This sweet and spicy shrimp appetiser seasoned with paprika with a chilli kick to it. This appetiser will literally blow your guests away with fingerlicking flavour.
Did somebody say sweet chili shrimp? Oh yes indeed, it's about to get hot in here, so hot your mind will blow away. Okay I'm exaggerating but you get the idea of what I mean.
The clue is in the recipe name which is indicative to HEAT - that's a favourite culinary style of cooking in the Caribbean.
If it's hot and fiery Island people instantly gravitate towards the recipe, in other words they immediately become intrigued.
Although this is not a Caribbean recipe, I feel the level of heat is certainly on parity to the tropics.
I know not everyone is a fan of hot food and that's okay because there are so many ways to control the level of heat to suit your preference so please do not be deterred because the recipe denotes spiciness.
As part of this recipe I used a small amount of chilli flakes for heat. Let's be clear on something here, the amount of chilli flakes used will determine how hot the recipe will be.
If you want something extremely hot then up to 2 teaspoons, however a ¼ - ½ teaspoon will give the recipe a slight fiery kick.
Being a Island girl I like a bit of spice in my life but not too much, so no more than 1 teaspoon worth of chilli flakes. You don't need to prepare the rub for the shrimp overnight, instead you can do the prep work as you go along and simply toss the shrimp into the pan during the final stages of cooking
I usually make this recipe on a whim, for some reason I find this to be a spur of the moment recipe that's seemingly a hit at least according to my loved ones.
How to make sweet chilli shrimp
Saute the bell peppers in oil then add the rest of the ingredients excluding the shrimp
Add the shrimp, stir, place the lid on, switch the valve and pressure on high for 5 minutes
Instant pot version
- Switch the instant pot on and then select the "saute" twice to adjust to normal (leave the timer on 30 because we can simply cancel once sauteing is done)
- Wait for the pot to say "hot" then add your oil along with the peppers and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add the rest of the spices, water, coconut nectar and continue to cook and stir for another 1 minute
- Finally stir in the shrimp
- Press "cancel" then select "pressure cook" mode on "high level" for 5 minutes
- Make sure the valve to pushed up towards "sealing"
- Once the shrimp has cooked then do a quick release by turning the pressure switch to "venting" so the steam releases very fast.
- Remove the lid and serve
Notes and tips
- If you can't source mixed herbs simply use a combination of parsley, majoram and thyme
- Omit or use no chili flakes if you do not like spiciness
- Don't forgot to use additional ¼ cup of water to steam the bell peppers
- For the stove version, a non stick frying pan is highly recommended so nothing sticks or burns
- Serve the shrimp immediately and do not re-heat as the texture will likely become rubbery
- Only add the shrimp if you plan to eat the dish straight away or prep the other steps ahead of time ready for the shrimp
- Cooked shrimp takes 2-3 minutes in the pan to heat through, do not over heat them!!
- Use raw shrimp if you are doing the instant pot version instead
Serving suggestions
**Don't forget to comment below and star rate if you have tried my recipes. Let's be friends and engage on Facebook and Instagram I also like to pin on Pinterest, where you can find more amazing recipes.**

Sweet Chilli Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 lb uncooked shrimp deveined
- 1 yellow bell pepper sliced
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic granules or powder
- 1 teaspoon onion flakes or powder
- ½ tablespoon mixed herbs or ¼ teaspoon of parsley/1/4 teaspoon thyme and ⅛ teaspoon marjoram
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon of chilli flakes
- ½ himalayan pink salt
- 3 tablespoon of coconut nectar can use agave, maple syrup
- 1 cup of water 250ml
- **coconut oil or olive oil 2tbsp
Instructions
- Place the devained shrimp in a medium sized bowl and set aside
- Melt approximately 2 tablespoons of coconut/olive in a frying pan on low-medium heat
- Proceed to bell peppers then add a splash of water (approx ¼ cup) to the skillet.
- Cover the skillet and allow the peppers completely soften by steaming for 5 minutes.
- Once steamed add stir in the water, nectar and all of the herbs and spices.
- Let the sauce naturally thicken somewhat, this should take 3-4 minutes
- Add the raw shrimp to the pan and proceed to cook until they turn pink
Notes
- If you can't source mixed herbs simply use a combination of parsley, majoram and thyme
- Omit or use no chili flakes if you do not like spiciness
- Don't forgot to use additional ¼ cup of water to steam the bell peppers
- For the stove version, a non stick frying pan is highly recommended so nothing sticks or burns
- Serve the shrimp immediately and do not re-heat as the texture will likely become rubbery
- Only add the shrimp if you plan to eat the dish straight away or prep the other steps ahead of time ready for the shrimp
- Cooked shrimp takes 2-3 minutes in the pan to heat through, do not over heat them!!
- Use raw shrimp if you are doing the instant pot version instead
Mary Mentzer says
well! thanks Charla for nice recipes. It looks so good. Just want to be an island girl like you!
Charla says
Aww, you are more than welcome and thank you for such a wonderful comment.
Amanda Mason says
Looks so amazing and I'm jealous that you are an island girl! I can tell you from my times in Hawaii and in the Caribbean, I love the fresh seafood. It's ridiculously amazing and fresh! What a fantastic dish to make so super fresh! Great job on this one!
Charla says
Thank you Amanda. Yes nothing beats using raw shrimp to make a good seafood dish.
Kim Beaulieu says
This looks absolutely fabulous. Nothing beats a spicy shrimp recipe.
Charla says
Thank you. I certainly agree with you 😉
Noel Lizotte says
Spicy is as spicy does. I like things milder, some of my family like things lots hotter. I think we'll be making shrimp in two batches lol.
Charla says
HAHA ....the great spiciness debate I love it, sounds like my family too. Make it however you see fit, you will LOVE it.
jacquee | i sugar coat it says
LOVE everything about this and your photos are absolutely mouth-watering!
Charla says
Thanks Jacquee
Annemarie @ justalittlebitofbacon says
I love spicy shrimp recipes and this one looks so good! How many chili flakes did you use? I'm not sure where that is in the recipe. Thanks!
Charla says
Thank you. So sorry I used 1/4 tsp of chilli flakes I shall amend the recipe accordingly.