A flavorful Guatemalan seafood recipe that has that sweet hot thing going on! Shrimp and tender sweet bay scallops swimming in a sensuous, lightly sweet pineapple tomato sauce with plenty of onion, garlic, peppers and delightful south-of-the-border seasonings. You can fire up the sauce or tone it down to your own liking.
Another plus: because shrimp and tiny bay scallops cook so quickly, you can throw this restaurant-quality dish together in no time. In just one pan.
I copycatted this recipe from a local Guatemalan restaurant named Jacky’s. They make sensational seafood dishes. Well, actually, all of their food is amazing. They’re so popular that they’ve expanded to multiple locations now. But the original downtown location is still the best. I’ve tried one of their other locations and was sadly disappointed. So I always go back to where it all started.
When we go to Jacky’s, I always have a hard time deciding what to order. But I think my favorite dish on the menu is Shrimp Diablo. The menu mentions pineapple juice in the spicy sweet sauce, but little other than that. I knew it had to have onions, garlic and tomatoes. So I guessed sweet peppers should come into play. Also, I threw in some Mexican oregano and cumin. Then added smoked paprika and NM green chile powder. Since I’ve seen chipotles in other “shrimp diablo” recipes, I really meant to use chipotle powder. But I get distracted when we have visitors. In spite of that, it turned out quite stellar, so I’d say you could use either one.
My Taste Testers LOVED this Recipe!
I served this to my parents for lunch when they came down to visit. My mom doesn’t like things too spicy, so I toned down the heat a LOT for her. But I still included enough hot pepper so it tingles on your tongue. Mom claimed she wasn’t hungry, but she tried it anyway. And then surprised us when she took seconds because she said it was SO good. She asked if she could find the recipe on my blog. Which I think means I better get busy and blog it!
My dad devoured it as well. He’s always hungry, so I wasn’t surprised to see him take seconds either. I was happy there was just enough left after the three of us chowed for a photo session. Not that I would have really minded making this all over again … I am so enthralled with this dish! I’m super excited that I can now make it at home.
I have to mention that the colorful tasseled placemat I’ve used for the photos was a gift from my mom. When she first gave it to me, I wondered how I would use it. But it’s just the right colorful backdrop for everything Mexican (and Guatamalan). I use it ALL the time and think of my mom every single time. Thanks mom. I love you SOOOOO much!
What to Serve with Shrimp & Scallops Diablo?
I served this simply with brown rice and avocado. It felt like that was all that was needed. Of course, you could add any of the traditional Mexican sides. Refried beans and Mexican rice definitely complement these flavors. You could scoop it into flour or corn tortillas as well. If I recall correctly, that’s how Jacky’s serves theirs. With rice and beans, of course.
Although I don’t think they’d do this in Guatemala, I do think you could also toss this yumminess with pasta or zoodles. Or on a bed of cauliflower polenta. I also saw a Shrimp Diablo recipe that served the shrimp on a bed of sauteed zucchini and corn. That sounds marvelous too.
If you want to focus on shrimp as all the Shrimp Diablo recipes do, just use shrimp in place of bay scallops in this recipe. That is what Jacky’s does. They use larger shrimp too. I tend to buy the medium shrimp as they are more affordable. I really like adding the little bay scallops, though. When cooked right, they are just superb!
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Shrimp & Bay Scallops Diablo
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 30 min
- Yield: 2 – 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Guatamalan
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1/2 Tablespoon avocado or olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion, peeled & sliced thin
- 3 – 4 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice
- 3 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 – 1 1/2 cups thin sliced mixed red, yellow and green bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
- Chipotle or hot green chile powder, to taste
- Red Robin Seasoning or salt, to taste
- About 1/2 lb. frozen peeled shrimp
- About 1/2 lb. frozen small bay scallops
Instructions
- Heat a large frying pan or wok over medium heat. Add the oil and use a flexible silicon spatula to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are soft & translucent.
- Sir in the pineapple juice, tomato sauce and tomato sauce and paste along with the peppers. Cook for a few more minutes until the peppers are tender. Stir in the seasonings and fish sauce.
- Make a well in the center and add the shrimp. Cook for just a few minutes. Once the shrimp look like they’re about half cooked, add in the bay scallops, stir and cook the shrimp & scallops just until the shrimp are pink and curled and the scallops are cooked through. Watch carefully … this will happen VERY quickly! (If you cook them too long, the shrimp and scallops will get rubbery.)
- Remove from heat, taste and stir in Red Robin Seasoning (or salt) and powdered chipotle (or green chile powder) to taste. Serve hot with rice and avocado (or see blog post for other side suggestions). Enjoy!
Notes
RECIPE SOURCE: Sumptuous Spoonfuls – https://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/ … © Copyright 2022, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.
Keywords: Shrimp, Scallops, Seafood, Guatamala, Gluten Free, Heart Healthy, Diabetic
