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Shrimp Diablo is a fast and fiery Mexican dish for those who love a spicy kick! Succulent shrimp are sauteed with red pepper flakes, jalapenos, garlic, onions, green bell peppers and simmered in a rustic tomato sauce. Ready in just 30 minutes for a bold and flavorful meal.
We love shrimp recipes at our house. You also have to try this Shrimp Fried Rice, Sticky Honey Garlic Butter Shrimp. or this Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Skillet.
Shrimp Diablo
Chili lovers, this spicy seafood dish is for you! Jumbo pieces of shrimp are cooked in a chunky tomato sauce infused with two sources of hot peppers. It’s a simple and quick meal that delivers some serious devilish heat. If you’re on the hunt for more bold shrimp recipes then try Sweet and Sour Shrimp, Easy Shrimp Creole, or Blackened Shrimp Fajitas to make dinner much more exciting.
One of the hallmarks of Mexican cuisine is the use of robust spices and chilis. This peppery seafood dish showcases fresh chopped jalapenos, dried chilies, smokey tequila, oregano, thyme, and tomato combination. The sizzling shrimp in the fiery diablo sauce and vegetables satisfies all of your hot cravings. Serve this dish as an appetizer with crunchy bread for dipping, Spanish rice or pasta for a tasty entree.
How do you make Shrimp Diablo?
- Season shrimp with red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
- Saute garlic, jalapeno, onion, oregano, and thyme in olive oil in a large skillet until fragrant.
- Add shrimp, heat until cooked through then transfer to a plate.
- Saute bell peppers with the other vegetables and herbs.
- Add tequila, stock, tomatoes, and salt, simmer until slightly thickened.
- Add shrimp back into the pan to heat through.
- Garnish with parsley.
What kind of shrimp do you use?
The best type of shrimp to use is sweet white shrimp, however, any variety will work well such as pink or brown. Make sure that the shrimp are peeled and deveined, it’s cooks choice whether or not to keep the tails on. One important decision to make is the size of the shrimp. I often use extra jumbo size, which is purchased at 16/20 count. It’s a generous size that doesn’t overcook too quickly in the hot pan. The shrimp is tossed with dried crushed chili flakes before cooking. The capsicum coats the surface for maximum heat and flavor transfer once it hits the hot olive oil in the pan.
What goes into the diablo sauce?
This spicy diablo sauce uses tomatoes as a base similar to a marinara sauce. It starts off by sauteing the aromatics like garlic, onions, thyme, and oregano. Blooming dried spices in oil dissolve the fat-soluble flavor compounds for a stronger herbaceous taste. To bring the heat, fresh jalapeno’s and dried red peppers give a subtle upfront bite with a lingering sizzle. Simmering aged tequila, vegetable stock, and tomatoes create a rich and concentrated sauce to toss with the shrimp.
Looking for more spicy seafood recipes? Try these ones!
- Grilled Spicy Blackened Mahi Mahi Tacos with Pineapple Avocado Salsa
- Grilled Spicy Lime Shrimp with Creamy Avocado Cilantro Sauce
- Brown Butter Spicy Garlic Shrimp
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Shrimp Diablo
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
- 1 cup diced yellow onion ¼-inch dice
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup diced green bell pepper ¼-inch dice
- 1/4 cup tequila or dry white wine
- ½ cup unsalted vegetable stock
- 14 ounce can of whole tomatoes cut into ½-inch dice, reserve juice
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
Instructions
- Combine shrimp with ½ teaspoon salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- Add garlic, jalapeno, yellow onion, oregano, and thyme. Stir and cook until onions are tender and garlic is fragrant but not browned, 2 minutes.
- Add the shrimp to the pan in one layer, turn heat up to medium. Cook for 2 minutes, not moving the shrimp.
- Flip shrimp over and cook until just cooked through 1 minute. Transfer to a clean bowl.
- Add bell peppers and saute for 1 minute
- Turn heat up to medium-high, add in tequila, vegetable stock, diced tomatoes, tomato juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and allow tomato mixture to reduce until slightly thickened and most of the liquid has evaporated about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Turn heat down to low and add in the cooked shrimp. Stir and cook until shrimp is warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Garnish shrimp diablo with parsley.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Added small can of tomato sauce with basil, garlic, a couple dashes of cayenne and wine instead of tequila. Big hit
This was a nice change from chicken or steak!
Love this! Added a little extra tomato and juice plus vegetable stock. Also added spinach and some pasta water at the end. Served over linguine.
We love this recipe, have it often, would not change a thing!
Great recipe! I just finished it last night and the result was unexpected, my wife and daughter both liked it, which made me happy. Thanks for your recipe
Taught my g-daughter this recipe to teach her how to read a recipe and cook it. Came out delicious.
Very good dish. I substituted Mezcal for the tequila/wine. I have vegetable stock so I just used a bit of water, also my tomatoes were Mexican style stewed tomatoes so that probably had some additional spices. I will definitely be making this again. So quick and easy once you prep the ingredients.
For some reason, I love cooking your recipes. It looks delicious, for sure this Shrimp Diablo is going to be on my table tonight. Thank you, for this simple yet delicious looking recipe. !!
Taught my g-daughter this recipe to teach her how to read a recipe and cook it. Came out delicious.
I love this recipe!! …sometimes I add a little creme at the end gives a nice creamy taste …
Added mushrooms and served this over garlic toast with fresh parmesan cheese on top of dish – awesome!
This is always a favorite. I came across is reciepe with Tequila. It should be excellent. Tonights the night along with garlic parmesan pasta as a side. Yum…
Very yummy! QUICK EASY & DELICIOUS!
Sounds wonderful! Couldn’t you use canned diced tomatoes rather than whole tomatoes? Sounds a lot less messy and would save some time also.
Goodness gracious these look delicious! I love how simple the recipe is and can tell from the ingredients that these Shrimp diablo is packed with flavour! Definitely on my list!
This sounds like jambalaya without the sausage. No need to pre-cook the shrimp. Simply drop them into the sauce at the end of cooking it. Might as well go the extra step and add andouille sausage too.
Serve over steamed rice. Mmm