This New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp is a zesty, easy recipe that’s perfect for a family dinner and special enough for weekend guests. The bold, savory sauce begs for crusty bread for dipping.
One of our favorite shrimp recipes, New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp is bright with lemon, garlic and a Creole-style seasoning. We enjoy it any time of year, and especially on Fridays during Lent. The sauce is the star—rich, tangy and perfect for dipping bread or spooning over rice.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The sauce combines Worcestershire sauce, fresh lemon juice, Emeril’s Essence seasoning (store-bought or homemade), fresh rosemary, garlic, onion and white wine. It’s robust and balanced, with savory, tangy and herbal notes that pair beautifully with shrimp.
Versatile in presentation, this dish works as an appetizer served with focaccia or crusty bread for dipping, or as a main course over steamed white rice.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Shrimp (peeled and deveined; tails on)
- Cracked black peppercorns
- Emeril’s Essence (or similar Creole seasoning)
- Fresh rosemary, chopped
- Olive oil
- White cooking wine
- Worcestershire sauce
- Fresh lemon juice
- Yellow onion, finely chopped
- Garlic, minced
- Hot sauce (your favorite)
- Unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Place the shrimp in a medium bowl and toss with half of the cracked black pepper, 1 teaspoon of Emeril’s Essence and the chopped rosemary until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the sauce base.
Step 2: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a deep 12-inch skillet over high heat. Add the reserved shrimp shells, the remaining cracked pepper and 1 teaspoon Emeril’s Essence. Cook about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to release flavor.
Step 3: Add the white wine, 3 cups water, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, chopped onion, garlic and hot sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and gently bubble for 45 minutes. Strain through a coarse strainer; you should have roughly 1 cup of concentrated BBQ base.
Step 4: Heat a 14-inch skillet over high heat and add the remaining olive oil. Sear the marinated shrimp 1–2 minutes per side until just beginning to color. Pour in the BBQ base, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 1–2 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through.
Finishing: Remove the skillet from the heat and whisk in the butter, adding one piece at a time and allowing each to melt fully before adding the next. For a slightly thicker sauce, remove a few spoonfuls of sauce to a small bowl, whisk in 1 tablespoon flour until smooth, then return it to the skillet—this is optional.
Transfer the shrimp to a serving platter or individual plates and spoon the sauce over them. If serving as a main dish, spoon shrimp and sauce over white rice.
What to Serve With New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp
Crusty bread or focaccia is ideal for soaking up the sauce. The dish is also excellent over plain white rice to balance the bold flavors.
This flavorful shrimp makes a simple, crowd-pleasing Friday night meal. If you try the recipe, feel free to leave a comment with questions or feedback.
A Few Cook’s Notes
If you prefer to make Emeril’s Essence at home, you can use a trusted Creole seasoning recipe and store it in an airtight container. Homemade seasoning is handy for other dishes and yields about 2/3 cup.
To crack black peppercorns, use a mortar and pestle or place them in a small zipper bag and crush with a heavy pan—either method works fine.
New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on, shells reserved
- 1 Tbsp. cracked black peppercorns
- 3 tsp. Emeril’s Essence
- 1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 cup white cooking wine
- 3 cups water
- 3/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp. garlic, finely minced
- 1 Tbsp. hot sauce (use your favorite)
- 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
Instructions
- Place shrimp in a medium bowl and toss with half the cracked pepper, 1 teaspoon Emeril’s Essence and the rosemary. Cover and refrigerate.
- Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a deep 12-inch skillet over high heat. Add the shrimp shells, remaining cracked pepper and 1 tsp. Essence; cook 3 minutes, stirring. Add wine, water, Worcestershire, lemon juice, onion, garlic and hot sauce. Bring to a boil, then simmer 45 minutes. Strain through a coarse strainer to yield about 1 cup BBQ base.
- Heat a 14-inch skillet over high heat with the remaining olive oil. Sear the marinated shrimp 1–2 minutes per side. Pour in the BBQ base, reduce heat to medium and simmer 1–2 minutes until cooked through.
- Remove from heat and whisk in butter, one piece at a time until incorporated. If desired, thicken slightly by whisking a tablespoon of flour into a few spoonfuls of sauce and returning it to the skillet. Serve shrimp topped with sauce or over white rice.
Notes
If you prefer homemade Emeril’s Essence, make a batch and store it in an airtight container; it keeps well and yields about 2/3 cup. To crack peppercorns, use a mortar and pestle or a zipper bag and a heavy pan.
Recipe adapted from Emeril Lagasse