This Shrimp Diablo is all about building heat and flavor with almost no effort. The El Pato sauces do the heavy lifting, acting as both marinade and sauce. They’re packed with chili, garlic, and tomato, giving this dish that classic Mexican heat with just enough sweetness to balance it out.

Camarones a la Diabla

This spicy Mexican shrimp recipe is quick, bold, and totally addictive. Shrimp Diablo comes together fast, using El Pato sauces as both marinade and cooking liquid. You’ll get tender shrimp in a smoky, fiery tomato base with peppers and onions adding depth and crunch. Serve it up in tacos, over rice, or on its own with a stack of warm tortillas. It's simple enough for a busy weeknight but packed with flavor that’ll make it feel like a treat. If you’re into bold, spicy shrimp recipes that don’t take forever to cook, this one needs to be on your list.

There’s no long prep or complicated ingredients here. Just marinate the shrimp in El Pato sauce, toss everything into a pan, and cook until the shrimp are pink and the sauce thickens.

Why You'll Love This Dish

Fast And Flavorful – From pan to plate in about 15 minutes.
One-Pan Cooking – Easy cleanup with minimal prep.
Bold Mexican Heat – Uses El Pato sauces for instant flavor.
Customizable Spice – Adjust the heat by adding more jalapeño or hot sauce.
Taco Night Ready – Perfect filling for tortillas, tostadas, or burrito bowls.

More Shrimp Recipes!

Recipe Shopping List

Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here's the list of items you'll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Shrimp – Peeled and deveined. Fresh or thawed frozen shrimp both work well for fast cooking.
El Pato Green Sauce – Tangy, spicy tomato-based sauce with chilies. Acts as both marinade and sauce.
El Pato Yellow Sauce – Slightly richer than the green version. Adds depth and heat to the dish.
Green Bell Pepper – Adds sweetness and crunch that balances the heat.
Yellow Onion – Brings a mild, savory base flavor.
Jalapeño – Optional, but great for adding extra heat and freshness.

Have some Mexican Rice!

How To Make Shrimp Diablo

This is just the overview so you can see what you're actually getting into here. When you are cooking, you'll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.

Marinate The Shrimp – Combine shrimp, sliced vegetables, and both cans of El Pato sauce in a bowl or bag. Refrigerate overnight.
Preheat The Pan – Use a stovetop skillet or grill-safe pan at medium heat.
Cook The Mixture – Pour everything into the pan and bring to a simmer.
Finish Cooking – Let it simmer until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Serve Hot – Spoon into tortillas or serve over rice with your favorite toppings.

Tips For Success

Using two types of El Pato tomato sauce adds a wonderful sauce to these shrimp and makes the dish like something you might have to explore the jungles of the Yucatan to find. It has a bit of heat, but not too much.
You can use any size shrimp you have handy. Depending on the size of the shrimp, you can even choose shrimp with shells. I prefer to remove the shells when I'm going to be serving shrimp NOT as a hand-held appetizer, but there are arguments for the other way too.
If you have access, this would be a great recipe to use with those fresh Spot Prawns that are in season in the Pacific Northwest around this time of year!
Serve with soft tortillas and roll the shrimp up then use any leftover tortillas to mop up the sauce like bread.

More South-of-the-Border Inspired Recipes here!

Recipe FAQ

What's the best size of shrimp to use for this recipe?

Any size of shrimp works, so you may want to base the shrimp choice on how you plan to serve the dish.

For example, if you want to do this as an appetizer, then go with medium-sized shrimp. However, if you plan on serving as an entre then the bigger the better. If you want it to serve as a stew poured over rice, then the smaller ones work just fine.

In terms of fresh, frozen, in shell, or out, all can be adapted to the recipe, no problem. I'd just recommend staying away from the pre-cooked shrimp. In general, you shouldn't re-cook those if you like shrimp because it tends to wreck the texture.

What's the best way to remove the vein from your shrimp?

If you choose to use fresh shrimp, then they may or may not be already deveined. If you have to clean and devein the shrimp first, no problem.

Run a thin blade or the tip of kitchen shears up the back of the shrimp. Let the blade dig in just deep enough to get under the “vein” which is the intestine. You run the blade up the length of the shrimp and it will plow the dark “vein” out.

A little rinse and it is gone. This move also makes it easy to pull the shells off, and it slightly butterflies the shrimp.

If you hate cleaning shrimp, then most of the frozen packages will have already cleaned shrimp so you don’t even have to think twice about it.

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More Mexican-Inspired Recipes

Mexican food satisfies as feel-good comfort food but doesn’t skimp on big bold flavor. It doesn’t require any extraordinary effort to make well, just good old fashioned simple techniques.

Bean Dip – the perfect bean dip for some chips
Blackstone Quesadillas – for an appetizer or a main course, your call
Steak Tacos – the perfect street food style version of the steak taco

Yield: 8 servings

Shrimp Diablo

This easy Shrimp Diablo recipe uses El Pato tomato sauces as both the marinade and cooking sauce, and it makes this dish both simple and delicious.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 pounds shrimp (shells and tails removed)
1 7.75 ounce can El Pato Green
1 7.75 ounce can El Pato Yellow
1 green pepper, sliced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced (optional)

Instructions

Marinate the shrimp and vegetables in the El Pato Green and Yellow sauce overnight.
Cook the sauce and the shrimp together over medium heat on your stovetop, or in a grill-safe pan on your pellet grill at 350°.
Simmer until the shrimp are cooked, which takes about 5 minutes once the mixture is hot.
Remove from heat and serve with tortillas and all of your favorite taco fixings.

Notes

If you like things extra spicy, add a teaspoon of your favorite hot sauce to the marinade.

Easy Shrimp Diablo