Yucatan Shrimp Recipe (2024)

Tip when using frozen shrimp - defrost them in salted water. Adds a lot of flavor!

Man oh man! Sam Sifton never lets me down. I made the sauce then cooked the shrimp in the sauce until they were almost pink. Then I removed the shrimp and reduced the sauce to a glaze. I added the shrimp back into the pan, coated and cooked for one more minute. Delectable. Seriously. Sam, you are a culinary genius. Thank you thank you from Toronto.

I also removed the shells and oven roasted* the shrimp--salted, peppered, and tossed in a little olive oil--on a foil-lined sheet pan about 10 minutes @ 400 degrees, then proceeded as above, adding any accumulated juices to the sauce along with the shrimp.
*Broiling or even grilling 'em would also work.

I made this dish, but removed the shells and cooked the shrimp in the sauce, it worked out beautifully and nearly napkinless!!!

I made the dish again - cooking the shell-less shrimp in the sauce - then used the shrimpy deliciousness to make Banh mi on baguette with julienned cucumber and plenty of cilantro with the xtra sauce on the side for DIPPING. A BIG hit

I doubled the jalapeño and sautéed it along with the garlic. I also doubled the sriracha, Then instead of boiling the shrimp with the shells on, I sautéed peeled raw shrimp in the sauce until it turned pink. Sprinkled with cilantro and service with rice and beans and guacamole. Delicious!

Quick update... I used some left over sauce in a cast iron pan for some sautéed sea scallops. Wow!

Peel the shrimp, but add the shells to the water as it boils. Boil for a minute or two, then skim the shells out with a slotted spoon before adding the peeled shrimp to the pot.

Cooks Illustrated has a primer on how to cook shrimp in order to make the shells crispy and edible. Point is, frying when they are very dry works! Boiling would not.

I devein it but leave the shell on. So basically it is cut up the back side. This gives you the flavor of the shells without the yucky black stuff, and also makes it a breeze to peel after cooking. I also peel them before serving.

I've made this by cooking the shrimp in the sauce and by boiling the shrimp separately. Cooking it in the sauce is better and easier too.

I've never understood how one is OK with eating the intestinal track of unpeeled shrimp. It's not a 'vein', it's the poop. Leave shell on but slice it open and pull out the nasty stuff and enjoy.

This recipe was very tasty. But, while I understand the reason to leave the shell on the shrimp (juicier and tastier), I don't like a dinner where I am trying to relax but I have to get my hands dirty shelling the shrimp as I eat. So I made this with shelled shrimp but didn't boil it--just cooked it in a little water and butter. Maybe not as good a dish as with unshelled shrimp but very tasty for those of us who don't like hassling with the shells.

Followed the recipe other than in taking off the shells prior to cooking. Don't really get it. There wasn't a lot texture and the shrimp were floating in butter. This might be better with grilled or broiled shrimp that are basted. I've been to the Yucatan and this doesn't feel at all like what I ate there; authenticity aside, this isn't something I would make again.

If I had to vote for the best recipe from NYTIMES Cooking, this would be it! It is 10x better than the best shrimp scampi you have ever had, is simple,works great with frozen shrimp AND never fails!

Easy and delicious--I recommend keeping the shell on to enjoy the finger-licking sauce!!! Used Sirracha and served on Mexican rice.

Welcome back warm weather! Love this dish in the summertime served over pasta with a salad.

Very good. I used frozen tail on shrimp. Ran water over them in a colander for 10 minutes, mixing every so often to defrost them. Made the sauce with sriracha and meanwhile boiled the shrimp for two minutes, then finished cooking them gently in the sauce (I like my shrimp to be pretty well cooked).I removed the shrimp from the pan and reduced the butter sauce, adding fish sauce and ginger paste, and poured it over everything. It’s like garlic butter shrimp with more dimensions.

Wonderful recipe! I seared the shrimp in a cast iron skillet with a bit of olive oil so as to get some color on the shells. Boiling seems yo boil away taste.

Company went bananas for this recipe! Per my husband - they were practically eating their hands off. The only adjustment I did was add more garlic. Otherwise stuck to the recipe. I used a combination of U15 shrimp and 16/20 shrimp. Fantastic!

Great recipe! I followed this, but added a little more of some things! 1. Melt butter and add: garlic (at least 3 cloves, chopped, 1 chopped jalepeno, and 6 chopped green onions in cast iron skillet until tender. 2. Add shrimp and cook for a couple of minutes. 3. Add 2 tablespoons sambal, about a tablespoon of fish sauce, juice of 3 limes, lime zest from the 3 limes, 1/2 cup white wine, cook down for a few minutes, and you have an AMAZING dinner. Served over couscous with garlic tuscan bread.

From the linked article: "you could eat this meal tonight in Des Moines or Brooklyn, in Paris or Jakarta, and imagine yourself on a beach staring south, the moment holding perfect as a soap bubble that might never pop."Absolutely!I was lucky enough to be able to go to Doc Ford's 3 or 4 years ago... great food, can't wait for pandemic to end and go to Sanibel again.This recipe is fantastic Sam. Thank You!

9/20/21 am I allergic to pepper ? Good sauce but couldn’t stop coughing.Maybe leave out the jalapeño and especially the sriracha sauce.

Super quick shrimp recipe that delivers on flavor. It has a nice balance between avid, heat, and richness. I used them in soft tacos and the sauce that it makes is wonderful drizzled over everything. Yum!

This was surprisingly delicious for so little work! Instead of boiling the shrimp I pan seared salted, peppered and rice flour sprinkled raw shrimp in hot olive oil. Boiling sounded boring. Used some leftover rice and we made lettuce wraps with them! Yummy

I made the sauce and sautéed the shrimp in it to cook. Infused the with flavor. Delish.

As did others, I cooked the shelled shrimps in the sauce. In summer, I’d prefer to avoid big pots of boiling water on the stove. We served them as tacos with a small bed of cabbage, cilantro, fresh corn, the jalapeño, and a few pickled red onion slivers. The sauce made the tacos!

Really delicious with the Sambal and butter mixture- and simple. I did the oven bake approach for shelled shrimp- lots of flavor, not soggy!