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New Orleans Barbeque Shrimp is an iconic dish known for its seasoned, flavorful peppery butter sauce. It's perfect for a Mardi Gras party, appetizer, or brunch.
If you love shrimp, here are a few more recipes you'll enjoy: Grilled Shrimp with Chile Rellenos, Grilled Shrimp Chimichurri, Grilled Citrus Agave Shrimp, Blackened Shrimp with Summer Vegetables, and Lobster and Shrimp Etouffee.
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Growing up in the Big Easy, barbecue shrimp is usually enjoyed out at restaurants; some of the most popular are Pascal Manles (Home of the original BBQ Shrimp) and Mr. B's Bistro; they even give you a bib to make sure you only leave with the flavor in your mouth and not your clothes.
Once I went to culinary school, I knew I had to perfect the sauce, and they're all kinds of schools of thought to get the correct color for the barbecue sauce.
The fact is the original is a light and rosy color. However, the color can get darker depending on if you use wine or beer and if you have fresh head-on shrimp.
However, one thing doesn't change you must have butter, rosemary, and black pepper in the sauce.
When I make this dish for clients, I love to serve it as a main course over grits, which is how I will teach you to make it. The choice is yours to serve it with grits or warm French bread.
What is New Orleans BBQ Shrimp?
A New Orleans barbeque shrimp is made with fresh shrimp, lemon juice, rosemary, wine or beer, worcestershire sauce, and creole seasoning. No ketchup or brown sugar is used to make this bbq sauce. It's traditionally served as an appetizer with warm crusty French bread to sop up the yummy sauce.
You'll find several spelling variations for barbecue, bbq, or barbeque shrimp. In New Orleans, we spell it barbecue or barbeque, never bbq, to lower expectations of it being grilled shrimp with bbq sauce.
Key Ingredients
Here are the ingredients for a fantastic bbq shrimp recipe at home.
Fresh Shrimp
Of course, fresh large gulf shrimp is required. However, use whatever shrimp is available in your local market. If you're serving it as an appetizer, you'll need washed, unpeeled, head-on shrimp to add more flavor. For this recipe, we'll use peeled shrimp with the tail-on.
Fresh Rosemary
Rosemary perfumes and cuts through the rich buttery sauce.
Black Pepper
This is an overlooked ingredient; the black pepper adds the "spicy" note that everybody assumes is cayenne pepper. I prefer to use a coarser ground to use less but get more flavor.
Cajun/ Creole Seasoning
I love to use Savory Cajun Seasoning because it's low in sodium and flavorful.
Lemon Juice
Always and only use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.
Worcestershire Sauce
It's not a New Orleans barbecue shrimp without worcestershire sauce. It adds color and a tasty umami (meaty) flavor to the sauce.
Unsalted Butter
Cold unsalted butter will make this buttery sauce memorable and help it thicken to the right consistency.
How To Make New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp
The key to cooking an authentic New Orleans BBQ Shrimp recipe is lots of butter, following the simple technique of seasoning everything confidently and not overcooking the shrimp. The sauce will penetrate the shrimp during cooking, so there's no need to season the shrimp in advance.
Creamy Grits
Bring water, cream, salt, and butter to a boil. Whisk in grits, lower heat to low, and cover for 10 minutes, until grits thicken; stir occasionally to keep them from lumping up.
Barbecue Shrimp
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add shrimp, and cook for 2 minutes; add half of the beer, worcestershire sauce, Cajun seasoning, black pepper, rosemary, and lemon juice. Cook for 1 minute; flip shrimp over. Stir in garlic and cut the heat off.
Add butter and stir a little at a time until the sauce thickens. If the butter takes a while to melt, place the pan back over low heat. Once the shrimp turn pink and form the shape of a "C," they're done.
Pour grits into a bowl and pour shrimp and sauce over the top; garnish with crab meat and green onions. Feel free to add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce for more kick.
How To Store New Orleans BBQ Shrimp
New Orleans barbeque shrimp are best eaten immediately but will remain fresh for 2 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
To reheat, place in a skillet over medium heat and cook until hot. You can also reheat it a 400°F for 10 minutes or until hot.
Grits are best eaten immediately but will remain fresh for 1 day in the fridge.
To reheat cold grits, place in a pot with ¼ cup of milk or stock for 5 minutes or until hot and creamy.
Pro Recipe Tips & Tricks
Here are the best techniques, substitutes, and flavor builders you'll need for this New Orleans bbq shrimp recipe.
- If you're allergic to shellfish, you can make this recipe with your favorite fish.
- You can make the flavorful bbq sauce without shrimp by using 2 tablespoons of tomato paste in the sauce. I do this all the time for a quick, savory sauce. Reduce it over medium heat until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Thaw frozen shrimp before using. Be sure to buy raw, medium to large unpeeled, tail-on, head-on shrimp for an appetizer or unpeeled, tail-on shrimp for a main course.
- If you use jumbo shrimp, increase your cooking time by 3-4 minutes to ensure they're cooked all the way.
- You can make barbeque shrimp in the oven. Add all the ingredients to a 9 x 13 baking pan, cover with foil, and bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 8-10 minutes.
- Feel free to use your favorite beer. I like to use Dos Equis, Bud Light, or Corona.
- You can use white wine instead of beer, making the sauce slightly sweeter.
- If you cannot find the signature crusty bread like the French bread in New Orleans. Find a local restaurant serving Bahni Mi sandwiches and buy some loaves. They're the closest thing.
- Creole seasoning and Cajun seasoning can be used interchangeably.
- There is never any chili powder in an authentic Cajun seasoning blend.
