One of my favorite things to serve on New Year’s Eve are these Sweet & Spicy Bacon Wrapped Shrimp.
Strips of bacon nestled around extra large shrimp and flavored with a simple, yet delicious glaze that is both sweet and a little bit spicy, all at the same time.
It is a great appetizer to serve when cold drinks are being enjoyed by your guests! Not to mention, that they are easy to eat because they do not require any utensils. Just another reason that they are the perfect party appetizer!
Sweet & Spicy Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
INGREDIENTS
- Bacon
- Extra-large shrimp
- Pure maple syrup
- Sriracha sauce
Optional Garnish Ingredients
- Lemon or Lime wedges
MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS
1. Bacon
- For this recipe, use bacon strips that are thinly sliced. If you use a thicker cut of bacon, the shrimp flavor will get lost. In addition, it would be difficult to make sure that the inside of the bacon was fully cooked if it was too thick.
- Also, be sure to purchase bacon that is not flavored. There are many types of bacon that you can buy including hickory smoked, maple, cajun and of course black pepper bacon.
- We will be making our own glaze to go on the bacon, so it is best to buy the original, non-flavored variety.
2. Extra-Large Shrimp
Because the shrimp is supposed to be the star of this sweet and spicy bacon wrapped shrimp recipe, be sure to purchase shrimp that are extra-large in size. You will most likely need a little less than a pound of raw shrimp to make sure you have enough to make 20.
However, you can also purchase frozen shrimp if you prefer. Just look on the bag to make sure that they are labeled extra-large or have a count listed as 26-30.
You see, shrimp is commonly sold by the count. This simply means that there are a certain number of shrimp included per pound.
Although the number is a range, you can expect to find anywhere between 26 to 30 extra-large shrimp in a one pound bag.
The other thing to consider before buying the shrimp is that it will need to have the shell and vein removed. You can often find peeled and deveined shrimp either in the butcher case or the freezer section at the grocery store.
Otherwise you will need to remove the shell and devein the shrimp before proceeding with the recipe.
Don’t worry if the tails are left on. You can make this sweet and spicy bacon wrapped shrimp with or without the tails.
3. Pure Maple Syrup
Be sure to use pure maple syrup, not the store-bought pancake syrup that sold in those tall, plastic bottles at the grocery store.
Pancake syrup contains a lot of additives and is much thicker than pure maple syrup. You can find pure maple syrup at most retail grocery stores and at almost all natural grocery stores.
They will typically be sold in hard plastic jugs in various sizes. Yes, it costs much more, but the flavor is well worth it!
4. Sriracha Sauce
I don’t know where I would be without Sriracha sauce. And I wish that I would have found this condiment many years ago.
It provides not only a little spiciness to your appetizer, but also a lot of flavor. And when coupled with the sweetness of the honey and the saltiness of the bacon, the Sriracha gives just a hint of heat.
However, feel free to decrease the amount if you don’t like any heat at all. But by all means, don’t leave it out completely.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
The first step in making this Sweet and Spicy Bacon Wrapped Shrimp is to preheat the oven. Then line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
Then count out 20 toothpicks and soak them in cold water. Fill a bowl or cup with cold water and place the toothpicks in the water.
The toothpicks will float in the water and this is completely okay. As long as they have a little time to soak, while you prepare the bacon, that is all that matters.
Place bacon slices, in a single layer, onto the foil lined baking sheet. Place the pan in the oven, and then bake about 10 minutes or until the bacon is about half cooked.
Take the pan out of the oven and transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess fat. Discard any fat on the baking sheet by draining or patting it clean with paper towels.
However, be sure to leave the used foil on the baking sheet. You will use this to finish cooking the bacon when it is wrapped around the shrimp. Set the baking sheet aside.
Make The Glaze
Now it is time to make the glaze. Add maple syrup and then the Sriracha sauce in a small bowl and mix until combined. Set aside while you prepare the bacon wrapped shrimp.
When the bacon is cool enough to handle, cut each piece in half, making a total of 20 short pieces of bacon. Use a pastry brush to brush both sides of the partially cooked bacon with the honey and Sriracha glaze.
Wrap each shrimp with a piece of the cut bacon and use one of the soaked toothpicks to secure the end. You can pierce the toothpick completely through the other side of the shrimp or just into the middle.
Place each bacon wrapped shrimp onto the baking sheet, then brush any remaining sweet and spicy glaze over both the bacon and shrimp.
Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes. Turn the oven to broil, and then broil, with the pan positioned on the same oven rack as it was for baking, for 4-6 minutes.
Be sure to flip the shrimp over after 2-3 minutes or when the bacon starts to become brown and crispy.
Serve warm or at room temperature with lemon or lime wedges.
Other Delicious Shrimp Appetizer Recipes
Enjoy! Mary
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Sweet & Spicy Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
Shrimp wrapped in bacon and then coated with a sweet and spicy glaze for a delicious appetizer for any occasion.
Ingredients
- 10 bacon strips, thin sliced
- 20 extra-large shrimp, approximately 3/4 pound
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
Garnish
- Lemon or lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Soak 20 toothpicks in cold water.
- Place bacon slices, in one layer, onto the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven, and then bake about 10 minutes or until the bacon is about half cooked. Take the pan out of the oven and transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess fat. Discard any fat on the baking sheet but leave the foil on the baking sheet. Set aside.
- Add maple syrup and Sriracha in a small bowl and mix until combined. Set aside.
- When the bacon is cool enough to handle, cut each piece in half, making a total of 20 short pieces of bacon. Use a pastry brush to brush both sides of the partially cooked bacon with the glaze.
- Wrap each shrimp with a piece of the cut bacon and use one of the soaked toothpicks to secure the end.
- Place each bacon wrapped shrimp onto the baking sheet. Then brush any remaining glaze over the bacon and shrimp.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes. Turn the oven to broil, and then broil (with the pan positioned on the same oven rack) for 4-6 minutes, flipping after 2-3 minutes or when the bacon starts to become crispy.