New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp

My New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp is one of the tastiest dinners I’ve made in quite some time. Go as big as you want with the shrimp! I decided against colossal and instead opted for jumbo (16-20 count). If you choose to use smaller shrimps (31-35 or 36-40), just know that they’re going to cook even faster when they hit the hot skillet. Finally, if you’re not into spicy food, leave out the cayenne pepper and hot sauce, but if you want some heat, increase the cayenne pepper to 1/4 tsp and serve with additional hot sauce at the table.

Want other shrimp ideas? Try my gnocchi and shrimp pesto and my easy oven-baked risotto with sauteed shrimp!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Inactive Time 1 hour

Cook Time 30 minutes

Makes 2-3 servings

Ingredients

1 to 1 1 1/2 pounds jumbo shrimp, preferably E-Z Peel

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp ground black pepper, or to taste

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp Old Bay seasoning

2 tbsp cold butter, cut in cubes

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 c shrimp stock (using reserved shells, sauteed in 1 tbsp butter, and simmered with 2 cups stock or water for 20 min)

juice of 1 lemon

hot sauce to taste

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, or to taste

Lots of white rice

Preparation

Peel the shrimp, reserving the shells. The peeled shrimp goes into a mixing bowl for seasoning, and the shrimp shells go into a saucepan as the base for your stock. Drizzle vegetable oil over the shrimp, then season with black pepper, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and Old Bay seasoning. Toss the shrimp to coat with the spices, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the shrimp for at least 1 hour to let the flavors absorb (I let mine sit for about 2 hours).

Preparing the Shrimp Stock

Cook the reserved shrimp shells in a saucepan over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon butter. Stir until the shells are pink and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock, or water, bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat. Continue to simmer until the shrimp shells have given off their flavor, which should take roughly 20 minutes. Finally, strain the shrimp stock through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl and add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Mix to combine and set aside.

Preparing the Shrimp

Place a large skillet over high heat until the pan is very hot. Sear shrimp in the hot, dry pan until browned, about 1 minute per side. Add in 2 tablespoons butter, minced garlic, and dried rosemary to the shrimp, then cook until shrimp are opaque in the middle and garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Next, pour in the reserved shrimp stock and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp from the skillet to a bowl or plate, reserving the sauce in the skillet. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the sauce to a boil. Cook until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Give the sauce a taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Finally, return the shrimp to the pan, reduce heat to low, and continue to warm through for about 1 minute.

Serve your New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp over a bed of white rice with plenty of pan sauce spooned over top.

Share this post: on Twitter on Facebook