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Created by Chef Remy
Plump Gulf shrimp seasoned with bold Cajun spices, wrapped in smoky bacon, and lacquered with a buttery brown sugar glaze that caramelizes into sticky, sweet-heat perfection your guests will fight over.
Sweet and heat belong together. That's the bayou way. When you wrap a fat Gulf shrimp in bacon, season it proper, and glaze it with brown sugar and butter, you get something that disappears from the platter before you can set it down. I've watched it happen at Lagniappe a hundred times.
The trick is building flavor at every step. You season the shrimp before the bacon goes on. You brush the glaze while they're hot so it clings and caramelizes. You hit them with a blast of high heat at the end to get that sticky, lacquered finish that makes people close their eyes when they bite in. Timid seasoning has no place here.
My grandmother Evangeline would make something like this for Christmas Eve, back when the whole family crowded into her little kitchen in Lafayette Parish. She used whatever shrimp the cousins brought in that morning, wrapped them in bacon from the smokehouse, and cooked them in her cast iron. The smell would fill the whole house. That's the feeling you're after: abundance, warmth, people reaching for just one more.
Quantity
24 (about 1 1/4 pounds)
peeled and deveined, tails on
Quantity
12 slices
halved crosswise
Quantity
2 tablespoons, divided
Quantity
1/2 cup
packed
Quantity
4 tablespoons
melted
Quantity
3 cloves
minced fine
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
freshly cracked
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
Quantity
2 tablespoons
chopped
Quantity
1
cut into wedges
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| large Gulf shrimppeeled and deveined, tails on | 24 (about 1 1/4 pounds) |
| thin-cut baconhalved crosswise | 12 slices |
| Cajun seasoning | 2 tablespoons, divided |
| dark brown sugarpacked | 1/2 cup |
| unsalted buttermelted | 4 tablespoons |
| garlicminced fine | 3 cloves |
| cayenne pepper | 1/2 teaspoon |
| black pepperfreshly cracked | 1/2 teaspoon |
| kosher salt | 1/2 teaspoon |
| fresh parsleychopped | 2 tablespoons |
| lemon (optional)cut into wedges | 1 |
Pat the shrimp completely dry with paper towels. Wet shrimp will not take seasoning properly. Spread them on a sheet pan and sprinkle with one tablespoon of the Cajun seasoning, the salt, and the black pepper. Toss with your hands to coat every surface. This is your first layer of flavor, and it matters. Let them sit while you prepare everything else, at least ten minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, minced garlic, remaining tablespoon of Cajun seasoning, and cayenne pepper until smooth. The mixture should be thick but pourable, like warm honey. Taste it. You want sweet first, then heat that builds at the back of your throat. Adjust the cayenne if you want more kick.
Take a half-slice of bacon and wrap it around each shrimp in a spiral, starting just below the tail and winding toward the head end. The bacon should overlap slightly but not bunch up. Stretch the bacon gently as you wrap; it shrinks when it cooks and you want full coverage. Tuck the end underneath or secure with a toothpick if needed.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup, then set a wire rack on top. Arrange the wrapped shrimp on the rack in a single layer, leaving space between each one. The rack keeps them elevated so the bacon crisps on all sides instead of sitting in rendered fat.
Brush each wrapped shrimp generously with the brown sugar glaze. Do not be shy. You want a thick, glossy coating that will caramelize in the heat. Reserve about a third of the glaze for a second application. The glaze will drip through the rack and that is fine.
Slide the pan into the oven and bake for twelve to fifteen minutes. The bacon should be cooked through and starting to crisp, the shrimp pink and curled. The glaze will bubble and begin to darken at the edges. Do not walk away during the last few minutes. Sugar burns fast.
Switch your oven to broil and position the rack about six inches from the heat. Brush the shrimp with the remaining glaze and broil for two to three minutes, watching constantly. You want the glaze to caramelize into a sticky lacquer and the bacon to get dark and crispy at the edges. The moment you see the sugar starting to blacken, pull them out.
Let the shrimp rest on the rack for two minutes. The glaze will set slightly and become less likely to burn eager fingers. Transfer to a serving platter, scatter the fresh parsley over the top, and arrange lemon wedges on the side. Serve immediately while the bacon is still crackling.
1 serving (about 85g)
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