Cajun Shrimp

These shrimp are a cross between cajun shrimp and shrimp scampi, and they are delicious. The way this recipe came about was, I had a recipe for shrimp scampi that I wanted to try, but Mom had already started boiling the shrimp in the shrimp boil. So…I improvised, and these turned out fantastic. I served them with baked potatoes and roasted broccoli. They don’t take very long to make, so they could be a quick weeknight dinner and you could have the leftover ones chilled on a salad for lunch the next day.

Cajun Shrimp

1 bag shrimp boil*

Old Bay seasoning

2 lbs. large shrimp (deveined and unpeeled)

1/2 stick butter, softened

1 T. chopped garlic

1 lemon

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season water with Old Bay seasoning, to taste and add shrimp boil bag. Mix garlic with 1/2 stick softened butter in a small bowl and set aside. After water has boiled for a couple of minutes and has started to turn a dark brown, add the shrimp and continue to boil until shrimp are pink and done, about 4 minutes. Don’t cook too long or shrimp will be tough. Drain shrimp and transfer to a large bowl. Discard shrimp boil bag. Add garlic butter to the shrimp and toss. Squeeze the juice of the whole lemon over the shrimp and toss again. Serve immediately.

*You can buy cajun shrimp boil at the grocery store. Zatarain’s makes a good one. It looks like a tea bag that you put in the water when you boil it.