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Camarones a la Diabla are juicy, large shrimp smothered in a bright red chile sauce that’s spicy, deeply flavorful, and so delicious. Also called diablo shrimp or Mexican deviled shrimp, the whole thing comes together in about 30 minutes.
Camarones a la diabla was one of the first Mexican seafood dishes that really won me over. Which is funny, because I didn’t grow up eating much seafood at all.
My parents are from a landlocked part of Mexico, and I grew up in Oklahoma City, which is also about as far from the ocean as you can get. Fresh seafood just wasn’t really on the table.
So Mexican seafood is something I came to as an adult, and I’ve had so much fun learning how it’s cooked by following folks like Rick Bayless and Pati Jinich. Shrimp was my starting point because it’s quick and pretty hard to mess up, and this was one of the first dishes that made me fall for it.
What makes camarones a la diabla so good is all in the sauce. It gets its color and flavor from guajillo and chile de árbol peppers blended with ripe Roma tomatoes. It’s spicy, yes, but not the kind of spicy that wrecks you, and it’s easy to dial up or down to your taste.
I like to serve it over Mexican rice with warm flour tortillas to catch every bit of that sauce.
How to Make Camarones a la Diabla
- Soak stemmed and seeded guajillo and árbol chiles 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 a lid or a large plate to help retain 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
- Spice level: 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.
- Salt: 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Spicy, but not painful. Most of the heat comes from the chile de árbol, so you’re in control. Soak all the chiles like the recipe says, but only blend in one árbol to start, then taste and add more until it’s where you want it. The Roma tomatoes mellow things out too.
Fresh Roma tomatoes are what I use and I think they taste best here. If all you have is canned, about half a cup of crushed tomatoes works in a pinch.
Guajillo and chile de árbol are the traditional combo and what I’d stick with. If you want more depth, you can swap one or two of the guajillos for ancho or pasilla chiles. They’re milder and a little sweeter, so they round out the sauce without adding heat.
Large or jumbo shrimp are ideal since they stay juicy, but medium works fine. Fresh or frozen is fine too. Just thaw frozen shrimp fully and pat them dry before cooking so they sear instead of steam.
Camarones a la Diabla
Ingredients
- 8 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 3 árbol chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 3 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
- ½ medium white onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1.5 pounds large raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tail-on
Instructions
- Add the chiles to a small pot and cover them with water until they're completely submerged. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then remove it from the heat, cover, and let the chiles soak for 10 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the softened chiles to a large blender. Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and salt. Puree until completely smooth. Taste and season with more salt, if necessary. If the sauce is too spicy, add more tomatoes.
- Heat the oil in a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook for 1 minute per side, or until shrimp is light pink.
- Pour in the blended red chile sauce and mix together to coat the shrimp. Reduce 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 Mexican Rice as a meal.
Video
Notes
- Spice level: Want it milder? Soak all the chiles but blend in just one chile de árbol to start, then taste and add more. If it’s still too hot, blend in an extra Roma tomato to mellow it out.
- Chile swap: No guajillos? Swap one or two for ancho or pasilla chiles. They’re milder and slightly sweet, so the sauce stays rich without extra heat.
- Shrimp tip: Frozen shrimp work great. Just thaw fully and pat dry before searing so they brown instead of steam.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This post was originally published in September 2018 and has been updated with more helpful information and recipe tips!
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.