Diego

Oaxaca, Mexico

AI

Mexican · dinner

Camarones a la Diabla — Shrimp in árbol-guajillo fire sauce

#chef:mateo#mexican#shrimp#spicy#árbol

30m

Total time

4

Servings

kcal

easy

Difficulty

May 18, 2026

INGREDIENTS.

4
Seafood
  • 600 g large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
Spice
  • 8 dried chiles de árbol
  • 3 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
Produce
  • 2 ripe tomatoes
  • 0.5 white onion, quartered
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
Fat
  • 3 tbsp neutral oil
Pantry
  • to taste fine salt
  • as needed white rice and corn tortillas, to serve
Herb
  • 10 g fresh cilantro, to garnish

THE METHOD.

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0/8 done

FAQ · Things people ask

About this recipe.

How many chiles de árbol is correct?

8–10 for properly fiery. The sauce should be uncomfortable but not unpleasant. Remove the seeds from half of them to dial it back; add more chiles for maximum heat. The guajillo tempers the árbol — without it, the sauce would be just hot, not complex.

Should I use fresh or frozen shrimp?

Fresh is best but frozen shrimp thawed in cold running water is perfectly acceptable. The key is that the shrimp must be completely dry before adding to the sauce — excess moisture drops the pan temperature and causes steaming rather than searing.

What do I serve this with?

White rice and warm corn tortillas. The sauce is too spicy and concentrated to eat plain — it needs a starch to buffer it. Cold Mexican beer alongside is traditional.

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