Seafood recipe
Blackened Shrimp Recipe
Blackened shrimp is fast, direct, and built for a hot skillet. Cajun's Choice Blackened Seasoning gives shrimp the peppery, savory crust that works in tacos, rice bowls, salads, pasta, and seafood plates. Make it for a quick seafood dinner, tacos, bowls, salads, or appetizers.
- Prep
- 10 minutes
- Cook
- 5 minutes
- Total
- 15 minutes
- Yield
- 4
Cajun's Choice Blackened Seasoning 2.75 oz, a dry shrimp surface, and a properly heated skillet are the three essentials. Toss 1 pound of peeled and deveined shrimp with 1 tablespoon oil or melted butter and 1 to 2 teaspoons seasoning. Cook in one uncrowded layer until browned outside and firm, pearly, and opaque inside, then finish with lemon.
Give the shrimp enough pan contact
Large skillet
Cook in one batch
Use a pan wide enough that every shrimp touches the cooking surface with a little room around it.
Small skillet
Cook in two batches
Hold the first batch on a warm plate. Crowding traps steam and softens the crust you are trying to build.
Make blackened shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
- 1 tablespoon oil or melted butter
- 1 to 2 teaspoons Cajun's Choice Blackened Seasoning, plus more only after tasting
- Lemon wedges
- Rice, tortillas, salad greens, pasta, or French bread, optional for serving
Ingredient notes
Choose one shrimp size. A pan of similar-size shrimp cooks more evenly.
Oil handles the heat cleanly. Melted butter brings more browned flavor but needs closer attention in a very hot pan.
Use blackened seasoning for this method. For gentler everyday seasoning choices, compare the approaches in Cajun Seasoning Uses.
Skillet method
- Pat the shrimp dry on all sides with paper towels.
- Toss with the oil or melted butter until lightly coated.
- Add 1 teaspoon blackened seasoning, toss, and add the second teaspoon only if needed for even coverage.
- Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high until the surface is hot but not smoking heavily.
- Lay the shrimp in one layer. Cook without moving until the first side browns.
- Turn the shrimp and cook the second side until browned and the flesh is firm, pearly, and opaque.
- Move the shrimp to a plate immediately; residual pan heat can overcook them.
- Squeeze lemon over the shrimp and serve while the crust is fresh.
What creates the blackened crust?
The color comes from seasoning, fat, and high heat working at the surface. Drying the shrimp prevents a layer of water from steaming against the pan. A thin coat of fat helps the seasoning make even contact. A preheated heavy skillet supplies steady energy when the cold shrimp lands.
Blackened does not mean burned. If the seasoning turns bitter before the shrimp cooks through, lower the heat slightly, wipe out loose scorched spices between batches, and begin again with a clean film of oil.
Build dinner around the shrimp
Rice and vegetables
Spoon the shrimp over plain rice and add roasted green beans, corn, or a crisp salad.
Tacos or French bread
Add shredded cabbage, lemony sauce, and a bright topping such as candied jalapeños.
Salad or pasta
Let the shrimp rest just long enough to stop steaming before placing it over greens, or fold it into pasta at the end.
Fix the four common blackened-shrimp problems
No crust
Dry the shrimp more thoroughly, heat the pan before adding them, and cook in smaller batches.
Burned seasoning
Reduce the heat slightly and use a fresh film of fat. Blackening needs strong heat, not uncontrolled smoke.
Rubbery shrimp
Remove each batch as soon as it is opaque. Do not keep cooked shrimp in the hot skillet while the rest of dinner catches up.
Uneven flavor
Toss shrimp, fat, and seasoning in a bowl before they reach the pan instead of seasoning only the top surface.
Common questions
What seasoning should I use for blackened shrimp?
Use a blackened seasoning designed for high-heat surface cooking. Apply it evenly after the shrimp is dry and lightly coated with fat.
Should I use oil or butter?
Either works. Oil is easier to manage at higher heat; butter adds browned flavor but can darken faster.
Why is my blackened shrimp watery?
The shrimp may be wet or crowded. Pat it dry and give each piece direct pan contact.
How do I know when shrimp is done?
The flesh should be firm, pearly, and opaque. Remove it from the pan promptly so carryover heat does not make it rubbery.
Can I make blackened shrimp ahead?
The crust is best immediately. You can peel, devein, and dry the shrimp ahead, but season and cook it close to serving.
Keep cooking
