Spicy Drunken Shrimp

This Spicy Drunken Shrimp is simmered in the most addicting sauce made from beer, butter and hot sauce! Make sure to grab a ton of bread for dipping!

If you love shrimp recipes as much as we do, you should also check out this Crispy Baked Shrimp Scampi Recipe and this Quick Shrimp Stir Fry!

Spicy Drunken Shrimp on a platter with celery

A Super Delicious, Easy Shrimp Recipe

There’s a few ingredients that go into the sauce for this Spicy Drunken Shrimp but lemme tell you guys…it’s SO worth it! Once you get the ingredients for the sauce together though, it comes together in no time! This shrimp recipe can be on the table in just about 20 minutes – all you need is a big loaf of bread for dipping and a few cold beers for sipping.

You can make this shrimp as spicy or as mild as you like, too. If just a little bit of heat works better for you, just cut down on the hot sauce or use a milder brand. A lot of people don’t realize that hot sauces are not all alike, you can find very mild hot sauce to the blow your head off kind.

A good substitute for spicy hot sauce would be Mild Buffalo Wing Sauce – which is different than hot sauce, just FYI, and we use it for a lot of different recipes.

Spicy Shrimp Recipe in a butter and beer sauce

What Ingredients Do I Need To Make This Shrimp?

Like I said, a few ingredients do go into making this addicting, spicy sauce but they are all pretty basic.

Shrimp: We like a large shrimp for this recipe, but get what looks best at the fish counter. If the shrimp doesn’t look fresh or if it’s not on sale frozen shrimp is also fine.

Butter: Lots of butter will tame the heat in this sauce and make it creamy and delicious.

Hot Sauce: Like I mentioned before, grab a hot sauce that suits your taste whether it be mild or spicy. Play around with a few different kinds to find what you like!

Old Bay Seasoning: Old Bay is a staple in many seafood recipes, we love its classic flavor.

Worcestershire Sauce: Another classic ingredient that there’s really no substitutions for!

Heavy Cream: Like the butter, cream will thicken up this sauce and mellow out the heat.

Garlic: Fresh garlic is a must, you can’t beat the flavor as opposed to jarred or bottled garlic.

Fresh Rosemary: Rosemary adds a delicious, earthy flavor to this shrimp, but if you’re not a fan, you can also substitute fresh thyme or parsley. 

How Do You Make This Spicy Shrimp Recipe?

  1. This shrimp is so easy to throw together too, all you have to do is toss some jumbo shrimp up with a few seasonings and cook them in a skillet for a minute or two. Remove the shrimp to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
  2. Add olive oil to the skillet, then add chopped garlic and fresh rosemary. Cook the garlic and rosemary for a minute while stirring, then pour in beer and let it reduce for 5 minutes.
  3. Once the beer has reduced, add chicken broth, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer. Add the butter and cream, whisking together until smooth, then add the shrimp back to the skillet.
  4. Simmer the shrimp in the sauce for 5 minutes until the shrimp is warm and the sauce has thickened. Serve in big bowls with bread on the side.

Shrimp recipe in a beer and butter sauce

Looking For More Shrimp Recipes?

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Spicy Drunken Shrimp

  • Author: Dan
  • Prep Time: 5
  • Cook Time: 15
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

This spicy, addicting shrimp recipe can be served for appetizers or dinner! Don’t forget the bread for dipping!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined with the tails left on
  • 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 1/2 cup beer (your favorite~!)
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup Frank’s RedHot Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup chopped celery leaves (can substitute parsley)

Instructions

  1. Season the shrimp with the Old Bay, salt and pepper and toss to coat.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, cooking for 2 minutes on each side until pink.
  3. Remove the shrimp to a plate and cover with foil
  4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and cook the garlic and rosemary for 1 minute over low heat.
  5. Add the beer to the skillet and reduce for 3-4 minutes.
  6. Add the chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce then bring to a simmer. Add the butter, lemon juice and cream and whisk until smooth.
  7. Add the cooked shrimp back to the pan to warm through, then add the chopped celery leaves (or parsley if using) and let the shrimp simmer in the sauce for 5 minutes until warmed though.

Recipe Notes

Serves 4 for dinner or can be served as an appetizer for up to 8.

  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: American

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26 Responses
  1. Larry

    Followed the recipe exactly, grits as base. It’s a little
    Labor intensive, but fun and delicious. Sauce is fantastic shrimp and grits perfection. Definitely a do over.






  2. Mary Jo

    LOVED THIS!!

    My question is mine didn’t really thicken up. I didn’t have heavy cream so substituted 1/2 & 1/2, was that my mistake? otherwise, loved it!!!!






    1. Dan

      yes half and half is a lot thinner than heavy cream so that could be it. Also just make sure you let the beer reduce out for the full time and let the sauce simmer until it reduces. But next time try it with heavy cream! Glad you liked it anyway!

  3. Karen

    I’ve made this many times. It is always delicious and gets rave reviews from everyone to whom I’ve served it. We have decided we like it with an IPA vs. a lighter beer, though. I gave the recipe to a friend of mine who served it over cheesy grits. I have also done that and added blue cheese. YUM!!!

  4. Bonnie

    Hi Dan,

    Am anxious to make this dish! Have a couple of questions for you first:

    The video shows (and labels) soy sauce. The recipe says Worcestershire. What’s your preference?

    I’m not a fan of Rosemary. Would any other herbs work?

    Thanks!

    1. Dan

      Yes, that’s actually an editing error. It’s worcestershire sauce! I’ll have to update the video, thanks for pointing that out. You could use oregano or thyme too, just adjust the amounts to taste!

  5. Dan

    Thanks Ashely – I left that line out in the recipe card! I hope it turned out ok, but I adjusted the recipe if you want to try it again. Good catch!

  6. Ashley

    Made this tonight and noticed it calls for garlic in ingredients but when making it not in the instructions.

    I wasn’t sure where yiu added it?!? I just threw it in when realized I missed it.

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