New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

close up of a pan with saucy bbq shrimp with a serving spoon

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp is a classic Cajun shrimp dish that’s buttery, flavorful, and takes just 20 minutes to prepare. Shrimp get simmered in a flavorful sauce made with garlic, lemon, beer, Worcestershire, Creole spices and plenty of butter. It’s such a delicious, crowd-pleasing recipe that’s perfect for Mardi Gras!

5 from 9 votes

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Course: seafood

Cuisine: Cajun / Creole

Keyword: barbecue, bbq, butter, easy, gulf shrimp, mardi gras, Mr. B's, new orleans, NOLA, shrimp, wild american shrimp

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 20

Servings: servings

Calories: 443kcal

Author: Nicole Gaffney (ColeyCooks.com)

Ingredients

⅓ cup Worcestershire sauce
⅓ cup Amber beer recommended: Abita*
3 cloves garlic minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon Cajun or Creole seasoning*
1 teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper
Several dashes of hot sauce to taste
2 lbs large shrimp 16-20 count or bigger, peeled or unpeeled*
1 lemon thinly sliced into rounds plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or more to taste)
14 tablespoons (1-¾ sticks) unsalted Butter cold, cut into cubes
salt to taste
4 scallions thinly sliced (dark and light green parts only)
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Crusty French bread for serving

Instructions

Add Worcestershire sauce, beer, garlic, bay leaf, rosemary, Cajun seasoning, pepper and hot sauce to a large sauté pan with a lid and bring up to a boil.
Add the shrimp and lemon wheels, toss to coat, then cover and cook until shrimp are just cooked through, about 3-5 minutes depending on size.
Remove the lid and add the lemon juice, then turn off the heat and add the cubed butter. Stir continuously until the butter is fully melted and the sauce emulsified. Taste for seasoning and add salt and more lemon juice to taste.
Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with scallions and parsley. Serve with lots of crusty bread for sopping up the sauce.

Video

Notes

*If avoiding alcohol, replace the beer with shrimp, chicken or vegetable stock (or plain water in a pinch).
*Use a Cajun or Creole seasoning that's lower in salt in order to avoid and overly salty sauce.
*Unpeeled head-on shrimp are traditional and will give the best flavor, but peeled shrimp will also work if that's what you prefer. Try to find wild caught American Gulf shrimp for best results.

Nutrition