New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp

New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp is a distinctive dish that’s simple enough to make any day of the week. Despite its name, it’s not traditionally barbecued but rather it features shrimp cooked in a rich and buttery spice infused sauce. It’s imperative that it be served with a side of crusty french bread to soak up every drop of the delicious sauce.

Easy New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp Recipe

New Orleans barbecue shrimp is typically served with the shrimp still in their shells, which helps retain moisture and adds depth of flavor to the sauce during cooking. The buttery sauce is rich and velvety and generously coats the shrimp enhancing their natural sweetness. It’s important to cook the shrimp just until they’re tender and juicy and be mindful not to overcook them or they can become rubbery. This classic dish is a staple of New Orleans cuisine and it’s another tasty example of the city’s Creole and Cajun influences combined with local seafood. While the name suggests a barbecue-style dish, it’s unique in its approach making it a firm favorite with both locals and visitors alike. How to make stovetop Barbecue Shrimp: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

Shell on Shrimp – Season the shrimp with 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, then set aside.
Heat Skillet – Preheat a large skillet over medium heat with the olive oil. Add the diced onion and garlic to the pan Saute for 1-2 minutes or just until it begins to soften then add the rosemary. Stir to combine.
Shrimp – Add shrimp and carefully stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute on each side. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon.
Make the Sauce – Add remaining creole seasoning, beer, Worcestershire, lemon juice, hot sauce, salt and black pepper. Cook over medium-high heat scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Whisk in Butter – Add cubed butter, whisking until completely melted. Simmer over medium-high heat for 2 minutes or just until it reduces slightly. Add the shrimp back to pan and cook for 2 minutes.
Serve – Immediately ladle into bowls. Serve with toasted French bread garnished with parsley.

How to Make the BEST New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp Recipe

Key ingredients you’ll need to make Barbecue Shrimp New Orleans Style: Large or jumbo shrimp shells on tail on shrimp, deveined, Cajun or Creole seasoning, olive oil, finely diced red onion or shallot, garlic, chopped fresh rosemary, beer, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, unsalted butter, salt, freshly ground black pepper, toasted french bread for serving and chopped parsley for garnishing.
Kitchen tools you’ll need: Large deep saucepan, sharp knife and cutting board, measuring cups and spoons and whisk.
Non Alcoholic: If you aren’t fond of cooking with beer, you can use seafood stock, chicken stock, or ginger ale in place of beer. (Sugar free works fine!)
There are many prepared Cajun and Creole seasoning blends readily available in most grocery stores. Use a brand that you already enjoy and make any adjustments to the salt in the recipe, as needed based on the sodium content of the seasoning used.
You can add a splash of soy sauce or teriyaki, if desired.
You can adjust the level of spice in this recipe using more or less, hot sauce. You may also to serve it with additional hot sauce on the side.
NOLA BBQ shrimp is traditionally made with the shells and heads intact. You can opt to cook this recipe using heads on shrimp, if you prefer. I used easy peel deveined shrimp in this recipe. The shell adds to the richness of the sauce.
You can serve this shrimp as an appetizer with picks or as an entree.
You can also use large peeled and deveined shrimp with no other adjustments needed.
Leftovers – New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp is best made and eaten fresh. Shrimp doesn’t reheat well and can overcook easily.

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