- If you cannot find fresh rosemary, use 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary. Fresh thyme or oregano will not add the correct flavor profile for this flavorful sauce.
- Regular grits or instant grits will work for this recipe.
FAQ
Here are the top questions readers have about making authentic New Orleans-style BBQ Shrimp.
The iconic shrimp dish was created in 1953 by Pascal's Manale and is still served at the restaurant today.
The "bbq" in barbecue shrimp comes from the rich deep red color of the delicious sauce. I know hearing or reading bbq shrimp and never seeing any grill marks is confusing, but we do things differently in New Orleans.
Crusty French bread is always the go-to side dish to soak up that tasty New Orleans BBQ sauce. But hey, feel free to serve it over rice, cheese grits, fried grit cakes, or even some good ol' buttermilk biscuits.
It's always best to devein and rinse your shrimp under cold water to remove the vein and any dirt from the shrimp before cooking them in any method.
More New Orleans Recipes
You'll want to add these New Orleans classics to your recipe rotation.
- Red Beans and Rice
- King Cake with Cream Cheese Filling
- New Orleans Beignets
- Bananas Foster
- New Orleans Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
- Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
- New Orleans Seafood Filé Gumbo
Before You Begin
Here are my steps for getting organized and moving fast in the kitchen.
Step 1: Slice your butter, and place it back in the fridge before deveining and washing your shrimp.
Step 2: Get all ingredients on the counter, and put everything measured into individual bowls.
Step 3: Start following the recipe and get ready for the best barbecue shrimp and grits you've ever enjoyed.
Whether you enjoy it as an appetizer or a main course, this New Orleans barbecue shrimp recipe is sure to impress and transport your taste buds to the Big Easy.
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📖 Recipe
New Orleans BBQ Shrimp & Grits
Ingredients
Creamy Grits:
- 2 ½ cups water
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup stone ground grits
- 1 cup green onions, sliced
Barbecue Shrimp:
- 2 dozen large shrimp body peeled, head and tail on
- 12 oz. beer of choice
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 4 teaspoons Savory Cajun Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 sprig of rosemary chopped
- juice of 1 medium lemon ¼ cup lemon juice
- 6 cloves garlic chopped fine
- 2 sticks unsalted butter cold sliced into tablespoons
- 1 French bread warm, optional
Instructions
Creamy Grits:
- Bring water, cream, salt and butter to a boil. Whisk in grits, lower heat to low and cover for 10 minutes until grits thicken.
Barbecue Shrimp:
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add shrimp, and cook for 2 minutes; add half of the beer, worcestershire sauce, Cajun seasoning, black pepper, rosemary, and lemon juice. Cook for 1 minute; flip shrimp over. Stir in garlic and cut the heat off.
- Add butter and stir a little at a time until the sauce thickens. If the butter takes a while to melt, place the pan back over low heat. Once the shrimp turn pink and form the shape of a "C," they're done.
- Pour grits into a bowl and pour shrimp and sauce over the top; garnish with crab meat and green onions. Feel free to add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce for more kick.
Notes
- If you're allergic to shellfish, you can make this recipe with your favorite fish.
- You can make the flavorful bbq sauce without shrimp by using 2 tablespoons of tomato paste in the sauce. I do this all the time for a quick, savory sauce. Reduce it over medium heat until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Thaw frozen shrimp before using. Be sure to buy raw, medium to large unpeeled, tail-on, head-on shrimp for an appetizer or unpeeled, tail-on shrimp for a main course.
- If you use jumbo shrimp, increase your cooking time by 3-4 minutes to ensure they're cooked all the way.
- You can make barbeque shrimp in the oven. Add all the ingredients to a 9 x 13 baking pan, cover with foil, and bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 8-10 minutes.
- Feel free to use your favorite beer. I like to use Dos Equis, Bud Light, or Corona.
- You can use white wine instead of beer, making the sauce slightly sweeter.
- If you cannot find the signature crusty bread like the French bread in New Orleans. Find a local restaurant serving Bahni Mi sandwiches and buy some loaves. They're the closest thing.
- Creole seasoning and Cajun seasoning can be used interchangeably.
- There is never any chili powder in an authentic Cajun seasoning blend.
- If you cannot find fresh rosemary, use 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary. Fresh thyme or oregano will not add the correct flavor profile for this flavorful sauce.
- Regular grits or instant grits will work for this recipe.
Pam says
Best Shrimp & Grits out there. This is a delicious and simple recipe. I could eat this everyday!
Brad McDonell says
Had a great desire for some creole shrimp and grits tonight and finally found a great recipe...yours. I followed your recipe and my creole spice recipe I made the other day was perfect for this. The only thing different that I did was add Parmesan cheese to the grits. Thanks
Kenneth says
Love to hear it!
Elizabeth E. Tallon-Newman says
I made BBQ Shrimp last night from ‘Cooking Up a Storm’ Cookbook/Always a Favorite & leftovers to figure…May choose this & roll with adding shrimp at last to warm through(as cooked)! Going to pair with Rice Middlin’s as we had corn & crab bisque last night from Saturday Crab boil 😉
Kenneth Temple says
Sounds like a party! Let me know how it comes out!
Ashleigh Owens says
I make this every Christmas for everyone. Everyone is literally standing at the stove asking for more or wanting to just dip some French bread in the BBQ shrimp sauce. My brother in law says the same thing every year, “I’m telling you Ash, this restaurant quality right here.” Whenever people ask me for the recipe I’m always like nah I can’t give you this one! I guess I shouldn’t be stingy with YOUR recipe!!!
Kenneth Temple says
Love to hear it! Sharing is caring Ashleigh 😆😆😆. I'm glad they can taste the love you put into it.