and for some reason, a tablespoon is always 15mL for me. I didn’t know it can mean 20mL!!
Nagi, your recipes are awesome!! Thank you for your love for food, and sharing your yummy recipes!! There isn’t one that I tried and didn’t love!!👍👍👍
I’m not sure if you are aware of this given the Americanisms in your recipes, but Australian tablespoons hold 20 grams. It’s American tablespoons that hold only 15 gms.
Hi Carol – Yes I am aware of that! And while that is technically and historically true, you’ll find that most tablespoon measures sold in stores nowadays are actually 15 ml which is consistent with the rest of the world, including UK, Europe, US 🙂 Which then leads to the conclusion that most Aussie households are actually measuring things with 15 ml tablespoons and interestingly, when I had a monthly column with Super Food Ideas magazine a couple of years ago (Australia’s top selling recipe mag), I was to use 15 ml tablespoons by the editor. For most recipes on my website, the difference between 15 ml and 20 ml tablespoons isn’t enough to affect the outcome of the recipe OR the differences are consistent across the other ingredients (eg a sauce where all ingredients are measured in tablespoons). Where it DOES make a difference – mainly baking recipes – I am careful to either use other measures (like grams) or teaspoons where the difference between countries is immaterial. I am VERY mindful of difference in cups and tbsp between countries having experienced my share of epic fails using US recipes (NOT happy!!). N x
Hey Nagi
This is wonderful. So seriously easy but full of flavour and juicyness and crispyness. The great thing is that most of it can be done ahead.
We had friends over for lunch on Sunday and gave them entree and main from your recipes and we were completely organised and ready an hour before they arrived! And didn’t have to faff around with cooking too much while they were here.
Thank you! Will post comments on the other dishes we have made. H
That’s great Heather – nothing worse that being stuck in the kitchen!!!
Curious Quesgio
Your article and photos of your meal, “Magic Baked Shrimp “, clearly shows the Shrimp not being cleaned if the shell completely. You left the hard tail shell on. How is someone supposed to eat it with the shell on?
Hi Mimi, I leave the tail on as it looks better for presentation purposes. By all means, you can remove it if you prefer! – N x
Magic Baked Prawns are sensational
I’m going to do this with firm fish fillets
A great combo!
Is there any type of wine that you’d recommend? I haven’t made it yet but I intend to because it looks perfect for pre-preparing.
So yummy! We had it with rice and it went really well with the sauce.
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Marlie!
What a perfectly clicked photo, Dozer looks very happy with his taste test piece…. Just pinned the Baked Prawn and Lemon. Looks really tasty…
I hope you give it a go, it’s so delicious!
Hello
Looking forward to making this dish. How do u feel about garlic in a jar? I hate to peel it yet not sure about the pre-peeled in a container? Is it stronger? Thanks
Regarding garlic – to acquire blessed freedom from this question, I purchased a garlic press. I don’t even peel the cloves, I just cut off the bottom and squish. The only thing left in the press is the skin, the flesh is finely minced, and fresh juice is released. I personally use a good metal one. I only wish there was such a thing for onions which I hate much more.
I hate it! It’s very bitter and just doesn’t compare to fresh garlic!! (I only use it in emergencies) – N x
I’m not Nagi, I used to use the stuff in the jar but it just isn’t the same. The stuff in the jar sometimes has a preservative in it that gives the garlic a flavor that isn’t as good as fresh.
But I also don’t find it very garlicky either.
I’m not fond of peeling it either but the flavor difference is worth it.
A keeper for sure This was a wonderful dish.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Lynda! Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂 N x
These baked prawns look amazing.. Cant wait to try it..
Hope you get a chance to try them! N x
You must have read my mind because I was searching for a baked prawn dish and this looks like a winner! Looking forward to trying it in the near future.
Hope you get a chance to try it Maria! N x
Hi Nagi – I can’t wait to make these. They look so good. Will have to go to Costco tomorrow I guess. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re so welcome Kathi! N x
Nagi, the star ratings system is not working.
Oh no! Thanks for the heads up, I’ll look into it! N x
Any way to edit reader comments to get rid of various errors?
Hmm! I’m actually not sure, I will look into it! Or – if you tell me what you want me to change, I can do it for you 🙂 N x
Nagi, I imagine this dish would destroy anyone’s diet routine. Fortunately, I don’t worry about such things. This dish will be on my table often.
I used a Pyrex dish a little smaller than 9×13 and had to stack a few shrimp to get the 16 jumbos to fit. No matter. The all cooked nicely, and the sauce was, as you told us was delicious.
On the side was sauteéd baby portobello mushrooms and onions, tossed with thin spaghetti.
Thank you for posting yet another excellent recipe.
Oooh! I love your sides 🙂 What a feast! N xx
The sautéed mushrooms also included some garlic, white wine for deglazing, lots of evoo, and a sprinkle of parsley.
I love it when a dish comes together like magic but if you put this in front of me it will magically disappear 🙃
I hope you’re recovering from your travels. Can’t wait to hear all about it.
Thanks Dahn! I hadn’t planned on doing a post but I guess maybe I should! I certainly have enough material for a post 🙂 N xx
Of course a wine reduction makes SO much difference ! I am so oft saddened to read some people don’t use it for everyday cooking as all alcohol evaporates in the process and only necessary taste remains. Must admit I rarely bake PRAWNS but this recipe with its delightful panko coverlet will make me try 🙂 !
I AGREE 100%!!!!!!
Love your wonderful recipes and have cooked a few that were fabulous, however a lot of your recipes use a lot of garlic. I am one of those unfortunate, elderly? people that has a digestive disorder that excludes me from garlic, ugg, do you have any suggestions for a really super substitute? As a BTW there are a LOT of people in my predicament that cannot use garlic, we search for Garlic free recipes or just leave it out with a loss of flavor…………..
Hi Ron! I’m sorry to hear that. Can you tell me if onion is ok? What about garlic chives, eschallots, green onions?? 🙂 N x
Hi, Nagi, thanks for the reply.
I have found using a little Cumin in lemon butter sauce makes for a yummy finish for
many of your chicken/fish recipes that call for it!
Hi Ron, yes garlic is a no no for some people. I have my moment with it too. May I suggest something like chives, maybe a little garlic chives or the plain ones. Maybe parsley or some appropriate herb that compliments the dish. Ginger works a treat with some dishes. Best of luck and good cooking….Madeleine
Chives is a great idea Madeleine! N xx