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New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

By Mark Bittman

Updated June 24, 2023

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp
Craig Lee for The New York Times
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(890)
Comments
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Barbecue shrimp is an old New Orleans recipe that has nothing to do with barbecue or with grilling. Its name comes from the spicy, smoky flavor the shrimp derive from being cooked with Worcestershire sauce and lots of black pepper. It is a fine and almost absurdly fast dish — once the shrimp are peeled, you can have it on the table in 10 minutes — with a rich, savory sauce that completely belies the little effort it takes. But as I discovered once I started playing around with it, the key ingredient is neither Worcestershire sauce nor pepper, but rather butter. If you start with about a tablespoon for each serving of shrimp, you can add almost any flavor you like and create a sauce with the same creaminess and rich flavor. But start with Worcestershire sauce and pepper!

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 4tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1½ to 2pounds peeled shrimp
  • 2tablespoons Worcestershire or soy sauce
  • Salt to taste
  • ½teaspoon or more fresh black pepper
  • Juice of 1 lemon
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

283 calories; 13 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 41 grams protein; 678 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put butter in skillet, and turn heat to high; when it melts, add garlic, shrimp and Worcestershire or soy sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick and shrimp uniformly pink, about 5 minutes. If sauce threatens to dry out, add a tablespoon or two of water.

  2. Step 2

    When shrimp are done, add salt and pepper, then lemon juice. Serve over rice or with bread.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
890 user ratings
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Comments

Usha

Just FYI. In NOLA the shrimp aren’t peeled. Part of the head is snipped off. The fatty part on the top of head stays on. Can’t do this starting with frozen shrimp. Use fresh caught wild. Then lots of butter pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Need good fresh French bread for mopping up sauce

Stephen F

This recipe is really good, either as written or with additional butter and Worcestershire sauce. But unless your shrimp are the size of a standard SUV, cooking them for 5 minutes over high heat is a risky proposition. I get the butter, garlic and Worcestershire going, and then add the shrimp for 3 minutes. If they need more time, they get it (unlikely they will), but you don't run the danger of ending up with leather after 5 minutes.

Bruce J

Do not remove the shells, they add flavor to the sauce and to the shrimp. A bit messy but that's part of the NOLA experience. Also, don't forget a baguette, break off chunks to sop up the sauce.

Laurie Dunn

That is NOT what that dish is supposed to look like! It should be brown from the Worcestershire sauce, and you need much larger shrimp.

Ewed

Another New Orleanian here. My mama’s recipe in full: “half the butter in the world and all of the pepper”. Surreal amounts of both — really. Put that, along with shrimp (shells, heads and all) and some Worcestershire into a broiler pan. Put under broiler for 5 minutes or so, turn shrimp over and broil for another 3 or 4 minutes. Done. Just put the pan on the table. Really messy to eat, which is why it’s fun. Fight for space in the pan to soak your French bread.

Melissa

This was pretty tasty, but a faint shadow of the flavor and richness of BBQ shrimp I've had in New Orleans. I added a bit of cayenne pepper and some lemon zest in the sauce, but it needs something more.

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