Grilled New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp
This New Orleans-style grilled shrimp recipe may be called "BBQ shrimp", but there's no barbecue sauce in sight. Instead, the infamous Creole dish is loaded with bold and savory flavors, zesty citrus notes, and the perfect amount of spice. And the whole dish goes from grill to plate in under 15 minutes.
Servings: 5 people
Equipment
- 12" grill-safe pan like a cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 2 lbs extra large or jumbo fresh shrimp unpeeled
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tablespoon hot sauce like a Louisiana style hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning *see notes
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- juice of 1 lemon
- ½ cup beer like an Amber ale
- 1½ sticks cold butter cut into cubes
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
- 1 loaf French bread cut in half lengthwise, for serving
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the grill to a medium-high heat with a two-zone system (one hotter area and one not as hot). Place a grill-safe pan directly on the grill grates to preheat.
- While the grill is heating up, add minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, Creole seasoning, paprika, oregano, thyme, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and juice of a lemon to a medium bowl. Mix together well and set aside.
- Place the shrimp directly on the grill grates, and grill on the first side for about 2-3 minutes, depending on the temperature of your grill. The goal is to grill the shrimp just long enough for them to pick up flavor, not to cook them through.
- Immediately after adding the shrimp to the grill, pour the prepared sauce mixture into the heated pan. Allow the garlic to cook and soften in the sauce for about 2 minutes. Then pour in the beer, and add about half of the cubed butter. Mix everything together briefly.
- Transfer the grilled shrimp into the skillet with the aromatic sauce. Let the shrimp continue to cook as the sauce thickens and the flavors meld together.
- Immediately after adding the shrimp to the sauce, move the pan to the cooler zone on the grill. Then place the cut lemon wedges directly on the grill grates. Grill the lemon for 1-2 minutes, or until nicely charred. Then add to the pan with the shrimp and sauce.
- Add the remaining butter chunks to the sauce, stirring everything together for the butter to melt.
- While the sauce simmers and the shrimp finish cooking, place sliced French bread down on the hot grill grates. Grill to your desired doneness. *I prefer to grill the bread dry, without any butter or oil, since it will be used to soak up a very buttery and rich sauce.
- When the shrimp are cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly, carefully remove the pan from the grill. Allow the dish to cool a bit. *Total cook time for me was about 8 minutes from the time I put the shrimp on the grill grates to the time I took the pan off the grill. Times may vary based on your grill temperature.
- Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley for garnish, and serve the New Orleans BBQ shrimp with the grilled bread for dipping.
Notes
- For the Shrimp: You’ll need extra large or jumbo-sized raw shrimp in the shell. Not only is the shrimp with shells and tails classic for this Creole preparation, but the shells also help the shrimp to not cook as quickly on the grill. The shrimp that I used were labeled U/15 (less than 15 shrimp per pound).
- Creole Seasoning: Not all are created equal. Some are salty, some aren’t, so adjust as you go. I personally use and recommend the Wide Open Foods brand of Creole Blackening Seasoning.
- Different Types of Grills: We used our Weber kettle charcoal grill for this recipe, but it can easily be made on a gas grill or pellet grill as well. For a pellet grill, set the grill temp to about 375-400°F.