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    Spicy Cajun Shrimp

    Published: Jul 16, 2015 / 27 Comments

    34.1K shares
    • Facebook818
    Recipe Print

    Spicy Cajun Shrimp with lots of sauce - delicious Southern dinner or appetizer!  Made with garlic, ketchup, chicken broth, hot sauce, Cajun spice, and green onions.  Super easy to make - 30 minutes from start to finish!

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    I love Cajun spice, and not surprisingly it goes really well with shrimp! Try this recipe, and you'll see what I mean! I couldn't stop eating it!

    I wanted a simple spicy Cajun-style shrimp dinner that I could make with just a few basic ingredients. This recipe worked really well, and all 25 jumbo shrimp were devoured within 20 minutes by 3 people (including me). It's amazing how fast the food can disappear from the table if it tastes good!

    Ingredients you need

    Spicy Shrimp

    • jumbo shrimp (20-25 count, peeled but with tails, deveined)
    • garlic cloves , minced
    • Cajun seasoning , containing salt
    • butter

    Spicy Sauce

    • chicken broth
    • ketchup
    • green onions , finely chopped
    • hot sauce (hot cayenne sauce, such as Frank's hot sauce)

    Garnish

    • 3 green onions finely chopped

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    Recipe Notes

    • Use jumbo shrimp, about 20-25 count.  The shrimp should peeled, deveined, but still with tails on.
    • Use store-bought Cajun spice. If your Cajun spice already contained salt, you do not need to add salt to your shrimp. But if your Cajun mix is without salt, add a pinch of salt, to your shrimp.
    • For hot sauce, use hot cayenne sauce, such as Frank's hot sauce.

    How to cook spicy Cajun shrimp

    In a small bowl, toss shrimp together with minced garlic, and Cajun spice and a pinch of salt (see recipe note above).

    Melt butter in a large skillet on medium-hot heat. Add shrimp (mixed with garlic and Cajun spice) to the skillet and cook for about 1 minute on each side, flipping once.

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    Remove the shrimp from the skillet onto a plate. Add chicken broth, ketchup, chopped green onions, hot sauce to the same skillet. Bring everything to boil and mix well.

    Add back the shrimp, boil or simmer for a couple of minutes until the shrimp is cooked through and the sauce thickens, constantly stirring. If sauce is too thick, add a small amount of water.

    Serve topped with chopped green onions.

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    If you're in a hurry, and want an easy flavorful and spicy Cajun shrimp - this is the recipe for you! Southern comfort food!

    Related spicy shrimp recipes

    • Spicy Shrimp with Pasta in Garlic Tomato Cream Sauce
    • Spicy Shrimp, Tomato, Spinach Pasta in Garlic Butter Sauce
    • Shrimp and Veggies with Tortellini

     

    4.91 from 42 votes

    Spicy Cajun Shrimp

    Spicy Cajun Shrimp with lots of sauce - delicious Southern dinner or appetizer!  Made with garlic, ketchup, chicken broth, hot sauce, Cajun spice, and green onions.  Super easy to make - 30 minutes from start to finish!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer
    Cuisine American, Southern
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories per serving 266 kcal
    Author: Julia

    Ingredients

    Cajun Shrimp:

    • 1 pound jumbo shrimp (20-25 count, peeled but with tails, deveined)
    • 4 garlic cloves , minced
    • 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning , containing salt
    • 4 tablespoons butter

    Sauce for shrimp:

    • ½ cup chicken broth
    • ½ cup ketchup
    • 5 green onions , finely chopped
    • 1 tablespoon hot sauce (hot cayenne sauce, such as Frank's hot sauce)

    For garnish:

    • 3 green onions finely chopped

    Instructions 

    • In a small bowl, toss shrimp together with minced garlic, and cajun spice (my Cajun spice already contained salt, so no salt needed to be added, but if your mix is without salt, add a pinch of salt, too).
    • Melt butter in a large skillet on medium-hot heat. Add shrimp (mixed with garlic and Cajun spice) to the skillet and cook for about 1 minute on each side, flipping once.
    • Remove shrimp from the skillet onto a plate. Add chicken broth, ketchup, chopped green onions, hot sauce to the same skillet, bring to boil, mix everything well. 
    • Add back the shrimp, boil or simmer for a couple of minutes until shrimp cooks and sauce thickens, constantly stirring. If sauce is too thick, add a small amount of water.
    • To serve, top with green onions.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Information
    Spicy Cajun Shrimp
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    266
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    13
    g
    20
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    7
    g
    44
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    315
    mg
    105
    %
    Sodium
     
    1452
    mg
    63
    %
    Potassium
     
    326
    mg
    9
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    11
    g
    4
    %
    Fiber
     
    1
    g
    4
    %
    Sugar
     
    7
    g
    8
    %
    Protein
     
    24
    g
    48
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    1605
    IU
    32
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    15.8
    mg
    19
    %
    Calcium
     
    199
    mg
    20
    %
    Iron
     
    3.4
    mg
    19
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutrition Disclaimer:

    The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

    Keyword cajun shrimp, how to cook shrimp, spicy shrimp
    Tried this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment and provide a Star Rating below - I love your feedback and try to respond to every comment!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Erin Reilly

      November 30, 2020 at 8:11 pm

      This was amazing!! I actually made it for my mom and I for dinner tonight. I actually served it over white rice and it was absolutely delicious!!

