Description
A flavorful Cajun Shrimp recipe with a creamy, spicy sauce made from butter, garlic, chicken broth, cream, and Rotel tomatoes. Served with fresh lime and cilantro, it’s perfect with rice, beans, or salad for a quick and delicious meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Shrimp and Vegetables
- 1 lb. uncooked shrimp
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- 10 oz. Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies, juice reserved
- ¾ cup cheddar jack cheese, shredded
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
Seasonings
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
For Serving
- Lime wedges
- Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Prep Shrimp and Ingredients: Thaw shrimp completely if frozen, then pat dry and remove shell, tail, and veins as needed. Drain and reserve about ¼ cup juice from diced tomatoes. Combine chicken broth, heavy cream, honey, hot sauce, and all seasonings in a bowl and set aside.
- Cook Shrimp and Peppers: Sprinkle shrimp with 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning. Heat olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, add shrimp and diced red peppers, and cook shrimp for about 1 minute plus 20 seconds on each side. Transfer cooked shrimp and peppers to a clean plate, letting them rest briefly.
- Deglaze Skillet: Add the reserved tomato juice to the skillet over medium heat, use a silicone spatula to scrape up browned bits from bottom and sides, and reduce the liquid by half.
- Sauté Garlic and Make Roux: Add butter and minced garlic to skillet and cook for 1 minute. Stir in flour continuously for about 2 minutes until raw flour smell disappears, forming a roux.
- Add Broth Mixture and Tomatoes: Gradually add the chicken broth mixture in small splashes, stirring continuously until smooth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Add drained diced tomatoes and let sauce simmer and reduce uncovered for 10 minutes until thickened and flavors meld.
- Add Cheese and Lime Juice: Reduce heat to low, then slowly add the shredded cheddar jack cheese, stirring continuously until melted and smooth. Stir in lime juice gently.
- Combine and Finish Dish: Return cooked shrimp and peppers to the skillet, stir to coat with sauce. Add fresh lime wedges, remove skillet from heat, sprinkle chopped cilantro on top, and serve with rice, beans, or salad.
Notes
- For perfect rice: Boil 2 cups chicken broth, add 1 cup long grain white rice, cover tightly and simmer for 15 minutes, then turn off heat and let sit covered for 5-10 minutes.
- Use large shrimp, size 26/30 per pound, fresh or frozen works well.
- For less heat, use only 1 teaspoon hot sauce and omit cayenne and red pepper flakes.
- Cheddar Jack, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, or low-moisture mozzarella cheese are all good. Shredding cheese from a block improves melting.
- Optional additions: black beans and corn can be added with tomatoes.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for 3 months.
- Reheat thawed leftovers gently in a skillet or double boiler to avoid rubbery shrimp.
- Use reduced or no sodium Cajun seasoning if preferred.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 180 mg
