How to Make Shrimp Diablo
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Camarones a la diabla (shrimp diablo), literally “deviled shrimp”, comes from Veracruz, the port city on Mexico’s Gulf Coast that produces some of the most vibrant and under-appreciated seafood cooking in the country. It is a dish built entirely around bold, unapologetic heat: shrimp marinated and cooked in a fiery sauce of rehydrated guajillo chilies and chiles de árbol, blended smooth with tomato and brightened with lime. The name is not an exaggeration, but the heat is balanced by the natural sweetness of plump, juicy shrimp in a way that makes the whole thing deeply satisfying rather than just spicy.
Mexican cuisine is enormously varied. Many of its regions are landlocked and centered on meat, corn, and dried chilies. But Veracruz, with over 6,000 miles of coastline, has developed a seafood culture that stands entirely apart. Camarones a la diabla is one of its most iconic dishes, and one of the most rewarding things you can make at home in under 30 minutes. If you love shrimp recipes, my grilled honey lime shrimp tacos and coconut shrimp tacos with habanero lime butter can also be made with a bag of frozen shrimp.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Deeply flavored yet quick – While this dish has deep, rich flavors, it comes together for a weeknight meal. The sauce is made with a base of rehydrated guajillo chilies and chiles de arbol, sautéed onions, diced tomatoes and lime juice blended and used as a marinade for the plump, juicy shrimp.
- Weeknight dinner ready – It’s easy to prepare, making it great for weeknight dinners or special occasions. The sauce can even be made a few days ahead of time so the shrimp can be quickly marinated and cooked for a 30 minute dinner.
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Chilies – The main flavors of this dish come from a combination of reconstituted guajillo chilies and chilies de arbol.
- Onion – I use yellow onion in this dish. It doesn’t have to be a perfect dice since the sauce will be blended before the shrimp are added.
- Diced tomatoes – The tomatoes add depth and acidity to this sauce. They also add to the deep red color of the sauce.
- Lime juice – Freshly squeezed lime juice adds some acidity to the dish and balances the flavors.
- Shrimp – The terms “jumbo” and “extra jumbo” and “colossal” aren’t standardized terms within the industry. Instead look at the numbers – they estimate approximately how many shrimp are in 1 pound. I use a 16/20 count size shrimp in this recipe. The shrimp should be peeled and deveined before beginning the recipe. If desired you can use head-on, shell-on shrimp instead. They are great served whole.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Pro tip
Don’t over-marinate you shrimp! Unlike beef or chicken, shrimp proteins break down quickly in an acidic marinade. Ten minutes gives you fully flavored shrimp with perfect texture. Thirty minutes is the maximum! Beyond that the shrimp can turn gummy.
How to Make Shrimp Diablo (Step-by-Step)
Heat a medium pot over medium-high heat, add the oil and heat through. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender and no longer opaque, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock and bring to a boil then add the guajillo chilies and chiles de arbol. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 10 minutes until the chilies are rehydrated and the sauce is slightly thickened.
Heat a medium pot over medium-high heat, add the oil and heat through. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender and no longer opaque, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock and bring to a boil then add the guajillo chilies and chiles de arbol. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 10 minutes until the chilies are rehydrated and the sauce is slightly thickened.
Add the shrimp to a large mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. Pour the chili sauce over the top and marinate for about 10 minutes. Heat a large skillet pan over medium high heat, add the remaining oil and heat through. Working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, remove the shrimp from the marinade, shaking off any excess and add to the pan. Cook the shrimp until pink and no longer translucent, about 1 minute per side.
Remove the cooked shrimp to a platter and repeat with the remaining shrimp. Top the cooked shrimp with serrano, green onions and cilantro. Serve immediately.
How to Serve Shrimp Diablo
- On their own. Serve on their own as an easy appetizer.
- Entrée. Make the shrimp the star of dinner and serve with rice and vegetables.
- Tacos. Chop the shrimp up into smaller pieces and serve over corn tortillas as tacos with garnishes like cilantro and slices of avocado.
- Burrito bowl. Serve the shrimp over a burrito bowl ( in places of the meat in this carnitas burrito bowl or this chicken burrito bowl). I also like serving it with romaine lettuce, crispy rice, tomatoes, sour cream and guacamole or avocado.
- Pasta. Toss the shrimp with spaghetti for a quick and spicy pasta dish.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
While meat can and should be marinated for an hour or longer to let the flavors really sink in, shrimp and other seafood don’t need to marinate that long. This tomato and chili sauce is fairly acidic so marinating it any longer than 30 minutes will cause it to become gummy. It’s a great recipe because the flavors come together so quickly.
I would recommend making the sauce ahead of time but wait to combine the sauce with the shrimp until just before you are ready to cook the recipe. The sauce can be made up to a few days in advance and stored refrigerated in an airtight container.
While the name is intimidating I made this recipe with a moderate spice level in mind. If you really like spicy food then double the chilies used for a really hot dish.
This is not a dish where you can substitute crushed red pepper flakes for the complex flavors of guajillo and chiles de arbol. Chilies can be found on the ends of aisles at a lot of grocery stores or near the spices or other “Latin” ingredients. They can also be ordered online from places like Amazon.
Thanks for cooking with me! If you made this recipe, leave a 🌟 rating and share your thoughts or tips below. I’d love to hear from you!
How to Make Shrimp Diablo
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Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (or another neutral oil) , divided
- ½ medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 dried guajillo chilies, stem and seeds removed
- 6 chiles de arbol, stem and seeds removed
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- Kosher salt, as needed
- 1½ pound extra jumbo, 16/20 count shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 medium serrano, thinly sliced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced on the bias, for garnish
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, for garnish
Instructions:
- Heat a medium pot over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons (28g) of the oil and heat through. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender and no longer opaque, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and chicken stock and bring to a boil then add the guajillo chilies and chiles de arbol. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 10 minutes until the chilies are rehydrated and the sauce is slightly thickened.
- Let the sauce cool, then add to a blender and puree until completely smooth. Stir in lime juice and season the sauce to taste with salt.
- Add the shrimp to a large mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. Pour the chili sauce over the top and marinate for about 10 minutes.
- Heat a large skillet pan over medium high heat, add the remaining oil and heat through. Working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, remove the shrimp from the marinade, shaking off any excess sauce and add to the pan.
- Cook the shrimp until pink and no longer translucent, about 1 minute per side. Remove the cooked shrimp to a platter and repeat with the remaining shrimp.
- Top the cooked shrimp with serrano, green onions and cilantro. Serve immediately.
Notes:
Nutrition:
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This Shrimp Diablo had a kick! I used this recipe + Cooking with Cocktail Rings birria recipe + a post from her Instagram that turned the Shrimp Diablo into tacos and it was dynamite.
I actually tried this two ways: First, we had it last night as a quesadilla (heavy on the sauce, birria style) in chewy flour tortillas, topped with fresh cilantro, thin sliced serranos and green onions. It didn’t need the serranos, but I love the vegetal flavor they add (and I’m a glutton for spice).
Tonight, we gently rewarmed the shrimp and sauce and just ate it on its own with bread for sauce sopping, paired with a cooling cumin cabbage-apple slaw.
It was totally worth the $.38 of Guajillo and Chili de Arbol (found as dried peppers by the oz in one of our local grocery stores)!
Will make again and maybe use one less chili de Arbol to leave room to add serranos 😉