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If you want an easy but amazing appetizer, then try these New Orleans Style Barbecue Shrimp. They’re quick, simple, and packed with spicy New Orleans flavor.

I made something similar way back in the day on this blog. When it was a recipe review blog. Sadly, the link to the original recipe I tried no longer works. And all the other recipes I’ve read since then just don’t have all the flavor in the first one I tried. I hate when that happens.

So, there I was wanting to re-make that recipe and couldn’t. Literally couldn’t because I didn’t save the recipe and it wasn’t on the web anymore. What’s a food blogger to do? Wing it! Yes, I know these aren’t wings. Sheesh.

What is New Orleans barbecue shrimp?

Well, they’re not barbecued shrimp. That’s for sure. But the sauce they’re cooked in looks and tastes like a barbecue sauce. There’s a ton of recipes out there for this recipe and the ingredients are mostly the same. There are a few variations based on taste. That is true for most recipes. But the bones of the recipes pretty much remain the same.

This recipe was created at Pascal’s Manale. This restaurant opened in 1913 and quickly became popular among politicians, judges, and sports figures. Oh, and a few gangsters, too. This recipe was added to the menu in the early 50’s and, like the restaurant, quickly became popular, too. They claim it is one of the most copied recipes in New Orleans.

What’s in New Orleans Style Barbecue Shrimp?

The basics of this recipe is shrimp (duh), olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, garlic, cayenne, paprika, and oregano. Some add wine. Other recipes, like mine, call for chili sauce. Some have tomato paste or tomatoes in there. Some, like mine, call for liquid smoke and smoked paprika. This feeds the “barbecue” flavor of these shrimp.

They’re not grilled. These New Orleans Style Barbecue Shrimp are baked. Not only, that my recipe has you marinate the shrimp in the sauce before you bake them. This really brings that smoky flavor home when you marinate them. Then you just dump them in a casserole dish and bake them. You might be able to broil them. I haven’t tried that. I bet that would be good. The shrimp might get a little browned like they were grilled. Definitely something I’ll have to try next time I make this recipe.

My recipe has the same bare bones in there. But mine also has lemon juice, liquid smoke, smoked paprika, and chili sauce in there. I toyed with a little chipotle in adobo, but opted not to try that. That’s something I’m going to do the next time I make these for a spicier and smokier kick.

Mine also has butter and olive oil in there. The butter makes the sauce creamy and delicious. Finally, mine has bay leaves. I know most don’t think about bay leaves with your shrimp, but you really should. I learned this trick at Wegmans. I even tried to recreate that lunch in this Lemon Bay Pan Roasted Shrimp. Don’t think that bay leaves are just for richer meats. Try it with shrimp! You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

How do you make New Orleans Style Barbecue Shrimp?

This recipe is super simple to make. But it doesn’t taste simple at all! I tossed all the ingredients in a zip top plastic bag and them marinate in the fridge at least an hour. You don’t want to marinate them too long. The shrimp might start to cook with all the acids in the ingredients.

When you’re ready to cook them, just set the oven to 400, toss the shrimp in an oven safe dish, and bake them for 10 to 12 minutes or until they’re pink and firm. But you don’t want to over cook them so keep an eye on them. If you don’t want to bake them, you can toss them all in a pan and simmer everything for 10 to 12 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and firm.

Make sure to remove the bay leaves from the pan before you dish the shrimp up. It tastes cook in the sauce, but it’s not fun to eat. And you’ll want to eat every last drop of this New Orleans Style Barbecue Shrimp. So, be sure to serve these shrimp up with some crusty bread to sop up all those delicious juices.

I served mine for dinner over some rice. Which was delicious. The rice soaked up all that barbecue sauce making it taste delicious. I was also thinking of serving up the leftovers as some tacos. Because, you know, I make excuses to put anything and everything in a taco. But with some delicious slaw these would make the perfect taco.

For me, I used headless shrimp. If you can find them, get shrimp with the heads on. There’s a ton of flavor in the heads and it would make the sauce so delicious. All that flavor would go into the sauce making it taste irresistible. But if you can’t find shrimp with the heads on, then feel free to use whatever you have on hand. I would go with a jumbo or colossal, but you could get away with an extra large if that’s all you can find. Any smaller than that and the shrimp would cook faster than the sauce would. So you might want to simmer the sauce, cool it, marinate the shrimp, and then cook everything together.

This reminds me a family photo we have. I vaguely remember this trip. We used to vacation in Florida almost every year. We used to go to St. Augustine all the time, but not every time. This time I think we visited cousins? And Dad was hell bent on getting some shrimp. But to get enough for a discount, he got them alive and with the heads on. This squeamish picky eater about fainted.

But there’s proof of this! There’s a photo of Dad in front of a cooler FULL of head on, live shrimp. He prepped them for cooking with the family and it was a hit. They were delicious. I just couldn’t be around him when he was taking their heads off.

I’m not sure I could deal with live head on shrimp today, but if I had to I guess I could. Some of those super colossal prawns would be so good in this recipe! And make an amazing table presentation for any party or gathering. Now that I have the recipe that is delicious and full of flavor, I’ll be making these New Orleans Style Barbecue Shrimp all the time! They’re that delicious.

Serious Shrimp Recipes

• Berry Pineapple Shrimp Ceviche from That Recipe
• Cajun Shrimp and Grits with Chorizo from Art of Natural Living
• New Orleans Style Barbecue Shrimp from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Red Chili Shrimp and Noodle Salad from Palatable Pastime

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