This recipe for Easy Spicy Cajun Shrimp in 30 Minutes may become your new favorite weeknight dinner. Beautiful butter, rich stock and a flavorful blend of herbs and spices make up the delicious broth that suspends the shrimp. The shrimp lend their sweetness to the sauce and a splash of fresh lemon juice brightens everything.
I’ll let you in on a little secret. This Cajun shrimp dish is even better if you make the sauce the day before.
Jump to RecipeCajun Spice brings just the right amount of heat
I like a little heat in my food. Not so much that you lose your sense of taste, but just enough to bring a little warmth and flavor to a dish. I prefer to use Walker & Sons Slap Ya Mama HOT Cajun Seasoning in this recipe for Easy Spicy Cajun Shrimp in 30 Minutes. You can find it in the spice section of most major grocery store chains.
The hot version of this little red spice blend delivers amazing flavor and a respectable amount of heat to any dish. Honestly, it’s the boss in my spice cupboard. It knows this to be true and so do the rest of us in the family. However, if you want to tone down the heat, but still keep the flavor, I recommend starting off with just 1/2 tsp. of the Original Slap Seasoning. It’s not as brutal as its Hot Slap Cousin. However, if you find you want more kick, feel free to experiment with a blend of the two.
What to serve with this recipe for Easy Spicy Cajun Shrimp in 30 Minutes
You may be wondering what to serve with Cajun shrimp. I have a few favorites. If you’re going for the full experience, this dish pairs perfectly with a side of cheese grits or mac-n-cheese. And I would be remiss if I forgot to mention a side of sweet and sour greens are a must. There’s something magical about how the cheese and greens mingle with the shrimp and their sauce in this recipe for Easy Spicy Cajun Shrimp in 30 Minutes.
A few words on shrimp
We’ve all done it. We’ve overcooked shrimp to the point of no return. What started out as a sweet, tender meat, became a rubbery hockey puck in a matter of seconds. Don’t beat yourself up. Because shrimp are so small, it’s easy enough to do.
What to look for when cooking shrimp
Raw shrimp is translucent and grey in color. The flesh of a perfectly cooked shrimp will transform from translucent to opaque and the grey color will become white with little pink veins throughout. They will be firm and curl up slightly.
When cooking shrimp, I will often pull them off a few seconds before they look ready. I do this for the simple reason that if I wait until they look perfect in the pan, they will likely be overcooked by the time they reach the plate. The residual heat in the shrimp will continue to cook them beyond the point of perfection. For this reason, I like to pull them a few seconds early and let the heat that has accumulated inside the shrimp to finish the job.
The cook time on these Easy Spicy Cajun Shrimp in 30 Minutes is very brief – only 2 -4 minutes to be exact. The majority of the cook time in this recipe is dedicated to the sauce itself. At the end of the day, vigilance will be your key to success. Watch your shrimp closely once you start cooking them.
How many shrimp in a pound?
That depends on the size shrimp you use. The Louisiana Direct Seafood Handbook is a great guide that breaks down the number of shrimp per pound and how that number can vary depending on whether or not the shrimp are shelled. The handbook is also a great resources for knowing which shrimp size is best for the food you are preparing. So, whether you are grilling or boiling, making kabobs or a salad, you’re sure to choose the right shrimp for the job.
When buying frozen shrimp, you’ll see a fraction located on the front of the bag and sometimes you’ll also see a corresponding size. With fresh shrimp, this number is found on the tag or sign next to the shrimp. The smaller the shrimp, the greater the number per pound. The larger the shrimp, the fewer. For example, the 36/40 tells us one pound of medium-large shrimp will consist of 36-40 shrimp. For large shrimp, that number will be approximately 31 – 35 shrimp per pound, and so on.
In this recipe for Easy Spicy Cajun Shrimp in 30 Minutes, I call for using either medium large (36/40 or large 31/35). I want to give each serving a generous portion of shrimp but I also chose a shrimp that would cook in the amount of time specified in the recipe. Had I chosen a colossal shrimp, they likely would not be fully cooked in 2-4 minutes. Extra small shrimp would be reduced to hard bits of rubber in that same amount of time. I chose the medium-large to large because they cooked up best in the time allotted.
Easy Spicy Cajun Shrimp in 30 Minutes
Course: MainCuisine: CajunDifficulty: Easy4
servings5
minutes25
minutesTender, buttery shrimp in a bright, flavorful broth. Serve over cheese grits or with a wedge of crusty French bread.
Ingredients
- For the Sauce
1 stick unsalted butter
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. sweet paprika
2 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
3-4 dried bay leaves (if they are tiny, use four. If larger, use three)
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning (original or hot)
- Finish the Shrimp
1 lb. Shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed (either medium large (36/40 or Large 31/35)
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Cheese grits, greens or a loaf of crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
Directions
- Prepare the Sauce
- In a 5-quart sauce pan, combine the butter, stock, garlic and dried herbs and spices. Bring to the boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 20 minutes for the flavors in the sauce to develop.
- While the sauce is resting, peel, devein and rinse the shrimp.
- After the sauce has rested for 20 minutes, remove the lid and discard the Bay leaves. Bring the sauce back to the boil. Add the shrimp and cook for 2-4 minutes, depending on the size of the shrimp used.
- Remove the shrimp from the heat, stir in the fresh lemon juice and serve over grits or with a loaf of crusty bread to soak up the sauce. These shrimp are great over mac in cheese, too.
