A few weeks ago I mentioned my family’s tradition of eating Cajun Shrimp on Christmas Eve, which several people asked about, so I thought I’d share the recipe just in time for the holiday.
Easy Cajun Shrimp
Eating Cajun Shrimp was actually a part-time tradition for many years because every other year growing up my family and I would travel to Ohio, where our extended family lived, for Christmas. My Grandpa was Slovak and his family’s tradition was to serve only white food on Christmas Eve followed by a bright and colorful feast on Christmas day. What did this all-white dinner look like? Mashed potatoes, bread, and white fish — specifically perch. I can still taste that perch to this day, and let’s just say I wish I didn’t. Love the sentiment behind the idea, but the intensely fishy flavor? Not so much. While celebrating Christmas at home every other year with just the five of us was bittersweet, there was one very large perk: my Mom replaced perch with shrimp baked in savory, spicy Cajun butter for Christmas Eve dinner. Nobody was upset about that swap! Now, clearly this shrimp isn’t white, thanks to a heavy dash of paprika in the Cajun seasoning, but we were willing to look the other way in the name of deliciousness. Plus the shrimp started out white, right?! Whether you make Cajun Shrimp for Christmas Eve, or an easy yet succulent supper anytime of year, I know you’ll adore this dish as much as we do. Just do NOT forget the Gluten Free Focaccia for sopping up all the succulent cajun butter!
How to Make Cajun Shrimp
Start by making the homemade Cajun spice blend that will flavor the shrimp and butter. In a small bowl combine:
Coarse ground black pepper Cayenne pepper Salt Garlic powder Paprika Rosemary Oregano Thyme
The black and cayenne peppers are what’s going to make this dish spicy so feel free to adjust to fit your tastes. As written, this recipe is about a 6-7/10 on the heat scale. My Mom always made half the recipe super spicy for my brothers and Dad, and the other half more mild for the two of us.
While you’re mixing the spices, pop two pie pans into the oven with butter then set it to preheat to 350 degrees. Once the butter is melted, remove from the oven then stir half the spices into each pan. If you don’t have two pie pans you can use a 9×13″ baking dish.
Next, divide large shrimp (41-50 count) that have been peeled and deveined between the two pans then stir with a spoon to cover them in that luscious, Cajun-spiced butter.
Last step is to pop the pans into the oven to bake for 15 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and plump. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice, if desired, then serve with Gluten Free Focaccia and feast!
More Seafood Dinner Recipes
Shrimp and Asparagus Garlic Herb Butter Pasta with Roasted Shrimp Shrimp and Wild Rice Skillet Salmon Provencal Spicy Shrimp Soup Easy Seafood Stew
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