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These apple butter bacon wrapped shrimp are the perfect summer appetizer. Extra large shrimp wrapped in bacon and glazed with a sweet and spicy apple butter glaze.
When I was a kid, I used to eat my weight in shrimp.
I would swear off any other seafood {foolishly claiming it all tasted like fish}, but shrimp was my one true love.
Since I was a kid, my favorite way to eat it was fried and dipped in a giant pile of spicy cocktail sauce.
I became open to trying even more shrimp recipes as I got older. It’s great in pasta, on pizza, or just served up cocktail style.
Mmmmm, cocktail shrimp.
And cocktail sauce.
This shrimp recipe takes simple shrimp and turns it into shrimp happiness. {Could I have said the word shrimp anymore in that last sentence?}
I bought super jumbo shrimp, wrapped it in salty bacon, and glazed it with a spicy, sweet apple butter mixture. I think these make a great appetizer, but if you’re hungry, they make a great dinner, too!
Also, when I say jump shrimp, I mean jumbo. I bought six of these bad boys, and it was a pound.
The only downside is that I had to clean and devein them myself. The whole time I was cleaning them, I had David Spade’s voice {from Tommy Boy} going through my head. “Ugh, why do you always have to de-turd these things? Look at this one, caught him after Thanksgiving feast, I think I’m gonna need a pooperscooper.”
It was a total “I should have had the seafood guy do this for me” moment.
The glaze is also worth going gaga over. It combines sweet Musselman’s apple butter, pure maple syrup, spicy red pepper, and smoked paprika.
It’s sweet, spicy, and a little smokey from the paprika.
Oh, and that sprinkle of cilantro? Optional, but not really. It tastes great. Well, if you’re into cilantro.
Apple Butter Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup apple butter
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 6 pieces bacon
- 6 extra-large shrimp or prawns, cleaned and deveined
- Chopped cilantro, for garnish (if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat liner.
- In a medium-sized skillet set over medium heat add apple butter, maple syrup, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and smoked paprika.
- Whisk together and until the mixture is thick and cooked down by half. This should take about 10 minutes, set aside.
- In a large skillet set over medium heat add bacon slices and cook just until browned but still flexible.
- Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Wrap 1 bacon slice around each shrimp, secure with a toothpick, and place onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Once all the shrimp have been wrapped baste the top with the apple butter mixture.
- Add to the oven, bake for 5 minutes, flip and baste the other side. Bake again for another 5 minutes.
- Continue to flip the shrimp and baste (shortening the cooking time between flips so you don’t overcook) until the shrimp is fully cooked and the glaze is sticky and delicious.
- Sprinkle with cilantro (if desired) and enjoy hot.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These look totally amazing! Loving the flavors and that they are JUMBO!