Yucatan Shrimp

I bought some shell on shrimp with no idea of how I would use it. I just popped it in the freezer. The time came where it was use it or loose it, so what should I do. I remembered a dish we had years ago, yucatan shrimp. I had even written the ingredients down…somewhere. After some searching, and some side trips down memory lane, I found it!

I just took a guess at the amounts and wrote them down. It came out pretty good – not quite the dish we had, but close. After a few tries, I got it down pretty darned close to the original.

What is Yucatan Shrimp?

Yucatan shrimp is peel and eat. It is served swimming in a buttery sauce with lime and garlic, jalapeño and bit of sriacha. As you peel the shrimp one at a time, you dip each one back into the sauce and into your mouth.

The sweet shrimp swims well with the tart limes and spicy peppers. It is also required that yucatan shrimp be served with crusty bread. That way you can sop up all that amazing sauce, wasting nothing!

Here’s a little yucatan shrimp trivia. It did not originate from the Yucatán Peninsula. It was created on the gulf coast of Florida at Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille. And if you want to really be authentic, you can buy the sauce in a jar!

But if you want to make it yourself (everything is better homemade), here is my rendition of Shrimp Yucatan.

Making the Dish – 

The first thing you’ll need to do is make the sauce. Start by melting the butter over medium heat. Stir in the jalapeño and garlic and gently sauté until the peppers are starting to sweat.

While they are cooking, rinse the shrimp and make sure all the mud veins have been removed. Lay on towels to dry.

When the pepper have started to sweat, stir the lime juice and sriacha into the sauce. Simmer gently for about 2 – 3 minutes to meld the flavors.

Stir in the salt.

Increase heat to medium-high. Place the shrimp in the sauce and simmer, gently shaking the pan for about 2-3 minutes.

Turn each shrimp and cook again, shaking the pan.

Once they have turned pink, remove from the heat. You don’t want to over-cook them. They will be rubbery. This is when you stir in the cilantro.

Serve in bowls with plenty of sauce and a big piece of crusty bread.

And make sure you have another big bowl for all the shrimp shells – oh – and wet napkins. Enjoy!

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

5 from 5 votes

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Yucatan Shrimp

Peel and eat shrimp cooked in a spicy butter sauce

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, main dish

Cuisine: American, Florida

Keyword: barbecue sauce, butter, garlic, jalepeno, peel and eat, shrimp, sriacha

Servings: 4 servings

Author: HelenFern

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter (two sticks)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons jalepeno, minced
• 4 medium limes - juiced
• 2 Tablespoons sriacha
• 2 pounds large shell-on shrimp
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro
• kosher salt to taste

Instructions

1. Start by melting the butter over medium heat. Stir in the jalapeño and garlic and gently sauté until the peppers are starting to sweat.

2. While they are cooking, rinse the shrimp and make sure all the mud veins have been removed. Lay on towels to dry.

3. When the pepper have started to sweat, stir the lime juice and sriacha into the sauce. Simmer gently for about 2 - 3 minutes to meld the flavors.

4. Stir in the salt.

5. Increase heat to medium-high. Place the shrimp in the sauce and simmer, gently shaking the pan for about 2-3 minutes.

6. Turn each shrimp and cook again, shaking the pan.

7. Once they have turned pink, remove from the heat. You don't want to over-cook them. They will be rubbery. This is when you stir in the cilantro.

8. Serve in bowls with plenty of sauce and a big piece of crusty bread.

Recipe Notes

 

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

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