Bring the flavors of ‘Nawlins into your home with Creamy Cajun Shrimp.
Why is Creamy Cajun Shrimp the book-inspired recipe for The Hideaway?
Though most of The Hideaway takes place in Sweet Bay, Alabama, the delicious city of New Orleans is a hugely influencing factor. So many ‘Nawlins dishes mentioned in the book made my mouth water—chocolate pie, hummingbird cake (my favorite!), seafood gumbo.
I loved the big, bold flavors when I was in NOLA, as well as the abundance of fresh seafood. When I came home from my honeymoon, Creamy Cajun Shrimp became an easy repeat recipe in my house.
What I love about Creamy Cajun Shrimp
The shrimp and fresh veggies in Creamy Cajun Shrimp are good, but what really makes this dish sing is the seasoned cream sauce. It’s packed with flavor without being spicy. There’s a little heat there but not enough that you need to take sips of water after each bite.
I like my sauces on the thicker side, so I use a cornstarch slurry near the end. If you prefer a thinner sauce, feel free to leave the slurry out. Either way, though, you end up with a decadent sauce that jazzes up a normal weeknight, but that could also impress company at a dinner party.
While you’re making the recipe, the Cajun seasoning will look like it’s not adequately covering the shrimp, but trust me, a little bit of this stuff goes a long way! Unless you really like to bring the heat, start with the recommended one teaspoon, and tweak as necessary the next time you make the recipe.
What do you serve with Creamy Cajun Shrimp?
I think Creamy Cajun Shrimp is best served over pasta. Because, what meal is not best served over pasta? Except more pasta. And, well, even then… I’ll never say no to pasta on pasta.
But, some other great dishes with this meal are white or brown rice, farro, couscous, or quinoa.
A delicious dessert of Powdered Sugar Donut Holes will give you those NOLA beignet vibes, but you might enjoy a lighter treat like Lemon Sable Cookies after all that cream sauce.
Creamy Cajun Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 lbs raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp lemon pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp cornstarch + 2 tsp cold water
- grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
Instructions
PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- Dice bell pepper and chop green onion, and combine in small prep bowl. Be sure to avoid the seeds and pith in the pepper unless you want a spicy sauce! Set aside.
- Combine the dried basil, lemon pepper, salt, and garlic powder in a small prep bowl. Set aside.
- Toss the Cajun seasoning with the shrimp. You can do this in a Ziploc bag, or you can just combine the ingredients in a shallow bowl using your hands. Set aside.
- Whisk together the cornstarch and water in a small prep bowl to create a slurry. Set aside.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add the pepper and onions, stirring to coat. Saute 4-5 minutes until the veggies are moderately softened.
- Add the seasoned shrimp, stirring to coat. Note: most people cook shrimp until they are pink and opaque, about 3-4 minutes, but I actually like my shrimp a little more done. I usually cook mine about 5-6 minutes, not counting the additional time they will spend cooking in the sauce.
- Once shrimp are mostly cooked, add the basil/lemon pepper/salt/garlic powder spice mix to the pan, stirring to coat.
- Slowly add the cream, stirring the pan as you stream the liquid in so it doesn’t curdle when it hits the hot pan. Once all the cream is added, deglaze the pan to loosen up all the yummy seasoned bits on the bottom.
- Heat the sauce through but do not boil, stirring occasionally.
- At this point, the sauce is pretty thin. If this is how you like your cream sauces, you can turn off the stove and plate it up! However, if you enjoy a thicker sauce, give the cornstarch and water slurry a little whisk to loosen it up, and then stream it into the pan, stirring as you go. Let the sauce bubble a bit so the slurry has time to thicken. Once the sauce is thickened, you’re ready to serve.
- Spoon shrimp and sauce over desired side and top with grated Parmesan cheese.
