Air fryer bacon-wrapped shrimp or prawns served on tiny pieces of avocado toast make easy and always popular tapas. Crostini appetizers are always fun to eat and easy to make. These ones with bacon, shrimp and avocado will be quickly snapped up!

A plate filled with Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp (or Prawn) Tapas, a crostini topped with avocado and a bacon wrapped shrimp.

Fresh sweet prawns or shrimp, smoky bacon and creamy avocado, all served on a crispy crostini--these bacon-wrapped shrimp and avocado tapas are usually the first to disappear from the serving platter.

Bacon-wrapped prawns were one of my favourite tapas during our last trip to Spain. While I don't indulge in bacon very often, it's a treat that makes these tapas a sublime summer memory.

What are tapas?

Tapa in Spanish translates to “cover.” Historically, a small piece of bread was used to cover the top of a wine glass to prevent flies from getting in. Later, bartenders realized that their patrons would stay a little longer (and drink a little more) if there was an interesting little bite of something on top of that slice of bread.

Who could resist these tiny bites of finger food?

Jump to:

What are tapas?
🛒 Ingredients
🔪 Instructions
Directions for Oven Baked Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
👍🏼 Helpful Tips
🔁 Possible Variations
🥶Storage and Reheating Instructions
🍽 Tapas can make a meal!
🗒More shrimp or prawn appetizer recipes
📖 Recipe

🛒 Ingredients

You'll find a complete list of ingredients in the recipe card below. Here are a few notes about the ingredients you'll use to make these tasty tapas!

prawns or large shrimp: fresh or frozen, peeled and deveined. I use the terms prawns and shrimp interchangeably. To learn more about how to buy, peel and cook shrimp, see my post on A Complete Guide to Cooking Shrimp and Prawns.

bacon: You'll be using ⅓ to ½ a slice for each prawn or shrimp, depending on their size.

avocado: you'll need one perfectly ripe one that you'll mash with lime juice, a little garlic and some freshly ground pepper to make the avocado spread for the crostini

baguette: any kind you like, I use a store-bought gluten-free baguette.

Labeled ingredients for Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp Tapas

🔪 Instructions

Peel and devein the prawns or shrimp and pat dry. If you've bought shrimp in a bag, they may already be peeled.
Make the crostini. Heat oven to 375° F. Use a sharp knife to slice a baguette into ¼ to ½ inch thick slices. Cut slightly on the diagonal. Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Space on a baking sheet and place in a preheated oven. Bake for 7 - 8 minutes or until golden brown, flipping once halfway through. Crostini should be lightly browned, lightly toasted but still "springy" in the middle. Remove from the oven and rub with a cut garlic clove.
Use a fork to mash an avocado. Mix with the juice of one lime and a finely minced garlic clove.
Cut the bacon slices into thirds or halves, depending on how long they are and on the size of the shrimp you're using. You want the bacon to wrap around the shrimp without overlapping too much so that none of the bacon is raw.
Brush the basket of your air fryer with a small amount of oil, or spray using an oil mister.
Preheat the air fryer to 390°F. for 3 minutes.
Place the bacon-wrapped shrimp on the air fryer basket, seam side down. Space apart so that the air can circulate. You may have to cook these in batches, depending on the size of your air fryer basket.
Fry for 6 minutes at 390°F. There's no need to flip them partway through. Check and if you want the bacon a little more crispy, air fry for another 1 - 2 minutes.

Divide the avocado between the crostini slices, spreading to the edges, then sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.
Top each crostini with one bacon-wrapped shrimp and serve.

Directions for Oven Baked Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp

If you'd like to cook these in the oven instead of in an air fryer, you will have to partially cook the bacon first before wrapping the prawns or shrimp.

Cook the bacon just until most of the fat has rendered but not until it's crispy. You will need it to be pliable so you can wrap it around the prawn. Drain and pat with paper towel to remove much of the fat.
Increase oven temperature to 400°F. Wrap each shelled and deveined prawn in a third or half-slice of bacon and secure with a wooden toothpick. Place on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes, just until the prawn has lost its translucent appearance, has turned pink, and the bacon is crispy. For crispier bacon, broil for 3 minutes, watching carefully.

👍🏼 Helpful Tips

Whenever you can, choose wild-caught over farmed shrimp or prawns. The difference in flavour is amazing. If you are buying frozen shrimp in a grocery store, look for the label from Monterey Bay's Seafood Watch. This agency is considered the most reliable tool available for ranking farms and fisheries on their environmental sustainability. Buying directly from local fishermen if you can is the best idea.

If you're planning to grill shrimp, skewer them, or wrap them in bacon, you'll want to buy the biggest ones. Look for a label that says U/15, indicating that there are less than 15 shrimp in a one-pound bag (and therefore they're larger.)

If you're planning to grill shrimp, skewer them, or wrap them in bacon, you'll want to buy the biggest ones. Look for a label that says U/15, indicating that there are less than 15 shrimp in a one-pound bag (and therefore they're larger.)

🔁 Possible Variations

You can keep these air fryer appetizers low carb by serving without the crostini. Bacon-wrapped shrimp served with a toothpick are always the first to disappear from a grazing board!

If you're using freshly caught prawns or shrimp, you'll probably find that they have so much flavour that no extra seasoning is necessary.

However, if you're using bagged shrimp and want to add flavour, toss the raw prawns with a small amount of Old Bay Seasoning or Cajun seasoning mix for an extra spicy flavour. You could even brush them with barbecue sauce before wrapping them with bacon.

🥶Storage and Reheating Instructions

Keep raw shrimp and bacon slices refrigerated until ready to use. Refrigerate leftover bacon-wrapped shrimp promptly. Reheat in the air fryer at 360°F. for 3 - 4 minutes or until heated through, or just eat them cold!

🍽 Tapas can make a meal!

Eating tapas, or small bites, in the tapa bars of Spain taught me that I can make a completely balanced meal of appetizers. In hot weather, tapas are the ticket. And they're fun to eat too.

Sometimes after writing about food all day, the thought of making a "real meal" just doesn't appeal. On those days, we eat the way I like best--a variety of little appetizers like these Cajun Prawn Kabobs with Pineapple, Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Wings or stuffed mini peppers instead of a main dish. And using my air fryer guarantees they'll be ready quickly and cooked to perfection!

You'll find more than 100 appetizer recipes here on Flavour and Savour. Have a look!

🗒More shrimp or prawn appetizer recipes

Grilled Cajun Prawn Kabobs with Pineapple

10-Minute Grilled Chimichurri Shrimp Skewers

Prawn and Chorizo Skewers with Lemon Aioli Dip

📖 Recipe