Looking for shrimp rub ideas

[Chasing_smoke]

Hey guys normally I can wing this type of stuff but I'm looking for ideas. I want a spicy, sweet and flavor blasted rub for a shrimp dish I'm making tonight.

I have cayenne and ancho chili powder on hand. My thinking so far is

Paprika
Cayenne a touch
Ancho
White sugar a touch


What I'm having trouble on is the flavor in the middle of the rub.

Im making grilled polenta cakes with melted onions and mushrooms on top. With this shrimp as the protein.  The polenta will have that crisp outside and creamy inside, then the onions and mushrooms will add great depth to the cakes. The shrimp needs to stand out on top of all that.

Any ideas will help, even recipes you've made will point me into the right direction.

Thanks for any help!

[landgraftj]

Michael I would see if you could find something other than cayenne. All it does is give you heat w/o flavor. Try to see if you can fine some chile de arbol, alleppo, guajillo, or something similar. I use those plus ancho, chipotle, and new mexico chile powders all the time for various cooks. Lots of flavor from all and heat from some of them. I think the Spice House here in Chicago sells all of them. Check them out online. Good pricing and fast delivery.

[Chasing_smoke]

Thanks Terry! I will look into some other peppers. I know I'm missing a bunch of flavor without having them. I did grind the ancho chili down myself. It's a bit extra work but much better flavor and much cheaper as well.

[landgraftj]

Grinding them down is a great idea, definitely cheaper if you can get the dried, full peppers.

[MaxBobcat]

add some garlic and thyme.  they both go really good with spicy shrimp.

if you want a citrus blast, lime too, but it's not necessary.

[HankB]

Ancho would add some flavor along with a little heat. I'd also add garlic. Hard to go wrong with garlic.  A touch of cumin if you want a little hint of Cajun cooking, but only a dash as a little goes far.

[Chasing_smoke]

Thanks guys! I went with paprika, ancho, a touch of cayenne, garlic, onion, oregano, dry mustard and a bit if old bay. I tossed it into the spice grinder to be uniform in size.  It had a great flavor with a nice kick. Then I calmed it down with a pineapple balsamic glaze. Balsamic vinegar, pineapple juice and chunks then a touch of honey. Reduce until it thickens and toss it in the blender real quick. It was great and balanced it very nicely!