This cajun shrimp recipe is outrageously flavorful and easy! We cook the shrimp in a hot skillet, and then swirl in the most delicious garlic cajun butter.
I’m going out on a limb and calling this the best cajun shrimp, all thanks to our homemade cajun seasoning. Of course, you can use store-bought seasoning in this recipe, but I highly recommend our homemade blend for the best cajun butter sauce coating your shrimp.
This easy shrimp recipe takes less than 10 minutes to prepare thanks to our easy cajun butter. Serve with rice, fill tacos, or even transform this into cajun shrimp pasta (tips are below). And while you have it in the house, we use the same homemade cajun butter to make our cajun corn on the cob!
Key Ingredients
- Shrimp: Use fresh, high-quality jumbo or large shrimp. You can keep the tails on or remove them, whichever you prefer.
- Cajun Seasoning: You can use store-bought or make your own. It’s a bold blend of spices popular in Creole and Cajun cuisine. Our homemade Cajun seasoning contains hot paprika (or cayenne pepper), sweet paprika, chili powder, dried thyme, sugar, and sea salt. I use the same seasoning when making our pickled shrimp recipe!
- Butter: I make cajun butter by stirring the cajun seasoning, garlic, and cilantro into softened butter. I use the same butter for my grilled cajun corn.
- Garlic: The seasoning is already super flavorful, but I love adding one garlic clove. I finely grate it using a microplane and stir it into the butter.
- Cilantro: I love the little pop of green from cilantro, but parsley makes an excellent substitute. You can also leave it out entirely.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make My Favorite Cajun Shrimp
Tip 1: Make the Cajun butter. The secret to this shrimp recipe is the Cajun butter made with Cajun seasoning, garlic, and parsley. It’s simple to make but adds incredible flavor. Start with softened butter. It blends more easily and evenly with the seasonings, giving you a smooth, flavorful base for the shrimp.
Tip 2: Salt, then rinse your shrimp. Before cooking, toss the shrimp with a bit of salt and let them sit in a colander for a few minutes. The salt firms up their texture and seasons them throughout. After rinsing, the shrimp taste cleaner, cook more evenly, and stay plump and juicy. I use this trick when making our shrimp stir fry, too!
Tip 3: Swirl the butter in at the end. For a creamy, flavorful sauce, add the Cajun butter right at the end. When the shrimp are just about cooked, turn off the heat and swirl in the butter until it melts into a silky sauce that coats every shrimp.
Tip 4: Turn it into Cajun shrimp pasta. After cooking the shrimp, remove them from the skillet and add cooked pasta to the butter sauce. Then, add a splash of starchy pasta water, and cook over low heat until the pasta is evenly coated and glossy. Add the shrimp to the skillet, toss everything together, and serve.
What to Serve with Cajun Shrimp
When it comes to serving the shrimp, you have several delicious options. They pair wonderfully with creamy grits or rice. I especially enjoy them with this cilantro lime rice. You can even transform the sauce in this recipe into a pasta sauce.
More Shrimp Recipes
The Best Cajun Shrimp
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Thanks to our delicious homemade cajun butter, this cajun shrimp has quickly become a family favorite. You can prepare the cajun butter ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for up to five days or freeze it, making this easy recipe even more weeknight-friendly.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined (450g)
½ tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons room temperature butter
1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated
1 tablespoon cilantro or parsley leaves, minced
1 ½ teaspoons homemade cajun seasoning, see tips
Salt, as needed
Directions
1Prepare the shrimp: Place the shrimp in a colander and toss with ¼ teaspoon salt. Let sit for 1 minute, then rinse and pat very dry with paper towels.
2Make flavored butter: Combine the butter, garlic, cilantro (or parsley), and cajun seasoning. Mix well and set aside.
3Cook the shrimp: Heat olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp to the pan, arranging them in a single layer. It’s okay if a few shrimp are stacked on each other. Cook for about 1 minute until the shrimp begins to turn pink.
4To finish: Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the cajun butter to the skillet. Stir well to coat the shrimp evenly. Continue cooking and stirring until the shrimp are firm and opaque throughout, which should take 1 to 2 minutes.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Cajun seasoning: For the best results, we recommend using our homemade cajun blend. However, if you prefer to use a store-bought brand, feel free to do so. Just keep in mind that different brands may vary in their salt content, so you might need to adjust the seasoning accordingly to suit your taste preferences.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
This is the #1. No need to search any further. So good, I stir fried broccoli in some of the left over butter, perfection!
I look forward to trying this one out, but it reminds me of my most amazing shrimp I used to cook with the jumbo prawns, garlic butter(so much it was like boiling them in butter) and cayenne pepper generously dusted overtop. The key to the success of this dish was slooow fry cooking it covered on very low heat over a time frame of a 2 to 3 hrs. Paired with tenderloin steak sandwiches on garlic toast with Monterey Jack cheese. Mmmmmoi. Unbelievable.
Made as listed. However, my end result wasn’t “red” as depicted. Maybe my “red” spices were old. Made the cajun recipe as listed. Other than the end-result color, was very tasty. Served as shrimp cups, making 12 cups. Will make again. Next time will serve over pasta.
Great recipe. Done with both Home made and store bought sauce. Prefered home made.
My family loves steak but I’m not a big fan. I made this for myself because it was a fast easy way for me to eat shrimp while the family ate steak. I made them try this delicious shrimp and now they have requested for me to make it again for the family without the steak! Easy and sooo good!
This is the second time I’ve made this, so much more flavorful than shrimp scampi! Use the homemade Cajun spice. This is a quick and easy dish.
For the Cajun Shrimp with Garlic Butter Sauce recipe, was raw shrimp or cooked shrimp used or can either one be used for the recipe? Thank you!
Hi Maria, We use raw shrimp, but they cook quickly in the pan with the sauce.