TL;DR (Quick-Answer Box)
- What it is: This Southern dish features jumbo shrimp baked in a rich, deeply seasoned Creole sauce made with butter, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and aromatic herbs.
- Why you’ll love it: It delivers a wallop of Southern flavor with minimal work, creating a buttery, spicy sauce that is absolutely smashing for soaking up with crusty bread.
- How to make it: Simmer the shallot, garlic, herbs + spices in butter, pour over the shrimp + bake until they are perfectly cooked through.
Jump To
I grew up in New England, in the ’60s, where the extent of my seafood experience was fried clams at the shack down over by Lincoln Park or my Mom’s stuffed quahogs. Pronto. I didn’t know gumbo from Boudin sausage from beignets until I landed at college in 1978, and even then, “Creole” was just a word I nodded along to like I understood it. I was a total virgin.
Then I made this. And, well, I’m proud to say, I’m a virgin no more. (Yes, you may call me a Creole minx.) In fact, I fell so hard for this dish that I put it on repeat, which is saying something for a guy who’s tested thousands of recipes and rarely makes anything twice on purpose. These days, when I want the full-on Louisiana experience—meaning head-on, shell-on, flavor-on—I order jumbo shrimp straight from cajungrocer.com and whip up a batch of this Creole love. (Yes, I’m pimping out Cajun Grocer. And, nope, I’m not making a penny from it. Just want you to get the best shrimp for this you can find.)
Chow,
Why this baked shrimp with Creole sauce works
Where to start? This recipe delivers rich, deeply spiced shrimp because the butter-and-herb sauce gets time to simmer and deepen way before the shrimp ever goes in, building incredible layers of flavor—not just seasoning the surface. Baking the shrimp right in that sauce, rather than quickly searing it, means every piece cooks through gently and stays tender and full of flavor. Leaving the shells and heads on locks in extra juiciness, so no rubber-erser shrimp here.
Best of all you get a moan-inducing sauce built for one purpose: soaking up every last drop with bread, rice, or biscuits. Pass the napkins!
Your baked shrimp questions, answered
Check local Asian or Latin grocery stores and the frozen seafood case. Head-on shrimp is often sold frozen even well inland. A good fishmonger can also special-order it. If you live in a culinary cemetery, as I do in CT, you can do as I do and order it online. This comes in a 5-pound bag, but no worries. I use the rest in my shrimp risotto (I use the shell and heads to make a DEE-licious stock), pickled shrimp, and The One‘s favorite dish: pasta with shrimp and leeks. (For this recipe, I replace the chicken broth with stock I make from the shells and heads.)
Totally. The headnote already says so. Head-on shrimp seals in more flavor as it bakes, but shell-off works fine if that’s what’s available; just watch the bake time closely since shell-off shrimp cooks a touch faster.
Good question. And in short, kind of. Removing the head from cooked shrimp is a messy job, so let’s make it worth it. I should tell you that eating the entire head is only really advised if you’ve deep-fried the shrimp, making the shell softer. For a dish like this one, you can definitely go the extra step and suck out the innards of the head. If you’ve ever been to a crawfish boil, you know what we’re talking about. Anthony Bourdain extolled its deliciousness, and who am I to argue? Or save them and make the best seafood stock you’ve ever had.
Shrimp cook quickly so you need to keep your attention on them. It doesn’t take long for even the largest shrimp to start turning pinkish and curling into a C shape. When that happens, they’re just about done.
This isn’t the tomato-simmered Creole you’ll find in most Louisiana kitchens — it’s a butter-and-herb version baked in the oven, closer to New Orleans barbecue shrimp. Same soulful, spicy DNA, different technique and no tomatoes.
Something to soak up the sauce is non-negotiable — rice, crusty bread, or warm biscuits all work. A simple green salad or coleslaw on the side cuts the richness.
Baked Shrimp with Creole Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 sticks (1 pound) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium (2 oz) shallot, minced
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, homemade or storebought
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 pounds (18 to 20 count) jumbo shrimp, shell and heads-on, preferably
- Rice, crusty bread, or biscuits, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- In a large skillet, over medium heat, melt the 4 sticks (1 pound) unsalted butter, stir in the 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, and add the 1 medium (2 oz) shallot and minced 8 cloves garlic. Simmer until the shallot is translucent and the garlic turns golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Whisk in the 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano, 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon sweet paprika, and 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavors meld.
