Spicy Cajun Shrimp

Submitted by ChefInChicago

"I kind of pieced it together with a few different shrimp recipes and my own intuition and trial and error. It was my first victory as a cook . I recently made a change to this as I tried making it with half the amount of butter. This makes it a heck of a lot healthier, and I actually thought it was the best it has been so far!"

 

• Ready In: 25mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 lbs shrimp, deveined and shelled (small or large, tastes the same)
• 8 ounces unsweetened butter
• 2 tablespoons garlic, sliced very thin (can use minced too)
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 2 1⁄2 teaspoons creole seasoning
• 1⁄2 - 2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste (careful, it gets hot easily)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 3 bay leaves
• 8 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 8 tablespoons water (tap water is fine)
• 2 tablespoons chives, chopped
• 1 lemon
• 1⁄3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 loaves French bread (if you get uncooked bread follow the directions that come with it and cook it beforehand, then just)

directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees (for french bread and to keep shrimp warm later).
2. Place 1/2 a stick of butter in a saute pan and melt it on medium heat.
3. Place garlic into pan and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring often, if you sliced it thin enough it might liquify, this is what you want, but not necessary.
4. Add pepper, creole seasoning, cayenne pepper, paprika, bay leaves, worcestershire sauce, water and chives to the saute pan (if the mixture doesn't cover the bottom of the pan, add a little extra water and worcestershire sauce to account for the difference) Let this simmer for about 2-3 minutes while stirring, if the mixture begins to boil turn the heat down slightly.
5. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook 3-4 minutes total on each side, but flip them constantly.
6. Once the shrimp are cooked completely, remove them from the pan into a bowl or onto a plate (leave the liquid/mixture in the pan), cover with aluminum foil and place in oven to keep warm, be sure you use an oven friendly bowl.
7. Put your french bread in the oven right now to get it warm and crispy for the meal.
8. Cut your remaining 1/2 stick of butter into 6 pieces and place one into the pan at a time stirring constantly until they melt completely, then add the next, once they are all added, stir for about 3 more minutes or until the mixture begins to thicken (This is important, be sure it grows thicker before moving on, otherwise it will tend to seperate).
9. Cut the lemon into 4 pieces and squeeze the juice into the mixture while stirring slowly, stir for another minute or two while the mixture settles.
10. Slowly add the heavy whipping cream to the mixture while stirring, make sure the heat is low enough so it won't boil.
11. Once you are finished stirring the cream in turn the heat down to between medium and low just to keep it warm and stir constantly.
12. Remove shrimp and bread from oven.
13. Slice the bread into pieces, place the shrimp into bowls and pour the sauce over it, use the bread for dipping in the sauce.

Reviews

[CA Filly]

Great dish! We ate this with steamed rice and my family loved it!