      Reply
      • Julia

        December 04, 2020 at 12:53 am

        Erin, I am so glad you liked this recipe! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing such positive feedback - I really appreciate it!

        Reply
    2. Patti

      June 30, 2019 at 9:12 pm

      May I ask why leave the tails on? If you are using it as an appetizer are the tails left on for easy finger food?

      Reply
      • Julia

        July 22, 2019 at 2:50 pm

        Yes, exactly! Leave the tails on if you use it as an appetizer or finger food!

        Reply
    3. Bayou Andy

      March 07, 2019 at 5:34 pm

      May I suggest using Heintz chili sauce in the bottle in place of ketchup. It puts a little different dimension to the dish. Great, simple recipe!!!

      Reply
      • Julia

        March 25, 2019 at 7:34 pm

        I am so glad you liked this recipe! Thank you for your suggestion!

        Reply
    4. Bruce Brevitz

      February 21, 2019 at 7:49 pm

      Oh my God! This was beyond unbelievable! I tweaked it just a bit. First of all, I doubled the recipe. For my sauce, I used a combination of chicken broth and white wine/ketchup/onions and hot sauce.
      I served the result over thick spaghetti. Julia, I cannot TELL you how much I LOVED this! I have to go and coach Women's Semi-Professional Football. If I didn't? I think I'd FINISH it! I look forward to following you! Thanks for bringing some warmth to a Cold Minnesota evening.

      Reply
      • Julia

        February 22, 2019 at 9:19 pm

        Thank you for such a wonderful comment! It made my day! So happy you liked this shrimp. Serving it over spaghetti is such a great idea!

        Reply
    5. Bill

      October 12, 2018 at 10:46 am

      Always, a go to dish for us!!
      Perfect taste!! Angel hair pasta is our choice.
      Baguette to soak up the sauce!!!!thanks!!

      Reply
      • Julia

        October 24, 2018 at 12:11 am

        Bill, you are welcome! Angel hair pasta and the bread to soak up the sauce - great choices!

        Reply
    6. Bill Hilton

      August 17, 2018 at 9:36 pm

      I tripled the recipe and served it with carribean rice, southern style green beans and warm peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream...big time hit with my friends! This is a big time keeper!

      Reply
      • Julia

        August 21, 2018 at 1:39 pm

        So glad you liked it! Your side dish choices sound so good! So does your dessert. No wonder your friends loved your cooking!

        Reply
    7. John

      April 14, 2018 at 11:34 pm

      Made your recipe tonight for dinner, it was great. Made shrimp stock for my rice and substituted it also for the chicken stock. I also used Patagonian shrimp. Easy to fix and best expectations. My better half loved it. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Julia

        May 03, 2018 at 6:32 pm

        You're very welcome! So glad you enjoyed this recipe.

        Reply
    8. Lillian Garcia

      April 13, 2018 at 8:40 pm

      I made this for my family along with white rice. Everyone enjoyed them. Thanks for the recipe. So easy to make.

      Reply
      • Julia

        May 03, 2018 at 6:39 pm

        So happy to hear that! Serving rice with this shrimp sounds delicious!

        Reply
    9. Kathy L Dzoba

      March 10, 2018 at 4:01 pm

      Loved it over pasta!!

      Reply
      • Julia

        March 14, 2018 at 5:29 pm

        Great idea to serve this shrimp over pasta!

        Reply
    10. Alicia

      December 18, 2017 at 6:15 pm

      I LOVE this easy recipe! I made it for my partner n she loved it! She is a picky eater n she can't get enough! Thank u for sharing w everyone...

      Reply
    11. Cheryl

      October 05, 2017 at 7:44 am

      I guess my emocon didn’t show up! The Sweet is carrots.

      Reply
      • Julia

        October 31, 2017 at 7:15 pm

        🙂

        Reply
    12. Cheryl

      October 05, 2017 at 7:41 am

      Hey Julia

      Sounds Deliciously Yummy Making this tonight, I may add some sweet smoky paprika Your dish, with some sweet and white rice, sounds like a Winner to Me

      Thanks for Sharing with the masses 🙂

      Reply
      • Julia

        October 31, 2017 at 7:15 pm

        You are very welcome, Cheryl!

        Reply
    13. Michelle

      August 27, 2017 at 2:42 pm

      We liked it but had to add half lemon juice and old bay seasoming....

      Reply
      • Julia

        November 03, 2017 at 6:23 pm

        Great additions!

        Reply
    14. Diane Simmons

      June 18, 2016 at 4:53 pm

      I want to make this for dinner tonight. It looks so good reminds me of my uncles bbq shrimp. Yum!!! So recommend rice or with pasta! Thanks

      Reply
      • Julia

        July 01, 2016 at 10:44 pm

        I hope you liked it! Rice sounds like a perfect side dish here.

        Reply

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