This head-on shrimp baked with butter and chili paste is incredibly delicious and super easy to make. You’ll have dinner ready in under 20 minutes!
If head-on shrimp scare you, don’t let them! They are really easy to cook at home, and they taste incredible, thanks to the shells being left on. As shrimp cook in their shells, they take on even more of a rich, shrimpy flavor, which is why seafood lovers so highly covet head-on shrimp.
Our recipe calls for baking the shrimp in a simple mixture of melted butter, soy sauce, chili paste, and sesame oil. For more shrimp recipes, see our Cajun shrimp with homemade Cajun butter, these cilantro lime shrimp, and my favorite shrimp salad.
Key Ingredients
- Shrimp: If you can find them, use fresh extra-large head-on shrimp (or prawns). If not, use fresh or thawed shrimp without the head.
- Butter: I use salted butter, but unsalted is fine. If you use unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt to the mixture.
- Soy Sauce: I use light soy sauce or light tamari. It adds a little funkiness and seasoning.
- Chili Paste: I love Sambal Oelek. It’s made with crushed raw red chiles, a little vinegar, and salt. It’s sold in most grocery stores. Check the grocery aisle where you’d buy soy sauce, and it should be there. If you can’t find it, Sriracha or Gochujang are good alternatives. I also use sambal oelek when making our spicy garlic ginger edamame.
- Sesame Oil: I love the flavor of toasted sesame oil. You only need a little bit. It just makes the shrimp more interesting. If you do not have it on hand, you can leave it out.
How to Make Chili Butter Head On Shrimp
This head-on shrimp recipe is ridiculously easy, especially considering how impressive these shrimp look on a table! I suggested that our recipe calls for a pound of shrimp serves two, but that’s as a dinner portion. These also make an incredible appetizer for entertaining or parties!
First, you’ll mix melted butter with soy sauce, chili paste, and sesame oil, then toss that with your shrimp. You might find that the butter starts to solidify again (especially if your shrimp are straight from the fridge). Don’t worry too much about it, and spread the shrimp onto a baking sheet.
We want to bake our shrimp quickly, so I like to use a high oven temperature, like 400°F. At this temperature, the shrimp will take around 8 minutes. You’ll know when they are done when the shells look bright red and the shrimp feel firm. From there, serve them quickly as they continue to steam in their shells.
To eat head-on shrimp, I pull off the heads and suck the juices from inside (it’s really tasty), then I peel the shrimp as usual and eat them as I do peel and eat shrimp.
Chili Butter Head On Shrimp
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
We love head-on shrimp and get really excited when we can find them. Baking the shrimp in their shells with the head still left on adds more flavor. It also insulates them a little, helping to prevent overcooking. To eat these, rip the head off and suck out any juices from the head (it’s delicious). Then peel the shrimp as usual and enjoy! If you cannot find head-on shrimp or aren’t as much a fan as we are, you can follow this recipe using shrimp without the head. This recipe works well with head-on shrimp and head-on prawns.
You Will Need
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh chili paste, like sambal oelek
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 pound large head-on shrimp
Directions
1Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Set aside a baking sheet. For easier clean-up, line it with parchment paper or foil.
2Melt the butter, then stir in the soy sauce, chili paste, and sesame oil.
3Toss with the shrimp until well coated. If your shrimp are straight from the fridge, the butter might begin to re-solidify. Don’t worry about this.
4Bake until shrimp shells turn bright red and feel firm, 8 to 10 minutes.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Nutritional information provided are estimates.
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Hi, I love the recipe and am bound to try it out. Can you please suggest what you prepare for side dish? Veggies maybe? What sort? Can you help with a quick fix? I want the shrimp to be the main attraction for dinner, but still need a light side dish…
Thanks!
Roasted veggies or a salad would be nice. Or, mashed potatoes? You could even try something like our chickpea salad
you should try soaking and rinsing off your shrimp. It helps cut out the salty, dirty taste.
Have you tried cooking in sous vide at 122,
Then coating the shells with your marinade, that should help with the millaird reaction also.
Then fry at very high temperture.
you should end up with softer more delicate and complex texture to the flesh.
Crispier and by far mroe flavoursome shell.
We have sous-vied chicken, steak and veggies – not shrimp. A bit too much work for our style, but thank you so much for sharing, we’re sure it’s delish!
Why do you cook the shrimp at such a high temperture
The high temp is so the shrimp cook quickly. Also, roasting the shrimp at this temperature actually helps the shrimp caramelize slightly as well as intensify its flavors. You could certainly bake the shrimp at a lower temperature, say 350, but from what we have tasted, the flavors just are not as intense.
It’s not fair to make me drool over shrimp at 8:35 in the morning. Your lead photo is stunning.
Thanks, Wendi — Sorry for the whole drooling thing! Although, we won’t judge if you wanted to eat shrimp so early in the morning, we would!
-Joanne
Nice post. The shrimps look so delicious. Would you mind sending me some cause I know i can’t bake my shrimps this good 🙂
I seriously might die right now.
Oh no, please don’t Bev! We will just send you some, how about that?
Joanne
Your shrimp are gorgeous and the recipe is blissfully simple! But yeah, while me and my uptight self would be ok with the heads, I’d have to do something about the vein. 😉
I am always on the lookout for head-on shrimp, too but they are definitely hard to come by. This look like such an easy and flavorful dish. Lovely!