INGREDIENTS:

  • 20 Each 16/20 Shrimp (peeled and deveined)
  • 1 oz vol Canola Oil
  • 1 TBL + 5 tsp Green Onions, chopped
  • 2 oz volume Dry White Wine
  • 1 tsp Fresh Chopped Garlic
  • 4 TBL Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 tsp Tabasco Sauce
  • ½ tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • ½ tsp Paprika
  • 8 oz weight Butter, salted

PROCESS:

  1. Wash shrimp under water and then peel the shells and discard. Deveined the shrimp with a paring knife and then wash under water. Repeat until all shrimp are done, place on a sheet tray and place in the refrigerator.
  2. Place a large cast iron skillet on a burner and heat over high heat. Add oil and cook shrimp until they are just done, you may have to do these in batches if you do not have large skillet. Remove shrimp and set aside.
  3. Add green onions and cook for 1 minute.
  4. Add white wine and reduce the volume by half. (Any good dry white wine will work)
  5. When the wine is reduced by half; measure and add the chopped garlic, Worcestershire, Tabasco, Cayenne Pepper and Paprika. Shake the pan well. Cook for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low.
  6. Cut butter into small chunks with the knife and slowly add into pan, shaking fast to melt butter.
  7. Continue to add butter until it all added and shake until butter is melted. Add shrimp back to pan and toss well to coat shrimp with butter and to heat the shrimp.

TO PLATE:

  1. Place 5 shrimp on small serving plates with a deep edge and ladle barbecued butter over the top over the shrimp. Repeat with the other shrimp and sprinkle each plate with 1 tsp of chopped green onions, serve right away.

NOTE: For chopped garlic peel fresh garlic cloves and rough chop with a chef knife. For green onions, wash green onions under water shake off and cut with a chef knife into 1/16” cuts, using the green part only.

If you’d like to see more of Ruth’s signature recipes, visit our Ruth’s Recipes page.

Barbecued Shrimp Recipe FAQs

Get tips and answers for making Ruth’s Chris New Orleans-style Barbecued Shrimp at home.

Ruth’s Chris Barbecued Shrimp is a New Orleans-style appetizer. Jumbo shrimp are seared in a hot cast iron skillet, then tossed in a rich butter sauce made with dry white wine, garlic, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, a pinch of cayenne pepper and paprika. It’s served hot, five shrimp per plate, with plenty of sauce.

In New Orleans, “barbecued shrimp” means shrimp cooked in a slightly spicy, peppery butter sauce, not shrimp cooked on a grill or coated in barbecue sauce. The name comes from the sauce’s deep reddish-brown color and bold flavor. Ruth’s Chris was founded in New Orleans, and this recipe follows that local tradition.

Use 16/20 count shrimp, which means 16 to 20 shrimp per pound. This jumbo size stays juicy in a hot skillet and is big enough to hold plenty of butter sauce. The recipe calls for 20 shrimp, or about 1 to 1¼ pounds, peeled and deveined.

The recipe makes 20 jumbo shrimp, which serves 4 people as an appetizer at 5 shrimp per plate. To serve it as a main course, plan on 8 to 10 shrimp per person and serve it with rice or crusty bread.

Plan on about 30 minutes from start to finish: roughly 15 minutes to peel, devein and chop ingredients, and about 15 minutes of cooking. The shrimp cook quickly over high heat, and the sauce comes together in minutes once the wine is reduced.

A cast iron skillet is recommended because it holds high heat and gives the shrimp a good sear. A heavy stainless steel skillet works too. Avoid crowding the pan; cook the shrimp in batches if needed so they sear instead of steam.

Use a dry white wine you would enjoy drinking, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Avoid sweet wines, which can make the sauce taste off. If you’d rather not cook with wine, substitute an equal amount of seafood or chicken stock with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Turn the heat to low before adding the butter. Cut the butter into chunks and add it a few pieces at a time while shaking the pan so it melts slowly and blends into the sauce. Don’t let the sauce boil, and serve right away for the creamiest texture.

It has a slight, peppery kick from cayenne pepper, Tabasco sauce and Worcestershire sauce, balanced by a generous amount of butter. For milder shrimp, cut the cayenne and Tabasco in half. For more heat, add a pinch more cayenne at the end.

Serve barbecued shrimp with warm, crusty French bread to soak up the butter sauce. It makes a classic starter before a steak dinner and also pairs well with a crisp green salad, white rice or a glass of dry white wine.

Barbecued shrimp tastes best served right away. You can peel and devein the shrimp and chop the green onions and garlic several hours ahead and keep them refrigerated. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and reheat gently over low heat.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House has locations in Alpharetta, Atlanta (Buckhead and Downtown), Kennesaw, Birmingham, Huntsville, Columbia, Greenville, Myrtle Beach and Chattanooga. Visit our Locations page to find the restaurant closest to you or book a table online via Open Table.