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Camarones a la Diabla are juicy, large shrimp covered in a bright red chile pepper sauce that are ready to eat in 30 minutes! (gluten free, low carb, paleo)
If you love chile peppers as much as I do, you’re going to love these Camarones a la Diabla! Also known as diablo shrimp or Mexican deviled shrimp in English, this dish features juicy, large shrimp covered in a bright red chile pepper sauce that’s spicy, super flavorful and very addicting.
I didn’t eat much seafood growing up, partly because my parents grew up in a landlocked state in Mexico and partly because I grew up in Oklahoma City, which is also a landlocked state. Not a lot of local and fresh seafood options if you know what I mean. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve loved trying new foods and experiencing new ingredients. I’ve been particularly interested in learning how seafood plays a role and is prepared in Mexican cuisine, just because that’s a part of Mexican cooking that I don’t really know about. So to learn more about the flavors of Mexican seafood dishes, I’ve been trying to cook seafood more often by following recipes from some of my favorites like Rick Bayless and Pati Jinich. It’s been so much fun and so freaking delicious!
One of the easiest things to prepare as a home cook is shrimp. It can literally be cooked and ready to eat in 5 minutes if you just want it plain, so shrimp as a starting point for my seafood exploration is perfect. But of course I don’t want it plain – I want it a little jazzed up! And the perfect Mexican way to do that is by making a chile pepper sauce.
Camarones a la Diabla is all about the red chile sauce. The brightness of the sauce comes from a combination of guajillo and chile de arbol peppers as well as plump red roma tomatoes. Yes, it’s spicy, but this version isn’t crazy spicy and can easily be customized to your tastes.
How to make Camarones a la Diabla
- Soak stemmed and seeded guajillo and chile de arbol peppers in hot or boiling water for about 15 minutes. During this time, I like to cover the bowl or pot they’re soaking in with either a lid or a large plate to help keep in as much heat as possible.
- Puree softened chiles in a blender with Roma tomatoes, garlic, onions and salt.
- In a large saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat, add some olive oil and cook shrimp for 1 minute per side, until they are light pink.
- Add in the pureed red chile sauce, lower heat to medium and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and hot.
- Remove from heat, taste, season with more salt if necessary and serve.
Tips for making Camarones a la Diabla
- If you’re afraid the sauce may be too spicy for your tastes, I recommend soaking all the peppers as instructed but only adding in 1 chile de arbol pepper into the blender. Puree the sauce until smooth and then taste. If it’s still too spicy, add in a roma tomato and puree. Keep tasting and adjusting until it’s just right.
- Don’t forget to season the sauce generously with salt. If you’re not used to cooking with dried chiles, you may find their earthy taste a little bitter. The tomatoes should help with that, but you may also find that the sauce needs more salt. Add it in gradually and taste after each addition to make sure you don’t accidentally over-salt.
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Camarones a la Diabla
Ingredients
- 8 guajillo chiles, rinsed, stems and seeds removed
- 3 árbol chiles, rinsed, stems removed
- 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 medium white onion, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1.5 pounds large raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and tail-on
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium bowl or saucepan, add dried guajillo and arbol chiles. Add very hot or boiling water until chiles are fully submerged. Cover with a lid or large plate and let sit for 15 minutes, until chiles have softened.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the softened chiles to a large blender. Add the tomatoes, garlic, onion and salt. Puree until completely smooth. Taste and season with more salt, if necessary. If the sauce is too spicy, add more tomatoes.
- Heat a large saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and shrimp. Cook shrimp for 1 minute per side, or until shrimp is light pink.
- Add the red chile sauce to the pan or skillet and mix together to coat the shrimp. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and hot.
- Remove the pan or skillet from the heat and serve alone as an appetizer or with Authentic Mexican Rice as a meal.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Just made this and my husband said it was amazing!!! Added a bit of chicken bouillon and sautéed the sauce with a bit of oil before adding it got the shrimp!!
Thanks for making me look so good!
Hi Fabi! That sounds delicious, thanks for sharing your tip! We’re glad you enjoyed this recipe.
this recipe is great. i did add more arbol chilis and a little bit of chicken bouillon and instead of just oil i also added butter. oh and sugar i think is a good add in ingredient but that is just my opinion. with some spanish rice on the side omg this recipe hit the spot
Hi Jackie! That sounds delicious, thanks so much for sharing!
I tried this tonight and was very good recipe. I roasted the tomatoes before I put them in the blender and I let the sauce simmer for a bit and then added the shrimp in. Next time I will add a couple more chili de árbol to make a little spicier and try adding onions and mushrooms to it and make a side of beans and rice. I liked the recipe so much that I no longer will go out to eat camarones a la diabla.
Thank you, Kassey!
This “Camarones A La Diabla” look so delicious, since I do my grocery shopping today I will be picking the ingredients for this recipe along with five other recipes. Everything, looks so mouth watering delicious. I can’t wait!I LOVE cooking home made meals & desserts for my little family. I’m always looking for recipes I know my family will enjoy. I look forward to trying many of your dishes, thank you.
Hi Cheyenne! Thank you, let us knowhow it turns out!
This recipe was okay, but not great. I’m wondering if there is a step that was missing such as cook/simmer the sauce for 5 min or so before adding it to the shrimp. I followed the recipe as is and found the sauce to be somewhat “raw”, I think it would have benefited from a few minutes cooking with oil prior to use (also, the suggestion to use olive oil seems a bit odd; olive oil is probably not traditional for shrimp a la diabla, and the more neutral taste of other veg oils would be preferable to olive oil, in my opinion). I guess I just don’t get this recipe.
Hi Alan! Thank you for the feedback. We will consider this when moving forward.
Delicious
The flavor is great. I like the earthy taste. It is not near as spicy as I am accustomed to eating so I will adjust the peppers accordingly. Overall a great base that everyone can adjust to their tastes.
Got a real recipe for chicharron en salsa verde??
Hi Jaime! At the moment, Isabel does not but I’ll be sure to mention it to her!
Hi
i love Pulpo a la Diabla would you by chance have the Recipe for
cooking Pulpo. that is what i always order in Mexico when they have it.
Would so much appreciate .
Thank you Edith Chandler
Hi Edith! Isabel doesn’t have a recipe for pulpo a la diabla but I’ll be sure to add it to her recipe list!
Easy and DELICIOUS!! Thanks for the recipe.