Seared Garlic Shrimp with Sweet Corn and Bacon Succotash

Corn is the single best bargain of the whole summer. Four ears for a dollar at the farm stand, and it is at its sweetest right now, which means this is the season to make shrimp and corn succotash on repeat. Cheap ingredients, easy summer dinner, and it tastes like you spent way more than you did.

This is the dinner I make when the tomatoes are coming in faster than I can keep up with, and I want something that looks like I fussed but really took me half an hour. Buttery corn with crispy bacon and bursting cherry tomatoes, then a pile of garlicky seared shrimp right on top. Yum!

Why You Will Love This Shrimp and Corn Succotash

• One skillet does all the work. The bacon fat seasons the corn, the corn pan gets wiped and turned into the shrimp pan. Less mess, more sitting on the porch.
• Thirty minutes, start to plate. This is a weeknight dinner that eats like a weekend dinner.
• It feeds a crowd. This makes enough for seven.
• Summer produce shines. If you have corn and tomatoes coming out of your ears (pun absolutely intended), this is the recipe that uses them up.
• It looks fancy. Company-worthy dinner without a single fancy ingredient.

Ingredients You Will Need

Here is what goes in, plus a few notes from making this more times than I can count.

• 3 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined. Buy the biggest ones your budget allows. Frozen is completely fine and honestly usually fresher than what is sitting at the counter. Just thaw them fully and pat them dry.
• 8 ears fresh corn, kernels cut off (about 6 cups). Fresh is the whole point in July. In February, frozen corn works and I will not tell anyone.
• 1 lb bacon, chopped. This is doing double duty as flavor and as the cooking fat.
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved. Garden tomatoes if you have them. They burst and make a little sauce.
• 3 shallots, minced. Sweeter and softer than onion. A small sweet onion will do in a pinch.
• 4 garlic cloves, minced. Going in at the very end so it does not burn.
• 4 tbsp butter. Stirred in off the heat so it stays creamy.
• 1 tsp smoked paprika. The secret weapon that makes this taste like a restaurant dish.
• Olive oil
• Basil or parsley, torn. Whatever is thriving in your herb pot.
• Salt and black pepper

Helpful Kitchen Tools for This Recipe

Nothing fancy required, but these are the few things I reach for every single time I make this one.

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• Large skillet: You need something that holds high heat for that sear. I love my pots and pans set.
• Large mixing bowl
• Cutting board
• Sharp chef’s knife
• Garlic roller: Peel four cloves in about ten seconds flat.
• Garlic twister: Makes quick work of mincing garlic
• Good set of tongs: Turning the shrimp quickly, one at a time, is the only way to keep them all cooking evenly.

How to Make Shrimp and Corn Succotash

Step 1: Prep everything first

This recipe moves fast once that pan is hot, so do all your chopping before you turn on a single burner. Cut the kernels off all eight ears of corn, chop the bacon, halve the cherry tomatoes, mince the shallots and the garlic, and get the shrimp out to come to room temperature.

Step 2: Crisp the bacon

Cook the chopped bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Pull it out with a slotted spoon and set it aside, but leave a little of that fat in the pan. That fat is the whole flavor foundation, and pouring it all out would be a crime.

Step 3: Build the succotash

Add the shallots and corn to the skillet and sauté about 5 minutes, until the corn is bright and just tender. Add the tomatoes and cook 2 minutes more, just until they start to slump and burst. Take it off the heat and stir in the butter, the bacon, the torn herbs, and a good pinch of salt. Scrape it all into a bowl and cover it to keep warm.

Step 4: Season the shrimp

Pat the shrimp very dry. I mean really dry, paper towels and all. Season with the smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Wipe out the skillet, add a thin film of olive oil, and heat it until it is almost smoking. Hot pan, dry shrimp. That is the entire secret.

Step 5: Sear the shrimp

Sear the shrimp about 2 minutes per side, until they are pink with a little char on them, adding the garlic in the last minute so it toasts instead of burns. Do not crowd the pan. Work in batches so the shrimp sear instead of steam. I know it feels like it takes longer. It does not, and the difference is night and day.

Step 6: Plate it

Spoon the succotash onto plates and set the shrimp right on top. Scatter a little more torn basil over everything and call it dinner.

Tips for the Best Shrimp

Dry shrimp brown, damp shrimp steam. If you take one thing from this post, take that. Wet shrimp will turn gray and rubbery and sad no matter how hot your pan is.

Smoked paprika does the heavy lifting. A pinch of smoked paprika plus a screaming hot pan gives the shrimp a deep charred flavor that honestly stands in beautifully for scallops. It is a one dollar upgrade.

Watch them like a hawk. Shrimp go from perfect to rubber in about ninety seconds. When they curl into a loose C shape and turn opaque, they are done. A tight O shape means you went too far.

Variations to Try

• Skip the bacon. Use olive oil and a little extra smoked paprika. Still delicious.
• Add heat. A pinch of cayenne or some sliced jalapeño with the shallots.
• Make it creamy. A splash of heavy cream stirred in with the butter turns the succotash into something closer to a chowder.
• Swap the protein. Chicken thighs, scallops, or seared sausage all work over this succotash.
• Add beans. Traditional succotash includes lima beans. Add a cup of edamame or baby limas with the corn if you want to go classic.

Storage and Reheating

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store the shrimp and succotash separately, because the shrimp reheat best on their own.

To reheat, warm the succotash in a skillet over medium and add the shrimp for the last thirty seconds or so, just long enough to take the chill off. The microwave works but it is unkind to shrimp.

I do not recommend freezing this one. The corn and tomatoes will both get watery.

Frequently Asked Questions Shrimp and Corn Succotash

📌 Pin This Shrimp and Corn Succotash for Later

Summer corn does not stay this cheap or this sweet for long, so save this one to your dinner board before you forget about it. Pin the image below and it will be waiting for you the next time you see corn on sale.