- Add the 3 bay leaves and continue to simmer until dark and slightly thickened, about 15 minutes more.
- Pile the 3 pounds (18 to 20 count) jumbo shrimp in a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking dish or roasting pan, pour the sauce over the shrimp, and bake for 10 minutes. Flip the shrimp, stir, and bake until cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
- Remove from the oven, discard the bay leaves, and let sit for 5 minutes before serving with rice, bread, or biscuits, if desired.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Did you know only 68% of the recipes we test make it onto the site? This recipe survived our rigorous blind testing process by multiple home cooks. It earned the Leite’s Culinaria stamp of approval—and the testers’ reviews below prove it.
This is the perfect recipe to prepare for summer guests. As we joyfully anticipate the return of friends around the dining table, sharing food and conversation, baked shrimp with Creole sauce will be making an appearance again on our first menu in the garden. While it does take some time to simmer and requires a mild level of concentration…it’s the kind of dish the host can prepare while sipping wine and having witty conversation. This recipe calls for a Cajun spice mix, and I used Leite’s Culinaria version.
The entire house had a wonderful aroma of something intriguing and delicious during the process. The shrimp simmered perfectly in the smoky, sultry sauce with just enough pepper and heat to perk up your tastebuds. We served a heap of them on white jasmine rice to soak up the flavors of the sauce. The final dish is decadent and satisfying without being overly rich. We plated the dish with a lemon wedge to provide a bit of extra acidity and paired it with a spicy, peppery Shiraz. Delicious!
This baked shrimp with creole sauce was a hit in my house. This is the real deal iconic dish and could not have been easier to prepare. I highly recommend that you buy the freshest shrimp you can get and leave them intact as the shells and heads along with the fresh herbs have the most flavor and you’ll be wowed. I also prefer Irish butter.
I used the sweet paprika and made the Creole seasoning from the site which is awesome. I found that cranking up the heat of the oven to 425°F degrees made the process go a bit quicker and resulted in more of a “grilled” quality. Great easy-peasy summertime dish. I served this with some crusty bread for dipping and washed it all down with some ice-cold Coronas with lime.
Holy buckets, this is delicious—and easy. I’ve made this type of barbeque shrimp in the past, but this recipe for baked shrimp with creole sauce blows the others out of the water (pun intended). Let me start by saying that my shrimp did not have the heads on—I would’ve had to go to a bait shop to get that here. Anything about a bait shop reminds me of Hurricane Irma when we lost power for a week and there was squid and head-on bait shrimp in the garage freezer that my husband “forgot” about. I’ll never forget it. So, I used just over 2 pounds of headless wild-caught Gulf shrimp from the local fish market.
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I also didn’t have any parsley, so I left it out. I used sweet paprika and fresh bay laurel leaves from my backyard. I served the shrimp with cheesy grits and green beans like my mother used to cook (bacon, onions, a little sugar, and a little vinegar), & homemade toasted coconut pudding for dessert. My husband ate two plates, I had to force myself to stop at one.
Just an fyi – The link for the creole seasoning takes you to Cajun seasoning. This recipe looks delicious. I’m in! Thank you!
Catherine,
Thanks for the heads up. I fixed the link. And here’s the recipe for easy reference!
Creole Spice Mix
1 1/2 tablespoons Diamond brand kosher salt (or 1 tablespoon Morton kosher salt)
1 1/2 tablespoons herbes de Provence (without lavender)
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 1/2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
In a small bowl, stir together the salt, herbes de Provence, cumin, cayenne, black pepper, and paprika until thoroughly combined. (You can keep the Creole spice mix at room temperature for up to 6 months.)
☞ TESTER TIP: This recipe will make significantly more spice mix than you need for the recipe. Sprinkle it over roast vegetables, use it as a spice rub for grilled meats, toss it in egg dishes, and anyplace else you can think to use it.
1 pound of butter plus 1/4 cup olive oil??? I have no problem with butter, but for 20 jumbo shrimp, do we really need so much fat?
p.s Love your homemade cajun spice mix.
Thanks, angiesrecipes. It is a lot of butter, however, after doing some research and hearing from our testers, it’s an authentic version of New Orleans BBQ shrimp, which is very heavy on the butter. Mingled with the Cajun spices, it’s delicious when mopped up with bread or rice, but you could always just enjoy the shrimp and leave the remaining butter in the dish.