Camarones a la Cucaracha are succulent fried shelled shrimp coated in a spicy sauce. A recipe that will quickly become a weekly favorite! Serve as an appetizer or on top of white rice.

Camarones a la Cucaracha (Spicy Fried Shrimps) served on a white platter with lime wedges.

Some Latin recipes, have strange titles, like this one.

The name of this recipe literally translates to shrimps a la roach! Yuck!

Where do they come up with these names?!

Although the title may make you instantly want to exit this recipe post, please don’t!

I promise, there are no grotesque bugs in this scrumptious recipe!

Name aside, anyone who has ever tasted this recipe has never allowed the title to stop them from enjoying it!

What are Camarones a la Cucaracha?

These extra-large shrimps are quickly fried in their shell to crispy perfection and then tossed with a yummy spicy sauce.

They’re excellent as an appetizer or served on top of white rice.

It’s also a recipe that’s very adaptable to one’s spice level. So if you like less spice or prefer your shrimp extra spicy, you can adjust it to your liking.

How to Eat

Because the shrimp are cooked and fried with their shells, the shells become deliciously crispy allowing you to eat them whole.

Plus most of the flavor is actually on the shells!

So don’t be afraid to eat a few with the shells on! Bite through the body with the shell on and discard the tails. YUMMY!

You’ll be surprised how tasty they are!

Serving as an Appetizer

To make these as an appetizer, I prefer to use extra large or colossal shrimp.

The bigger the better!

Extra large succulent plump shrimp inside a crispy tasty shell just makes for a better appetizer.

Serve shrimps in a bowl or platter with lime wedges and a few toothpicks on the side.

Serving as a Main Dish

To serve these as a main dish, you can use smaller-sized shrimp. Large or extra-large shrimps work perfectly.

Top on white rice or arroz blanco.

White rice doesn’t have a complex flavor allowing the sauce from the shrimps to really shine through and coat the rice evenly.

Cilantro lime rice works great too!

Ingredients

extra large shrimps deveined with shells
onions
garlic
lemon pepper
paprika
lemon or lime juice
limes
butter
oil plus more for frying
cayenne pepper
hot sauce
salt

Instructions

Rinse the shrimps under cool water and drain in a colander.
Pat shrimps with paper towels to dry.
Sprinkle shrimps with salt to taste.
Fill a large skillet with about an inch of oil and heat over medium heat.
When oil is heated through, add the shrimps and cook until golden and crispy. About 5 minutes in total.
Line a plate with paper towels and drain excess oil from the shrimps.

Heat another skillet over medium heat and add butter plus 2 tablespoons oil.
When the butter has melted, add the onions. Cook until onions are slightly translucent.
Add the garlic and stir the ingredients. Cook for one minute.

Add the paprika, lemon pepper and cayenne pepper to the pan and stir.
Add the hot sauce and lemon juice. Stir. Lower heat and cook for 3 minutes.

Add the cooked shrimps and stir everything together, making sure to coat all the shrimps well.
Dish is done! Serve with lime wedges.

Can I Use Frozen Shrimps to Make this Recipe?

Absolutely! Simply buy shrimp that have already been deveined but have not been de-shelled.

What if I Cannot Find Shrimps with Shells?

Although this recipe calls for shelled shrimps, if you cannot find any in your local fish market or grocery store, you can still make this recipe.

Buy the deshelled shrimps and skip the frying part of the recipe instructions. When it’s time to add the shrimp to the skillet, simply saute them for a few minutes to cook through.

However, if you have the opportunity to make these as they are traditionally meant to be eaten, do not skip the opportunity! These are just delicious!