Cajun BBQ Shrimp (New Orleans BBQ Shrimp)

Name: Cajun BBQ Shrimp (New Orleans BBQ Shrimp)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds shrimp (peels and heads on); 1.5 sticks unsalted butter (cut in tablespoon pieces and chilled); 5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; 1.5 teaspoons Cajun seasoning; 4 garlic cloves (finely minced); 1 bay leaf; 1/8 cup white wine; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

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Succulent shrimp simmered in a sauce of butter, Worcestershire sauce, Cajun seasoning, and lemon juice, this Cajun BBQ shrimp is super easy to make and on the table in 15 minutes!

head on shrimp in a bowl with lemon slices.

Cajun BBQ shrimp is spicy, buttery, and just absolutely incredible. And this version of New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp is not actually, uh, barbecued. No grill is involved! The reddish "barbecued" color of the shrimp is what gives it its name.

Plus, this Creole BBQ shrimp recipe is sooooo easy to make. It comes together in about 15 minutes and works as an appetizer or a main dish, and is amazing served with crispy air fryer okra or even this Cajun seafood boil.

Serve this butter shrimp and Worcestershire-spiked butter sauce with some crusty bread, a dash of fresh lemon juice and some fresh parsley, and you've got magic on your hands. For your next easy weeknight family meal, or to impress your dinner party guests, this bbq shrimp is a classic!

Jump to:

Why this barbecue shrimp recipe works
Ingredients for Cajun bbq shrimp
Step by step instructions
Expert tips to make New Orleans bbq shrimp
Serving Options
Reader's favorite Cajun appetizers
Frequently Asked Questions
More popular recipes for Cajun seafood
Recipe
💬 Comments

Why this barbecue shrimp recipe works

Cooking shrimp over medium heat helps to keep them moist and tender.
You can use peeled shrimp to make this recipe less messy - or use the traditional whole shrimp for an authentic experience.
The Worcestershire sauce and Creole seasoning add just the right amount of savory spice to the dish.
The lemon juice adds a touch of freshness and acidity to the shrimp.
It can be served as a main dish or as an appetizer.
The Tabasco sauce can be adjusted to individual spice preference.

Reader Review

"You had me at "fresh shrimp simmered in a sauce of butter…" 🙂 Made this a couple of days ago and is is divine! My husband and I absolutely loved it. This is one of those recipes I'm sure we'll make again and again. Thank you!"

- Rebecca

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Ingredients for Cajun bbq shrimp

The full list of ingredients and amounts is included in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Traditional New Orleans style BBQ shrimp uses gulf shrimp with the heads still on. I have had it this way before, and while much messier, I highly recommend it as it helps keep the shrimp moist and juicy.

That said, headless, peeled, deveined shrimp can be used for convenience. Use very fresh, large or jumbo shrimp (16/20 count) for the best results. You can use frozen shrimp, as long as they were frozen fresh.

I also recommend using this homemade Cajun seasoning for the best flavor in this shrimp dish. It's super easy to make! But again, if you don't have homemade, store bought Cajun seasoning works great as well - just be cognizant of the salt content.

We always use unsalted butter so we can control the salt content of the dish.

Worcestershire sauce: Worcestershire sauce is a fermented vinegar based sauce made from molasses, anchovies, garlic/onion, sugar and tamarind. It has the perfect flavor a bite for this dish!

Tabasco sauce: Tabasco sauce is a hot sauce made from vinegar, garlic and chilies aged for several years. It has a string bite and is easy to adjust to your preference in this recipe.

Step by step instructions

Rinse the shrimp under cool water in a colander before using.

melted butter and seasonings in a skillet. — **Step 1**: Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and **sauté the garlic until soft**. Add the bay leaf, white wine, Worcestershire sauce, and Cajun seasoning.

raw shrimp in a skillet with butter. — **Step 2**: Cook for 5 minutes until slightly reduced. Add the shrimp and cook until shrimp is **no longer opaque**, about 5 minutes.

