2 tablespoons butter

1 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined

1-2 teaspoons olive oil

1 large red bell pepper chopped into bite-size pieces

2 cups fresh pineapple sliced and cut bite-size or (1) 14-ounce can pineapple chunks, drained

½ cup spicy barbecue sauce or your favorite spicy store-bought sauce

3 green onions sliced thin

Rinse the shrimp and pat dry with a paper towel. In a large skillet, over high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the shrimp and spread them across the pan in a single layer. Let it cook without touching it for about 1 minute. Flip the shrimp over and cook for an additional minute. When the shrimp is light pink and cooked through, remove it to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium-high and add a drizzle of oil to the hot pan. Toss the peppers in the oil and let them cook until they are slightly browned and barely softened about 2 minutes. Add the pineapple, toss with the peppers, and let it soften slightly about 1-2 minutes.

Add the barbecue sauce, stir, and increase the heat to high. When it starts to simmer, return the shrimp to the pan, toss everything together to coat well, and cook for about a minute as the sauce thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and add the green onions. Serve by itself or over rice.

Notes

Even if you aren’t partial to a spicy barbecue sauce most of the time, you’ll want a spicy sauce to balance the sweet pineapple in this dish. You can make your own sauce in just a few minutes or use your favorite spicy store-bought sauce. I promise that the end result will not be too spicy. I’ve also used our spiciest barbecue sauce and there was barely a hint of heat to the dish when it was ready to eat.

To make this a truly fast dinner recipe, I like to buy shrimp peeled and deveined. If you’re working with shrimp in the shell, it will take a few extra minutes to prep it prior to starting the recipe.