There are so many different ways to cook the humble shrimp, but everyone has a go-to.
In honor of National Shrimp Day, we used google trends data to find out America’s favorite shrimp recipes.
We compared the data to the national average, so the results show which shrimp recipes are searched more than usual in each state.
For example, fried shrimp is universally loved across the USA, but only two states search for it disproportionately (Wyoming and Delaware).
Therefore fried shrimp is most popular in these two states.
Key highlights
- Bang Bang shrimp came out on top in a whopping 14 states. Mostly eastern states, due to the famous seafood chain Bonefish Grill, which is located primarily in the East.
- The next most popular shrimp recipes were coconut shrimp, shrimp curry, and shrimp cocktail. These each reigned supreme in 7 states.
- Cajun shrimp (a popular flavor for shrimp boils) stole 5th place, taking the top spot in 5 states.
- Panda express has popularized the unique dish honey-walnut shrimp in California, Arizona, Colorado, and Washington. The dish didn’t steal the top spot but came pretty close.
- Louisiana loves stuffed shrimp, which is no surprise because that’s where it originated. New England states Connecticut and Massachusetts also have a soft spot for stuffed shrimp.
- Nevada is crazy for Shrimp Cocktail – which was first served (for 50 cents!) in the Golden Gate Hotel in Las Vegas. Apparently, the owner was missing the fresh seafood of his hometown in California!
The most popular shrimp dish in every U.S. state
| State | Favorite Shrimp Dish |
| Alabama | Cajun Shrimp |
| Alaska | Coconut Shrimp |
| Arizona | Lemon Shrimp |
| Arkansas | Spicy Shrimp |
| California | Cajun Shrimp |
| Colorado | Curry Shrimp |
| Connecticut | Stuffed Shrimp |
| Delaware | Fried Shrimp |
| District of Columbia | Curry Shrimp |
| Florida | Bang Bang Shrimp |
| Georgia | Curry Shrimp |
| Hawaii | Garlic Shrimp |
| Idaho | Coconut Shrimp |
| Illinois | Lemon Shrimp |
| Indiana | Bang Bang Shrimp |
| Iowa | Lemon Shrimp |
| Kansas | Bang Bang Shrimp |
| Kentucky | Bang Bang Shrimp |
| Louisiana | Stuffed Shrimp |
| Maine | Coconut Shrimp |
| Maryland | Curry Shrimp |
| Massachusetts | Stuffed Shrimp |
| Michigan | Bang Bang Shrimp |
| Minnesota | Coconut Shrimp |
| Mississippi | Cajun Shrimp |
| Missouri | Cajun Shrimp |
| Montana | Cocktail Shrimp |
| Nebraska | Bang Bang Shrimp |
| Nevada | Cocktail Shrimp |
| New Hampshire | Cocktail Shrimp |
| New Jersey | Bang Bang Shrimp |
| New Mexico | Cocktail Shrimp |
| New York | Curry Shrimp |
| North Carolina | Bang Bang Shrimp |
| North Dakota | Cocktail Shrimp |
| Ohio | Bang Bang Shrimp |
| Oklahoma | Cocktail Shrimp |
| Oregon | Curry Shrimp |
| Pennsylvania | Bang Bang Shrimp |
| Rhode Island | Cocktail Shrimp |
| South Carolina | Bang Bang Shrimp |
| South Dakota | Garlic Shrimp |
| Tennessee | Bang Bang Shrimp |
| Texas | Cajun Shrimp |
| Utah | Coconut Shrimp |
| Vermont | Coconut Shrimp |
| Virginia | Bang Bang Shrimp |
| Washington | Curry Shrimp |
| West Virginia | Coconut Shrimp |
| Wisconsin | Bang Bang Shrimp |
| Wyoming | Fried Shrimp |
How do Americans prefer to cook their shrimp?
As well as different shrimp recipes, we also looked at the most popular shrimp cooking techniques by state.
The results were pretty split across the board.
- Grilled shrimp was the most popular cooking method in 13 states, fried shrimp in 12, baked shrimp in 11, steamed shrimp in 10, and sauteed shrimp came in last with only 5 states to its name.
- Steaming dominated the east coast, likely due to the popularity of the Old Bay steamed shrimp recipe. Old Bay flavoring was invented in Maryland.
- The upper midwest love baked shrimp, while the rest of the midwest prefers to grill their shrimp.
You might also like: the best way to reheat shrimp.
| State | Favorite Cooking Method |
| Alabama | Steamed |
| Alaska | Fried |
| Arizona | Baked |
| Arkansas | Grilled |
| California | Sauteed |
| Colorado | Sauteed |
| Connecticut | Baked |
| Delaware | Steamed |
| District of Columbia | Steamed |
| Florida | Steamed |
| Georgia | Sauteed |
| Hawaii | Fried |
| Idaho | Grilled |
| Illinois | Grilled |
| Indiana | Baked |
| Iowa | Grilled |
| Kansas | Grilled |
| Kentucky | Grilled |
| Louisiana | Fried |
| Maine | Grilled |
| Maryland | Steamed |
| Massachusetts | Baked |
| Michigan | Baked |
| Minnesota | Baked |
| Mississippi | Sauteed |
| Missouri | Grilled |
| Montana | Fried |
| Nebraska | Grilled |
| Nevada | Fried |
| New Hampshire | Grilled |
| New Jersey | Steamed |
| New Mexico | Grilled |
| New York | Baked |
| North Carolina | Steamed |
| North Dakota | Fried |
| Ohio | Baked |
| Oklahoma | Grilled |
| Oregon | Fried |
| Pennsylvania | Steamed |
| Rhode Island | Fried |
| South Carolina | Sauteed |
| South Dakota | Fried |
| Tennessee | Baked |
| Texas | Fried |
| Utah | Grilled |
| Vermont | Fried |
| Virginia | Steamed |
| Washington | Baked |
| West Virginia | Steamed |
| Wisconsin | Baked |
| Wyoming | Fried |
How we worked this out
First, we compiled a lengthy list of the most popular shrimp recipes in the USA (according to Ahrefs search volume data). We cross-referenced each item in the list against Google Trends and shortlisted the 10 most popular dishes nationally.
Using data from Google Trends, we calculated both the national average and the state average for each dish.
The overall winning shrimp dish in each state was determined by how much it over-indexed compared to the national average.
For more information on our methodology, or to request access to this study’s base data, please reach out to us at [email protected].
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