Step 3: Add remaining pieces of cold butter, whisking to emulsify the mixture into a creamy sauce.

Step 4: Add the lemon juice, garnish with parsley, and serve with lots of crusty bread like air fryer garlic bread to sop of the sauce.

Expert tips to make New Orleans bbq shrimp

Use shrimp with the heads and peels on for better flavor and more tender, juicy shrimp. Peeled, headless will also work if that's all you can get.
Cook the shrimp over medium heat to keep them from getting tough and rubbery.
Serve this dish with plenty of crusty bread to sop up the sauce.
Add a pinch of cayenne pepper or more Tabasco sauce if you want a spicier dish.
Make sure the butter is cold when adding to the sauce as this will help it emulsify better. Stir constantly until the butter is fully emulsified and promptly remove form heat.

Serving Options

This dish is best served with lots of crusty French bread to sop up the sauce. You can also serve it with this pesto challah bread or air fryer cornbread.
Serve with a vegetable side of Southern green beans or air fryer okra.
If serving as a main dish, try serving it with Cajun dirty rice, homemade cheese grits to make shrimp and grits, cornbread pudding or Instant Pot red beans and rice in addition to the veggie sides above to make this a full meal.

Reader's favorite Cajun appetizers

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it called BBQ shrimp New Orleans?

They call it BBQ shrimp not because it is barbecued in the traditional sense, but because of the dark red color of the sauce the shrimp is served. This dark red sauce gives it a look like it has been "barbecued."

What to serve with New Orleans BBQ shrimp?

The most common way to serve New Orleans BBQ shrimp is with crusty French bread to mop up all the delicious sauce.

Cajun BBQ shrimp are also good served over steamed rice, homemade cheese grits or even sour cream mashed potatoes. Add a blackened shrimp salad or steamed Instant Pot broccoli for a vegetable side.

How to store and reheat BBQ shrimp?

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat or in the microwave until heated through. Note that shrimp will be more rubbery when eaten reheated.

You can freeze leftovers in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave or on the stove over medium heat until heated through. Again, the shrimp may be rubbery when reheated.

2 bowls of shrimp in sauce with lemon slices.

More popular recipes for Cajun seafood

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Recipe

Cajun BBQ Shrimp (New Orleans BBQ Shrimp)

Succulent shrimp simmered in a sauce of butter, Worcestershire sauce, Cajun seasoning, and lemon juice, this Cajun BBQ shrimp is super easy to make and on the table in 15 minutes!

5 from 32 votes

Print Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Cajun/Creole

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 15

Servings: servings

Calories: 335kcal

Author: Danielle Wolter

Ingredients

▢ 2 pounds shrimp peels and heads on
▢ 1.5 sticks unsalted butter cut in tablespoon pieces and chilled
▢ 5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
▢ 1.5 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
▢ 4 garlic cloves finely minced
▢ 1 bay leaf
▢ ⅛ cup white wine
▢ 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
▢ 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Instructions

Heat the 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the garlic until soft.
Add the bay leaf, white wine, Worcestershire sauce, and Cajun seasoning.
Cook for 5 minutes until slightly reduced.
Add the shrimp and cook until no longer opaque, about 3-5 minutes.
Add remaining pieces of cold butter, whisking to emulsify the mixture into a creamy sauce.
Add the lemon juice and serve with crusty bread.

Expert Tips:

Use shrimp with the heads and peels on for better flavor and more tender, juicy shrimp. Peeled, headless will also work if that's all you can get.

Cook the shrimp over medium heat to keep them from getting tough and rubbery.

Serve this dish with plenty of crusty bread to sop up the sauce.

Add a pinch of cayenne pepper or more Tabasco sauce if you want a spicier dish.

Make sure the butter is cold when adding to the sauce as this will help it emulsify better. Stir constantly until the butter is fully emulsified and promptly remove form heat.