Peppered Shrimps

Jamaican Peppered Shrimps

A bold, buttery Jamaican shrimp dish built on garlic, scotch bonnet heat and fresh thyme. Traditionally scooped up with hard dough bread or bammy to soak up the rich, peppery sauce.

Prep

10 min

Cook

12 min

Total

22 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •700 g (1 lb 9 oz) shell-on shrimp, heads on if possible, jumbo, deveined but shells left on for flavor
• •115 g (½ cup (1 stick)) unsalted butter, plus extra if needed
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) neutral cooking oil, helps prevent the butter from scorching
• •12 g (about 8 cloves) garlic, finely minced
• •1 whole scotch bonnet pepper, left whole and slit, or chopped for more heat; do not remove the seeds if you want authentic fire
• •4 g (6 to 8 sprigs) fresh thyme, leaves and tender stems
• •3 ml (½ tsp) scotch bonnet pepper, finely chopped, optional, for extra heat layered into the sauce
• •5 ml (1 tsp) ground allspice (pimento), very Jamaican; do not skip if possible
• •10 ml (2 tsp) soy sauce, the salty umami backbone
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) Worcestershire sauce
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) tomato ketchup, adds color and a touch of sweet tang; traditional versions often use a splash of ketchup or tomato
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) fresh lime juice, plus a wedge to finish
• •2 g (1 tsp) fine sea salt, adjust after tasting soy sauce
• •1 g (½ tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• •30 g (¼ cup) scallion, finely sliced, for finishing
• •15 g (¼ cup) fresh parsley, chopped, for finishing

Steps

1. 1 Pat the shrimp very dry with paper towels. Season lightly with salt and black pepper. The shells must stay on; they carry the flavor and protect the meat from the fierce heat of the pepper.
2. 2 In a wide, heavy pan (preferably a cast-iron skillet) over medium-high heat, combine the butter and oil. When the butter is foaming and just turning golden, add the minced garlic, thyme sprigs, the optional chopped scotch bonnet and the whole slit scotch bonnet. Cook 45 to 60 seconds, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant and just turning pale gold; do not let it brown.
3. 3 Stir in the allspice, soy sauce, Worcestershire, ketchup and lime juice. Let the sauce bubble for about 30 seconds so it thickens slightly and the raw ketchup taste cooks off.
4. 4 Add the shrimp in a single layer. Toss and turn them in the sauce for 2 to 4 minutes, until they turn pink and curl into a loose C shape. They are done when the flesh at the thickest part is opaque white all the way through with no translucent gray; the internal temperature on an instant-read probe should read 62 to 65 °C (145 °F). Overcooking makes shell-on shrimp tough, so pull the pan off the heat as soon as they are just cooked.
5. 5 Discard the thyme stems and the whole scotch bonnet if you kept it whole for less heat, or prick it open and leave it for true Jamaican fire. Taste the pan sauce and adjust salt, lime or pepper to balance.
6. 6 Scatter the scallion and parsley over the top, finish with an extra squeeze of lime and serve immediately in the pan or in a wide bowl, with hard dough bread, bammy, or crusty rolls for soaking up the peppered butter.