Baked New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

This Louisiana-inspired, Barbecued Shrimp recipe is quite a delicious feast, y’all. While the name is confusing, this recipe does not call for barbecue sauce or a grill. The recipe starts with whipping up a flavor-loaded, buttery sauce on the stovetop that gets poured over shrimp and finished in the oven. This easy dish features big, juicy shrimp covered in an epic sauce bursting with big-time Cajun flair!

One of my deepest sorrows in life is that I don’t have consistent, easy breezy access to the freshest seafood. I know, I know. It’s a small matter to have when there are more pressing issues in life, ha. But listen, if I lived in Louisiana, South Carolina, Maine, and a few other states that are popping off with their seafood; I would be sooo set. Today we’re tapping into another one of my favorite Southern-inspired eats, this New Orleans-style BBQ Shrimp recipe.

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp 🦐

To start, NOLA barbecued shrimp has nothing to do with a grill or shrimp slathered in barbecue sauce. This dish is *loosely inspired* by the famed version developed at Pascal’s Manale which is a Creole-Italian restaurant in New Orleans. This is a dish that features big, peel-on shrimp cooked in a spicy Cajun butter sauce. It’s wonderfully messy, finger-licking-good, and the perfect communal meal to gather around and enjoy with your peeps. Pieces of warm, crusty French bread are ideal for mopping up the decadent sauce, too. If you love super flavorful shrimp-forward recipes, this one will make you holla!

Why Is It Called BBQ Shrimp?

Great question! In essence, this is a simple dish that brings together butter, Creole Cajun seasoning, and other flavor enhancers. The juicy shrimp is buried in all of that buttery, savory goodness and the name is said to have come from the reddish hue once the shrimp is cooked. If ya ask me, I think this style of shrimp should just be called New Orleans Spicy Cajun Butter Shrimp, 😝.

Ingredients You’ll Need For This Dish:

(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card directly below.)

• Shrimp: You’ll need shell-on jumbo or colossal shrimp, preferably Gulf shrimp if it’s accessible to you. The shells add heaps of flavor to the BBQ shrimp and you peel it with your hands and eat it on up!
• Butter: I recommend good quality butter here, we love Kerrygold! 🧈
• Cajun seasoning: I use my holy grail Creole Cajun seasoning! This well-rounded spice is clutch here because of its zesty vibe. Make my homemade version or use store-bought Cajun seasoning if you’d like!
• Clam juice: This ingredient is exemplary in seafood dishes because of the robust, briny flavor it adds. Just like how fish sauce is an umami-laden flavor bomb when used in recipes, clam juice works in the same manner. Clam juice is the rendered liquid after clams have been steamed.
• White wine: Dry white wine adds some acidity, flavor, and depth. White wine options like a sauvignon blanc or chardonnay or pinot blanc. This is nice when paired with the clam juice, too!
• Worcestershire sauce: A flavor bomb of a condiment, yum.
• Lemon: A little pop of lemon juice + zest to bring forth brightness.
• Hot sauce: Any Louisiana-style hot sauce to kick up the flavor, mmm.

How To Make This New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp Recipe:

(Note: please see the recipe card directly below for the complete written instructions.)

• Preheat the oven & prep the shrimp. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the shrimp and then pat dry with a paper towel. 
• Now, let’s build dat Cajun butter sauce! In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium-high heat until melted and sizzling. Then add the Creole Cajun seasoning, clam juice, white wine, worcestershire sauce, lemon zest + juice, and hot sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer until the sauce thickens slightly enough to coat the back of a spoon, gently shaking the skillet (as opposed to stirring) to bring the sauce together, about 5-7 minutes. Then remove from heat.

⇢ BBR note: This sauce comes together quickly! Gently shaking the skillet back and forth during the cooking process is a technique that helps to cook the sauce more evenly. The trick promotes consistent cooking with heat distribution and the ingredients which gives the sauce more body instead of stirring.

Finishing & Baking The Dish:

• Add the shrimp into a baking dish. Arrange the shrimp in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour the Cajun butter sauce over the shrimp.
• Bake, bake, bake & finish. Bake the shrimp, uncovered, at 450°F for 10 minutes. Stir the shrimp and continue baking until the shrimp is pink and firm, about 2-3 minutes longer.
• Serve it on up! Transfer the buttery shrimp to a large, deep serving platter and garnish with the parsley. Serve immediately with warm, crusty French bread for mopping up the sauce. This New Orleans BBQ Shrimp is a delicacy to enjoy at the table with others! 🤤

⇢ Why bake the shrimp? Baking the shrimp produces far more flavor than finishing on the stovetop. Like, sooo much flavor, y’all. We’re also cooking two pounds of shell-on shrimp and that’s a little too much to finish in a single skillet. Additionally, you don’t run the risk of the shrimp going from perfectly cooked to overcooked which yields tough and rubbery shrimp, oof.

Tips + Tricks, FAQs & Recipe Notes

You may have additional questions about this New Orleans BBQ Shrimp recipe. Like other BBR recipes, I always recommend sticking to the recipe as it is written in the recipe card, below. However, here’s some extra info:

• Use shell-on, jumbo shrimp– Listen, shell-on shrimp makes the sauce that much richer. A good amount of the flavor is in the whole peeling and eating process. Sucking on the sauce as you eat is a divine experience, whew.
• Can I use head-on shrimp?– YES. New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp is traditionally made with head-on shrimp. Yay.
• The sauce isn’t just butter– Now don’t get me wrong, butter is a big part of this recipe. However, butter, Creole Cajun seasoning, clam juice, white wine, worcestershire sauce, lemon, and hot sauce elevate the sauce to another level. It’s rich, robust, spicy, and bright with an umami kick.
• What to expect with this dish– A level of delightful messiness because it’s meant to be eaten with your hands- be sure to have plenty of napkins on deck with this recipe lol. And psst, licking your fingers is perfectly acceptable and highly recommended!
• What to serve with your BBQ Shrimp– Lots of crusty, warm bread to soak up the Cajun butter sauce!!! We recommend French bread but any crusty bread will get you right when paired with this saucy shrimp.

Grab your crew and make this New Orleans BBQ Shrimp, y’all. It’s the ultimate meal to enjoy with a cozy crowd. Be sure to tag @butterbeready in your BBR recipe creations, I sure love to see it when you do. Until next time! 🤟🏾

Don’t miss these other recipes:

• Strawberry Buttermilk Biscuits
• Authentic Cajun Gumbo
• Southern Pimento Cheese
• Best-Ever Cajun Seafood Boil
• Peach Sweet Tea
• Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce

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Recipe by: Quin Liburd- Butter Be Ready

Photography by: Ashley McLaughlin