Spicy Tequila Shrimp

Tequila shrimp marinaded in fresh lime juice, honey, hot sauce and blanco tequila! Serve this simple dish over rice, pasta or enjoy as an appetizer!

Tequila Shrimp

When I made this Cauliflower Fried “Rice” I promised to share the shrimp that I made too. Well, shrimps cooks very fast.

Oh and by the way, it smells amazing with the sauce I used.

As you can imagine, this time I couldn’t bare to make my family wait for me to take photos before eating, so we ate perfectly warmed shrimp.

Honestly, I secretly wished that we would have leftovers to photograph later.

Nope. No way!

We devoured every single tequila shrimp morsel and even licked our fingers! So of course I had to make this dish a second time!

Tequila Lime Shrimp With A Little Heat

We enjoy eating seafood. First, it cooks fast, so if you are busy, hungry and need a bite quick then seafood is a great go-to dish to make.

Second, it’s light and low in calories, so I never feel over full when eating seafood.

One of my favorite meals to make is this salmon coconut curry sauce dish and these healthy fish tacos made with cod.

Alan on the other hand is a shrimp fanatic! Put a bowl of BBQ shrimp in front of him and he’s a happy, happy man!

For that reason, I wanted to create another shrimp dish that could be enjoyed as a main meal or as an appetizer.

Tequila lime shrimp has the perfect combination of a little heat (flavorful not hot) and a touch of sweetness toned down by the lime juice.

Such a heavenly combination!

What Type Of Tequila Is Best For Cooking?

There are five types of tequila:

• Blanco (white, silver) bottled within two weeks of being distilled
• Joven (gold) mixed with color or a mix or blanco and extra-aged tequila
• Repesado (aged) 2 months, but no longer than 12 months
• Añejo (extra aged) in oak barrels for a minimum of 12 months
• Extra Añejo (ultra aged) in oak for a minimum of 26 months

For this recipe blanco, which is the least expensive of the list above is perfectly fine.

If you plan on sipping tequila while cooking, then I would choose a finer tequila that has been aged longer.

What Size Of Shrimp For Tequila Shrimp Should I Buy?

Check out this recipe bacon wrapped shrimp to learn the difference of count vs. size of shrimp to determine what size to buy.

For a quick review, the photo below explains how many unpeeled shrimp make a pound.

Serving these tequila shrimp as an appetizer? Use Jumbo size.

For a main meal, pick medium or large size shrimp.

Tequila shrimp is a delicious main meal and also can be served as an appetizer. I found the fusion of Asian flavors with the hot sauce and bold notes from the Mexican tequila quite complimentary!

The honey also plays nicely as it isn’t over powering with sweetness and cools the heat to a flavorful mix.

Spicy Tequila Shrimp

Tequila shrimp marinaded in fresh lime juice, honey, hot sauce and blanco tequila! A little heat with the sweetness from the honey is a delicious combination for a main meal or appetizer.

4.75 from 4 votes

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Course: Uncategorized

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy recipe, new year, seafood, shrimp

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 444kcal

Author: Sandra Shaffer

Ingredients

• 1 pound shrimp cleaned and deveined
• 1/4 cup Blanco Tequila
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice about 2 limes
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 1-2 adjust to your preference hot sauce like Sriracha
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil for marinade
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil for skillet
• 1 tablespoon corn starch

Instructions

• In a medium bowl whisk together tequila, lime juice, honey, hot sauce, garlic and olive oil until smooth.
• Add shrimp to the bowl and fold to coat. Cover and put in the refrigerator for 20-25 minutes.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. With tongs gently remove the shrimp from the marinade and place shrimp on hot skillet (don’t over crowd pan and cook in batches if necessary). Cook for one minute and then flip and cook for another minute.
• Remove the cooked shrimp and set aside. In a small bowl whisk together 1 tablespoon of marinade with the corn starch to make a slurry.
• Pour remaining marinade in the skillet and heat for about 2-3 minutes. Add the slurry to thicken the sauce cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Fold shrimp back into skillet to heat and serve immediately.

Notes

Serves 4 main meal dishes or 10-12 appetizer size.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 444kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 240mg | Sodium: 2498mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g

Disclaimer

Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.

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