Pepper Shrimp — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Tiny pink shrimp cooked in their shells with an intense Scotch bonnet pepper sauce, a legendary roadside snack from Middle Quarters.

Ingredients

1 Clean shrimp but leave shells on for maximum flavor. The shells crisp up during cooking and are eaten along with the shrimp.
2 Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add garlic and scallion, cooking for thirty seconds until fragrant.
3 Add chopped Scotch bonnet peppers and allspice. Stir-fry for one minute, letting the peppers release their fiery oils.
4 Add shrimp to the pan in a single layer. Cook without stirring for two minutes until shells turn pink on one side.
5 Flip shrimp, add vinegar and salt. Cook another two minutes until shrimp are fully pink and coated in pepper sauce.
6 Serve hot in paper bags or small bowls. Eat the whole shrimp, shell and all, as is traditional in Middle Quarters.

Did You Know?

At Middle Quarters in St. Elizabeth parish, vendors line the road selling pepper shrimp through car windows to passing motorists.