Devilled Shrimp (Camarones a la Diabla)
Plump, juicy shrimp bathed in a fiery red sauce of toasted dried chiles, garlic and tomato, served over white rice to soak up every drop. Bold, smoky-hot and deeply satisfying.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Season the shrimp
Pat the shrimp completely dry with paper towels, then toss them with the salt and lime juice in a bowl. Set aside while you make the sauce; drying them well now is what lets them sear instead of steam later.
- 800 g shrimp
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 lime, juiced lime juice
✅ Done when: shrimp are dry and evenly coated with salt and lime
Toast and soak the chiles
Heat a dry skillet or griddle over medium heat and toast the guajillo and de árbol chiles for 30–60 seconds per side, pressing them flat, until fragrant and slightly darker but not blackened (burnt chiles taste bitter). Transfer to a bowl, cover with the 500 ml hot water and soak for 10 minutes until soft, then reserve 250 ml of the 500 ml soaking liquid for the sauce.
- 6 guajillo chiles
- 4–6
- 500 ml hot water
✅ Done when: chiles are fragrant, pliable and slightly darker
Blend the sauce
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Cook the sauce
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Sear the shrimp
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Finish together
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Serve
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Season the shrimp
Pat the shrimp completely dry with paper towels, then toss them with the salt and lime juice in a bowl. Set aside while you make the sauce; drying them well now is what lets them sear instead of steam later.
- 800 g shrimp
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 lime, juiced lime juice
✅ Done when: shrimp are dry and evenly coated with salt and lime
Toast and soak the chiles
Heat a dry skillet or griddle over medium heat and toast the guajillo and de árbol chiles for 30–60 seconds per side, pressing them flat, until fragrant and slightly darker but not blackened (burnt chiles taste bitter). Transfer to a bowl, cover with the 500 ml hot water and soak for 10 minutes until soft, then reserve 250 ml of the 500 ml soaking liquid for the sauce.
- 6 guajillo chiles
- 4–6
- 500 ml hot water
✅ Done when: chiles are fragrant, pliable and slightly darker
Blend the sauce
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Cook the sauce
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Sear the shrimp
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Finish together
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Camarones a la diabla belongs to the big family of Mexican seafood cooked in dried chile sauces, a style born in the mariscerías (seafood restaurants) that line Mexico's coasts from Mazatlán and Guaymas to Veracruz. The name 'a la diabla' simply means 'devilled,' a nod to the heat of the chiles rather than any specific chile.
Every coastal town has its own version, built on whichever dried chiles are most common locally, but guajillo for colour and body, with árbol or chipotle for heat, is the most widespread combination.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It turns humble shrimp into a showstopper, with a glossy, fiery sauce rich enough to make rice the perfect side rather than an afterthought.
💡 Fun Fact
The 'diabla' name is used across Mexican cooking for any dish drenched in a hot red chile sauce, from shrimp to wings.
Coastal Mexico (Pacific coast and Gulf states)
23.25°N, -106.41°W
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