A shrimp ring with seafood sauce is a go-to appetizer in many circles, but you can do so much more with these bite-size crustaceans. Shrimp is great grilled, in a salad or in pasta, and spicy shrimp recipes are always a hit.

Try some of these fresh and easy shrimp recipes for your next great get-together or family meal:

These fragrant, crispy, Chinese-style shrimp toasts will be a surefire hit with all your guests.

This simple shrimp appetizer is made even more satisfying by the slight bitterness of the endive leaves. Dill and chives are the star herbs of Scandinavian summer cuisine. 

Serve these steamed morsels as a main dish or as guilt-free appetizers.

Yummy coconut shrimp are served all over Grand Cayman at wonderful outdoor café-cum-tiki huts such as the Almond Tree Restaurant in Georgetown. 

These little pastries, called rissóis in Portuguese, are sold everywhere in coffee shops and bar-eateries, especially in Lisbon.

Halving the shrimp lengthwise makes them curl attractively when they are cooked. 

Sugary fresh peas and sweet, succulent cold-water shrimp, like the Matane shrimp from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, make excellent companions. 

Elegant but easy, this lasagna is as great for entertaining as it is for a family supper. Freeze individual portions of any leftover lasagna for quick microwaveable dinners on busy nights.

If you prefer, you can use small shrimp and keep them whole. For the best flavour, use ripe tomatoes in season and canned tomatoes the rest of the year. Serve these tasty shrimp over linguine or fettuccine. 

Both the colour and the flavour of these simply seasoned shrimp balance the lovely spring-green relish. 

In Goa, vinegar is used much more commonly as a flavouring and souring agent than in other regions of India. The rather lavish use of dried red chilies is necessary for authentic flavour, but this fiery spice-enhanced shrimp dish can be cooled down a bit by using other types of chilies.

The popular Greek meze, of shrimp in tomato sauce topped with feta cheese, inspired this pizza. 

Marinated seafood dishes called ceviche (cebiche) are popular throughout South and Central America. 

Thai cuisine often features fruit-based savoury salads, such as the popular green mango salad. In Thailand, this salad would be made with pummelo; you can substitute one for the grapefruits, if you like. 

In Thailand, you might find this shrimp salad served over a bed of blanched convulvulus, also known as water spinach. 

For a change of pace, serve seasonal local asparagus with an Asian twist.