Red Lobster Shrimp Nachos

Red Lobster Shrimp Nachos brings together the cheesy flavors of Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese served over crisp nacho chips and topped with pico de gallo and shrimp. These baked nachos are more than an appetizer — it’s a complete meal!

Red Lobster Shrimp Nachos

When I recreated this dish in my own kitchen I made one significant change. When you order this dish at Red Lobster, it is served with a much smaller shrimp than what I chose to make here. I used a medium-sized shrimp because I wanted a nice big bite of shrimp so this recipe could be served up as a meal, not just an appetizer. The cheese that tops these nachos is thick and creamy and so much better than just a cheddar cheese sauce. So you are in for a real treat with these nachos.

How to Make Red Lobster Shrimp Nachos

When I was playing around with this recipe I tried a couple of things I didn’t put in the final recipe. I tried lightly brushing the shrimp with a garlic butter sauce and grilling the shrimp. I also tried boiling the shrimp in crab boil. Both of those ways were really good, but when you have the nachos in the restaurant they don’t prepare the shrimp either way.

Here’s what you need for this recipe:

Cheddar Cheese
Monterey Jack Cheese
Cream Cheese
Milk
Shrimp
Roma Tomatoes
Red Onion
Jalapeno Pepper
Cilantro
Sour Cream
Tortilla Chips

First, cook the shrimp until it turns pink, about 2-4 minutes. Remove the shrimp and let sit. In a medium-sized pot, melt all three kinds of cheese. Add milk to thin it out. In a 350 degree oven, heat up the tortilla chips in a baking sheet. This should take about 7 minutes. While the chips are heating up, make the pico de gallo by combining the tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno pepper, and cilantro. Assemble by adding the melted cheese to the baked nachos. Top with the shrimp and pico de gallo. Serve with the sour cream and extra slices of the jalapeno peppers.

How to Avoid Hot Pepper Burn to your Fingers

When cutting up any hot peppers including jalapenos, there is always a chance you will suffer from hot pepper burn. This is essentially when the oils from the jalapeno pepper come in contact with your skin. The best way to avoid this is to wear gloves made for cooking. But if you don’t have those, and your fingers start to burn, there is a way to stop the burn. One way is to mix up a solution of baking soda and water. Put your hands in the paste and let dry. Once it’s dry, rinse off the paste. Repeat if necessary. Another idea is to use rubbing alcohol to stop the burn. You can also dip your hands in milk or another dairy product. Whatever you do, do not touch your eyes after cutting up a hot pepper!

Ingredients

1 cup cheddar cheese mild
1/4 cup Monterey Jack Cheese
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup milk
1/2 pound shrimp raw peeled and deveined shrimp
2 Roma tomatoes diced
1 tablespoon red onion chopped fine
1 teaspoon jalapeno pepper use more if you like your nachos spicy
2 teaspoons chopped cilantro
2 or 3 slices of fresh jalapeno pepper
2 tablespoons sour cream
4 ounces tortilla chips

Instructions

Drop the shrimp into a medium-sized pot of boiling water. I personally like to add a little crab boil seasoning to the water to give the shrimp an additional layer of flavor. This is not necessary.
Cook shrimp until they turn pink, and remove immediately, this will only take 2 to 4 minutes.
Prepare cheese sauce by combining Monterey Jack cheese, Cheddar cheese, and cream cheese in a medium-sized pot over a low to medium heat. Add milk to thin the sauce, you can add additional milk if you desire.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, place tortilla chips on a heat-resistant plate. You will want to heat the chips until they are crisp. Heat chips for approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
While the chips are heating prepare the pico de gallo by combining the tomatoes, chopped jalapeno pepper, onion, together.
Assemble the nachos by spooning cheese sauce over the nachos. Then top with the pico de gallo you just made, top with shrimp. Garnish your nachos with sour cream, and slices of fresh jalapeno peppers.

Recipe Tips for the Cook

I used a medium-sized shrimp because I wanted a nice big bite of shrimp so this recipe could be served up as a meal, not just an appetizer.
If you purchase frozen shrimp thaw shrimp completely before cooking. You can place them in a sieve and simply rinse cold water over them until they thaw.

Nutrition

Red Lobster Shrimp Nachos