Pepper Shrimp is exactly that – shell-on shrimp with lots of heat from scotch bonnet peppers. I’ve updated this Jamaican pepper shrimp recipe to elevate it from street food to entree, but kept the distinct color and taste!
Happy Sunday!
I am so excited to bring you this recipe. I have had this blog for more than two years now, and I still have so many recipes from my childhood that I want to share with you all. Many of them are probably things you’ve never heard of, like this Pepper Shrimp recipe.
What is Pepper Shrimp?
Jamaican pepper shrimp is usually made with whole crawfish that’s been cooked with scotch bonnet peppers (yup, that’s plural!) and herbs. It has a distinct fiery red color from the red food coloring that’s added to the seafood while it’s cooking.
Pepper shrimp is a commonly sold as street food. It’s usually packaged in little plastic baggies that are tied up on a steel ring. Jamaican street vendors walk around with these all day. You walk (or drive) up to the vendor, pay for your shrimp, and he or she will tear off your baggie and hand it to you. Instant gratification! For a visual of what this looks like, see here.
The recipe…
For today’s recipe, I turn pepper shrimp from a street side snack into a full meal. But hey, you can still bag these up if you’d like! I keep the spicy flavor and distinct color, but dress it up a bit with citrus and fresh herbs.
But fair warning, this recipe is HOT. You’ll definitely want to wash this down with a cold drink!
The recipe is pretty simple. Here’s how I made this pepper shrimp recipe:
- Season the shrimp using a mix of dried herbs and freshly chopped scotch bonnet peppers.
- Prepare the finishing oil using fresh herbs, citrus, and some red pepper flakes.
- Cook the shrimp until they turn pink, add food coloring, then top with finishing oil
It’s that easy!
Looking for more seafood recipes? Try these:
Cajun Blackened Salmon Patties
Share this recipe…
If you make this recipe, be sure to let me know by rating it and leaving a comment below. I would love to hear from you. And don’t forget to tag #sweetandsorrel on Instagram!
Pepper Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1/4 white onion, chopped
- 2 stalks scallion, chopped
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tbsp all-purpose seasoning
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 scotch bonnet peppers, finely chopped with seeds ( to reduce spice level, use 1 pepper)
- coarse salt and pepper
- 1 lb large shell-on shrimp, raw
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme, stems removed
- juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 5-6 drops liquid red food coloring
Instructions
- Season the shrimp. In a small bowl, combine paprika, all-purpose seasoning, dried thyme, dried oregano, scotch bonnet peppers, and salt and pepper. Coat shrimp with the seasoning mixture. Then add onions and scallion and set aside.
- Prepare finishing oil. In another bowl, stir together 1 tbsp of oil, red pepper flakes, chopped cilantro, fresh thyme, and 1/2 of the lemon juice and zest. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large cast iron over medium flame. Add minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, remaining lemon juice and zest. Cook until sauce starts to bubble, about 1 minute.
- Discard onions, scallions, and excess scotch bonnet peppers from shrimp (we only needed them to season the shrimp), then add shrimps to skillet. Cook until shrimps turn pink, about 3-5 minutes. Add red food coloring, making sure to stir to ensure the coloring is evenly distributed.NOTE: I used a naturally derived liquid food coloring that was a bit thick, so I added a little bit of water to the coloring before adding it to the pot in order to dissolve it. Depending on the kind of food coloring you use, you may need more or less to schieve the desired color.
- Remove from stove and top with finishing oil. Serve immediately.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tag @sweetandsorrel on Instagram and hashtag it #sweetandsorrel so we can see all the deliciousness!
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