New Orleans-Inspired BBQ Shrimp
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This sautéed barbecue shrimp in a Worcestershire-spiked butter sauce is one of those dishes you can throw together at a moment’s notice.
New Orleans BBQ shrimp has actually very little to do with barbecue. The Louisiana dish refers to sautéed shrimp in a garlicky, Worcestershire-spiked butter sauce. Typically made with copious amounts of butter, the shrimp are cooked and served with the shell on and then peeled at the table. It’s a rich and delicious dish but not very practical for a weeknight family dinner. This is my super-simple, easy-to-eat version. Butter is still the main ingredient in the sauce but I’ve scaled the amount way back, and the shrimp are peeled before cooking. If you keep shrimp in your freezer, it’s one of those shrimp recipes you can throw together at a moment’s notice. Bonus: kids love it!
What you’ll need to make New Orleans-Inspired BBQ shrimp
Before we get started, a few words on buying shrimp. While fresh seafood is obviously superior to frozen, I always buy frozen shrimp. Fact is, unless you live on the coast, it’s near impossible to find truly fresh shrimp. The “fresh” shrimp you see in the seafood case at the supermarket is typically thawed frozen shrimp, and you never know how long it’s been sitting out.
Almost all shrimp are cleaned and flash frozen shortly after being caught, so for the freshest shrimp, you’re better off buying frozen and defrosting it yourself. For this recipe, I buy extra-large frozen shrimp labeled “shell split and deveined.” Come dinnertime, all I have to do is run the shrimp under warm water to quickly defrost and then peel.
Step-by-step instructions
To begin, add the paprika, ancho chili powder, cumin, salt, and sugar to a bowl. Note that ancho chili powder is not the same as regular chili powder. Chili powder is a blend of spices, while ancho chili powder is a pure chili powder made from ground ancho peppers with deep rich flavor and mild to medium heat.
Mix to blend.
Toss the shrimp with the spices until evenly coated.
Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet.
Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for about a minute. Do not brown.
Add the shrimp.
Continue cooking until almost done but still opaque in spots. Keep the heat at medium so the shrimp cook gently; if shrimp are cooked over high heat, they can seize up and become tough. Add the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and a few tablespoons of water.
Continue cooking for a few minutes more until the shrimp are cooked, then scatter the thinly sliced scallions over top.
Serve with buttered rice or toasted baguette slices.
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- Orzo Risotto with Shrimp, Bacon & Peas
New Orleans-Inspired BBQ Shrimp
This sautéed barbecue shrimp in a Worcestershire-spiked butter sauce is one of those dishes you can throw together at a moment’s notice.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 pounds extra large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, thawed if frozen
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 scallions, dark green parts, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Mix the paprika, ancho chili powder, cumin, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. Add the shrimp to the spices and toss to coat evenly. Set aside.
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a 12-inch skillet. Add the garlic and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for one minute. Do not brown. Add the shrimp and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are almost cooked but still opaque in spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and water and cook until shrimp are done, 1 to 2 minutes more. Scatter the scallions over top and serve.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 209
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 5 g
- Sugar: 2 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 21 g
- Sodium: 928 mg
- Cholesterol: 216 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Easy, with ingredients on hand, and the result was delicious !!
Made this recipe for dinner tonight. Left us thinking we had missed something! We had not! This was no where near this shrimp dish even in a less expensive New Orleans eatery. It was good sautéed shrimp, but NOT New Orleans at all. Must have had some “New York” influence.
Oh my gosh paprika and ancho chili instead of Cayenne pepper? No black pepper? Sugar?!?! This is sacrilege!
Good morning Boudreau…
sacrilege? Really? Pretty dramatic…..did you understand the concept here? Nowhere does it claim to be exact or authentic…..it says INSPIRED by …other important issue is this is a recipe to be able to put together in a short period of time.
I’ve made this several times, and we’ve all enjoyed it, and appreciate being able to use pantry staples to make something so good. From the reviews, I’m in good company.
Lisa
Family really enjoyed recipe!!! Their only request was more sauce to soak into the rice. If I double the sauce would that affect the overall flavor?
If double the sauce I’m assuming double Worcestershire, Lemon Juice, and water?
Hi Scott, You can double the sauce, but you’d need to increase butter and garlic, too. I’d use a whole stick of butter and an extra garlic clove. Hope that helps!
Hi! Mom with a picky eater here. Is this recipe terribly spicy? This recipe sounds amazing and I would love to try it, but am afraid my picky little girl might think it is spicy. Thanks for all your awesome recipes, I am a huge fan 🙂
Hi Chrissy, While the dish isn’t overly spicy, if you’re concerned, you can use regular chili powder instead of ancho chili powder, which isn’t spicy. Hope you enjoy!
If I want to reduce the amount of butter do I need to make other tweaks to the recipe? Thanks!
Yes, depending upon how much you reduce the butter, you could reduce the other ingredients proportionally. Hope you enjoy!
Thank you! While awaiting your reply, I made your shrimp with broccoli. It was delicious! This one is next on the list…
This meal has the fragrance and flavor of an Indian Cusine, not a New Orléans Cusine. My mom commented on this meal ‘this is a New Deli type meal, not a New Orléans type meal.’
Uh huh. Was it delicious?
We loved this shrimp recipe. It’s even better that all ingredients are on hand. It was a perfect after work meal. I served it with couscous… delicious! Thank you for your flavorful, easy recipes that make me look like a rockstar!
Glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Any advice on doubling the recipe?
I think this would double nicely, but I’d use two pans so you don’t crowd the shrimp. Hope you enjoy!
Jenn, I didn’t want to go to the store this evening. I looked in the freezer and found a half pound of frozen shrimp from Argentina. I decided to google ‘Cajun shrimp barbecue recipe’ and yours popped up. It looked as quick and easy as I wanted and decided to try it. I followed you recipe and served the BBQ shrimp over rice accompanied by steamed broccoli and cauliflower. It did not make me pull the page marker from my Paul Prudhomme Cookbook, but it was very good for a quick 30 minute meal. It paired well with a Mondavi Fumé Blanc. I will use your recipe again.
Absolutely delicious! I used all the spice and sauce ingredients with only 1 lb of shrimp; served with roasted green beans and plenty of crusty bread for dipping in the tasty sauce. We loved this shrimp and will definitely be making this again!
Easy recipe but where does the BBQ sauce come into this recipeif it’s BBQ shrimp. Thanks
Excellent question! New Orleans BBQ Shrimp has actually very little to do with barbecue. In Louisiana, it refers to shrimp sauteed in a Worcestershire-spiked butter sauce. Hope that clarifies!