How Much Shrimp Per Person? (Easy Portion Data)

Shrimp, the delicacy of the sea, is a delicious ingredient fit for many cuisines and dishes. However, the word shrimp doesen’t tell you exactly what you’re going to get, as they come in various types and sizes. That makes it difficult to portion, so you came to the right place. When talking about shrimps in general, how much should you reserve per person?

You should get 1 pound of raw unpeeled shrimp per person. That might seem much, but the edible weight will decrease when peeled and cooked. If you buy peeled shrimp, 6 to 8 ounces is appropriate per person. Don’t count the number of shrimps because it varies between shrimp types.

When the shrimp has a peel on, it accounts for roughly 15 to 20% of its weight, and when the shrimp is cooked, 20-25% of its weight is lost. If you buy large raw shrimps with the head and shell on, the overall weight loss will be over 50%.

That said, you need to think about the form and condition of the shrimp. In contrast, if you buy already cooked shrimp that is processed to the end, you can get 6 to 8 ounces (170-226g) per person.

I have often heard the question of how many shrimps I should get per person, which can’t be answered for appropriate dish size because there are so many different sizes of shrimps. I’ll tell you about the size differences next.

How Many Shrimps In a Pound?

There are weight differences in varieties and styles of nearly all ingredients that is a sum of many things, yet shrimps have one of the biggest differences. When you ask how many shrimps are in a pound (453g), it entirely depends on the shrimp type.

There are fewer than 10 to 70 shrimps per pound, depending on the shrimp’s size. The smaller the shrimps are, the more there are in a pound. A pound includes 61 to 70 extra small shrimps, whereas there can be less than 10 if your shrimps are extra colossal.

If you want to know how many shrimps are in a pound when buying, look no further than the side of the package. Shrimps are marked as something/something or U-something. So, if the package says 41/50, there are 41 to 50 shrimps there. If the package says U12 (U meaning under), there are under 12 shrimps.

Shrimps are generally categorized into 11 sizes. See how many shrimps does a pound have depending on the size;

Shrimps sold in packages marked with the above numbers are always already processed, so they don’t have heads. However, they can be peel-on or peeled, so be sure to check that and account for the weight loss from those when planning a meal for people.

How Much Shrimp for a Group

Whether you’re having a small group of people over or need instructions for a big crowd of people, math will guide you on how much shrimp you will ultimately need. Remember that you’ll need 1 pound of shrimp per person if it’s raw and shell-on, whereas if the shrimp is already cooked and processed, 6 to 8 oz (170-226g) per person is a great amount.

See the table below for the minimum amount of shrimp you’ll need if it’s the meal’s main course.

The amounts above are calculated with 6oz of shrimp; you can go a bit higher to 8 ounces per person if you want to. However, don’t go over 8 ounces because there will be excess shrimp after the meal.

Another thing to consider is that if you don’t serve shrimp as the main course, you should decrease the amount to 4oz per person or lower, depending on the meal plan. Let’s learn more about that.

What Affects On the Amount of Shrimp You Need Per Person?

I already talked about the weight difference between raw and cooked, peeled and peel-less, and head-on and headless shrimp. However, you don’t need the same amount of shrimp for every event either. Many factors determine the total needed amount, such as whether you’re serving shrimp as a main course or a side dish and what kind of an event it is.

Let’s take a look at different instances and their shrimp needs;

• Shrimp as a main course: If you plan the shrimp as the main focus of the meal, 6 to 8 ounces per person is required.
• Shrimp as a side course: If your shrimp isn’t the main focus of the meal, you can decrease the required shrimp amount to 4 to 6 ounces per person.
• Shrimp served in a buffet: If you serve shrimp in a buffet, increase served shrimp amount by 10 to 20% per person.
• Shrimp on a BBQ cookout: Food is often consumed more than usual when hosting a barbeque party. Increase served shrimp amount by 10 to 20% per person.
• Shrimp served at a wedding: When serving shrimp at a wedding, decrease the served shrimp amount by 30% as there are probably other foods served.

As you can see, serving the same amount of shrimp regardless of the type of event would leave people hungry or create a lot of surplus shrimp.

The main two things I would consider are whether you serve shrimp as a main or side dish. Also, consider whether the event requires a lot of food, such as a buffet or BBQ, or whether it’s a lighter event like a wedding or a New Year’s party.

How Many Calories In Shrimp

When talking about food and planning for groups of people, it’s also important to know a thing or two about nutritional values. This helps you determine how much food you will need from a single ingredient and, in general, as different food provide different amounts of energy and nutrients.

For example, you don’t need a lot of triple chocolate cake to fill your quest’s tummies and provide the required energy for their bodies, yet you’ll need a considerable amount of low-calorie carbs such as potatoes or rice.

As the subject is shrimps, let’s look at the nutrition they provide.

Shrimp has very few calories and very high protein content, which almost makes it a superfood. In addition, carbohydrates and fats are low, making room for other foods to fill them, which is great. There are also several vitamins and minerals that are beneficial to humans.

According to Healthline, eating shrimp may promote heart and brain health thanks to its omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants.

All things considered, you can feed shrimp with a good conscience for a group of few or many. Just be sure to devein your shrimp first!