This bold and flavorful Cajun Shrimp has slightly charred, savory crust with juicy and tender inside. Ready in 10 minutes, it’s perfect to pile onto rice, pasta, potatoes, or wraps for a quick healthy dinner!
I based this Cajun shrimp on my Cajun chicken recipe, but since that’s one of my older recipes, I retested and improved the ratio of spices so this shrimp is perfectly spicy and evenly flavored.
I love serving Cajun shrimp recipe over cilantro lime cauliflower rice but it has so many uses, I call it the chicken breast of the sea. It’s that versatile!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy: Just 5 minutes to season and 5 minutes to cook. Add a simple side and you’ve got an easy 30 minute meal.
- Perfect, balanced flavor: I’ve tested and fine-tuned this Cajun spice mix at least 10 times, so it’s bold and flavorful yet moderately spicy. You can always add more cayenne for more heat.
- Perfect for meal prep: What I love the most about the Cajun shrimp is that it tastes great cold, perfect for meal prep and summer!
- Super versatile: Over past few months this Louisiana style shrimp made its way onto our plates over rice, pasta, salads; in tacos, wraps, bowls, or just straight from the skillet. Enjoy!
Ingredients for Cajun Shrimp
- Shrimp: Be sure to use raw shrimp or prawns, peeled and deveined. We like medium or large shrimp, but small shrimp is good too. You can also keep the tails on or take them off.
- Seasonings: I love to make my own homemade Cajun spice, but feel free to use your favorite store-bought mix if that’s easier (Slap Ya Mama is a popular one). My homemade version uses paprika (regular or smoked), garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper.
- Oil: Use a neutral tasting oil, olive oil or avocado oil are my go-to. You can also use butter if you like a slightly buttery shrimp taste.
How to Make Cajun Shrimp
You can use a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or a non-stick skillet, it doesn’t matter for this shrimp recipe.
- Mix the seasoning: Whisk together all the spices in a small bowl, then set aside. You can skip this step if you’re using a store-bought Cajun blend.
- Season the shrimp: Pat the shrimp dry with paper towel, add them to a large bowl, then sprinkle Cajun seasoning on top. Toss the shrimp until evenly coated.
- Cook the shrimp: Heat a bit of oil in a hot skillet, then add the shrimp in a single layer and let them cook undisturbed on medium heat. You’ll need to adjust the cook time based on shrimp size. My large shrimp took about 1-2 minutes for the bottoms to turn pink, smaller shrimp will need even less.
- Finish cooking: Gently flip the shrimp to cook the other side. Your shrimp is ready once they turn white with pink and red accents, look slightly shiny and opaque, curl into a c-shape, and reach an internal temperature of 120 F.
Tips for Best Results
Even this quick and easy recipe has a few tricks up its sleeve! Here are my tips:
- Don’t overcook: Overcooked shrimp turns rubbery. If you’re using small shrimp, my biggest tip is to watch them as they cook faster.
- For deeper flavor: Toss the shrimp in the dry rub and let it marinate in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
- Avoid pre-cooked shrimp: It can easily become overcooked and rubbery when reheated, so starting with raw shrimp ensures you get that fresh-cooked, juicy flavor.
Serving Ideas
Everyone has their favorite way to enjoy shrimp, here are just a few of our favorite ways to serve Cajun shrimp:
- Over cilantro lime cauliflower rice for a low carb lunch or dinner
- Tossed into pasta with a light garlic sauce
- On top of a fresh green salad for extra protein
- Stuffed inside warm tortillas for shrimp tacos
- Served alongside roasted potatoes or sweet potato fries
How to Store and Reheat
Store: Transfer any shrimp leftovers to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freeze: Once the shrimp has cooled to room temperature, place it in a freezer safe container or bag and pop in the freezer. Use within 2 months.
Reheat: I find it’s best to microwave shrimp to warm up so it doesn’t dry out. If you’re reheating from frozen, make sure to thaw it first.
More Shrimp Recipes to Try
- Grilled shrimp skewers
- Shrimp spaghetti
- Instant Pot Jambalaya
- Healthy shrimp salad
- Shrimp ceviche
- Shrimp fajitas
Cajun Shrimp
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled & deveined
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika, or smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon thyme, dried
- 3/4 teaspoon oregano, dried
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon oil, for frying
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, oregano, cayenne, salt and pepper. Whisk and set aside.
- Pat dry the shrimp with paper towel and add to a large bowl. Sprinkle with seasoning and toss gently to coat evenly.
- Preheat large non-stick skillet on medium heat and add oil. Add shrimp to the skillet in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 1-2 minutes or until it begins to turn pink on the bottom.
- Gently flip and stir to make sure shrimp will cook on the other side for another 1-2 minutes.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate covered for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Cool the shrimp before transferring to a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
