Spicy Shrimp

This spicy shrimp will turn any meal into a party! I found this Spicy Confetti Shrimp recipe when I was at a Mardi Gras fundraiser several years ago. It was one of those “Taste of…” events, where restaurants showcase small samples of  their best dishes.

I saw this beautiful shrimp dish. It was plated with just one shrimp per small plate, as it was just a “taste”. My first thought was that chef had thrown confetti on each dish for the party.

Upon closer look, (and taste) I discovered that it was actually finely diced bell peppers, chiffonade of basil, and purple cabbage. I was blown away. It was such a simple, yet beautiful presentation! (This post was originally published on March 10th, 2014, and has been updated to contain nutritional information. As an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.)

All I could think about is how great this shrimp would look and taste on a big plate. After chatting with the chef for a bit, he graciously gave me the basic ingredients and an outline of the recipe. He instructed me to use “butter, lots of butter, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic”. There is a nice kick at the finish, which made me start thinking about what I would call it when I tried to re-create it, Confetti Shrimp? Celebration Shrimp? Spicy Shrimp? I finally settled on Spicy Confetti Shrimp.

Use finely diced vegetables and herbs for “confetti”.

There is a recipe called Diablo Shrimp. Since the Devil is in the Details with this recipe, that was a close contender. The key to getting all the vegetables to look like confetti is to mince, or finely chop them. You can get the same flavors with a larger dice, but if you want it to look like an explosion of confetti on the plate, you need to cut the veggies fairly small…almost to a mince. I serve it with rice and extra confetti on the rice. For a completely low-carb and keto friendly version, substitute cauliflower rice for the white rice. I cut the basil and the cabbage very finely, but in a chiffonade cut, which you can read more about here.

Ready in under 30 minutes!

While this looks impressive and complicated, the most time consuming part of the whole meal is finely chopping the vegetables. The shrimp itself takes just a few minutes, which means you can have the whole dish ready in under 30 minutes. You will use about 1/3 of a red, yellow and orange bell pepper, which means you’ll have to save the rest for another meal. Here are a couple of ideas for the rest of the Purple Cabbage and Bell Peppers.

Throwing a Mardi Gras party?

Here are some delicious ideas to add to your menu!

A Taste Of New Orleans, Easy Homemade Beignets

Mardi Gras King Cake

Spicy Shrimp

Cynthia

This spicy shrimp is sauteed in butter and Old Bay seasoning. Assorted peppers, cabbage, onion and basil are finely chopped to resemble "confetti". Use a total of 1 1/2 cups diced peppers.

5 from 9 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 minutes mins

Total Time 28 minutes mins

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Calories 239 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 1/2 pound large shrimp cleaned, deveined and peeled
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 Tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 cups Red, yellow and orange bell peppers finely diced
• 1/4 cup Purple cabbage finely sliced
• 1/4 cup Purple onion finely diced
• 1/4 cup Basil cut chiffonade

Instructions

 

• Toss shrimp with cayenne, smoked paprika, garlic and Old Bay seasoning in a bowl. Let sit while you mince the veggies.
• Heat butter over medium high heat and sauté the shrimp, 2 or 3 minute per side or until opaque and cooked through. Add Worcestershire sauce, stirring to coat shrimp.
• Remove the shrimp from a pan with a slotted spoon. Add veggies and sauté another 2-3 minutes. Drizzle any remaining juices over the shrimp.
• Sprinkle finely diced purple onion and bell pepper "confetti" and chiffonade of basil and cabbage over shrimp and rice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 239kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 1gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 119mgPotassium: 272mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 3.22IUVitamin C: 78mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!