Paul's Spicy Cajun Shrimp
Flavorful and spicy, this recipe is best served with rice and crusty bread. I changed the name from the original Barbecued Shrimp because the original was misleading. It wasn't like typical BBQ, nor did it have BBQ sauce, nor do you cook it on the grill... so spicy, Cajun (although it doesn't use typical Cajun seasonings) is the best I can do. Trust me, if you love shrimp and spicy combined with quick and easy... you will love it!
Flavorful and spicy, this recipe is best served with rice and crusty bread. I changed the name from the original Barbecued Shrimp because the original was misleading. It wasn't like typical BBQ, nor did it have BBQ sauce, nor do you cook it on the grill... so spicy, Cajun (although it doesn't use typical Cajun seasonings) is the best I can do. Trust me, if you love shrimp and spicy combined with quick and easy... you will love it!
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 0.5 tsp. salt
- 1 pound shrimp raw, shell on (unpeeled), (about 25)
- 1.5 stick butter
- 1.5 tsp. garlic minced
- 1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
- 0.5 cup beer room temperature
- 1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 0.5 tsp. crushed red pepper
- 0.5 tsp. dried thyme
- 0.5 tsp. dried rosemary crushed
- 0.125 tsp. dried oregano
- Carbohydrate 4.01793680553408 g
- Cholesterol 236.168333333333 mg
- Fat 47.7232054166633 g
- Fiber 0.378450001066564 g
- Protein 16.9231583333297 g
- Saturated Fat 29.4275998333324 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (194g)
- Sodium 503.811180555551 mg
- Sugar 3.63948680446752 g
- Trans Fat 3.62035341666611 g
- Calories 513 calories
Step-by-step
- Rinse and devein the shrimp, defrost if frozen. Combine the dry spices (peppers, salt, thyme, rosemary, oregano).
- In large skillet combine 1 stick of the butter, garlic, Worcestershire and spices over high heat. When butter is melted add the shrimp. Cook 2 minutes, shaking the pan to combine while cooking. Add the rest of the butter and the stock and cook and shake for 2 more minutes.
- Shrimp should be pink by about now. Add the beer and cook another few minutes. Serve immediately over rice and with lots of crusty bread.
- NOTE: if you like this recipe, make up a big batch of the dried seasoning to make this dish truly quick and easy. Multiply by 6 or 8 ... I do 4X the spices but use tablespoons instead of teaspoons and the proportions will remain the same. Mix well then use 4 slightly rounded teaspoons per batch. Adjust the chicken stock to make it more or less spicy.
- Enjoy!
Managing the Fat and Heat Ratio
Building this sauce requires careful attention to thermal control when adding the butter in stages. Starting with one stick allows the minced garlic to soften without burning in the high heat of the skillet, while the remaining half-stick goes in later to emulsify the stock and beer into a glossy glaze. Leaving the shells on the shrimp during cooking is not optional if maximum flavor extraction matters; the shells release compounds into the butter that peeled shrimp simply cannot replicate. Rinsing the shrimp thoroughly and blotting excess moisture prevents the hot fat from splattering violently when the crustaceans hit the pan.
Adapting the Spices and Stock
Scaling the dry spice blend ahead of time saves minutes during assembly, but adjustments to the liquid components change the final profile significantly. Swapping chicken stock for a lighter vegetable broth will yield a thinner sauce that fails to cling to the shrimp as effectively. Reducing the cayenne pepper by half lowers the Scoville impact, yet it also alters how the residual beer acidity cuts through the dairy richness. Keep the beer at room temperature before pouring it into a hot skillet to prevent the pan temperature from dropping too drastically during the final reduction phase.
