Fakin Cajun Shrimp and Sausage (with cauliflower “rice”)

Fakin Cajun Shrimp and Sausage

I’m totally fakin it with this one because I’ve never actually been to Louisiana…so I can’t say that I’ve actually ever had authentic cuisine cadienne – (but I sure know how to make it sound fancy, eh?)  I know that the “holy trinity” of Cajun cooking relies on onion, celery and green bell pepper (hmmmm, no bell pepper OR celery in this) and andouille sausage (nope, no “an-duey” sausage here, either) and lots of rice (negative)…so what’s in this, anyway? And why am I calling it Cajun? I seemed to have missed the riverboat here.

Forgive me, Paul Prudhomme (R.I.P.), but this is some good shiz and I can call it anything I want to………..because it’s my blog. 

You will just call it really easy and super delicious. Seriously. This is   JUST.  SO.  GOOOD.

Fakin Cajun Shrimp and Sausage

Pretty easy stuff here so far, right? Nothing too fancy. I use frozen deveined shrimp, because I really and truly just cannot stand messing with that nonsense myself. I mean, I’ll shell the little buggers but I have made a pact to never devein another shrimp again. Ever. Period. (Hey, a New Year’s resolution I can actually keep!) For four servings you will need 12-16 (large, not jumbo) shrimp but if you buy a big ol bag of em, you can use as many as you want!  Power to the cook, I say.

Thaw em, get em shelled, and keep em cold. I like to keep the tails on because I think it looks pretty but THAT, once again, is up to you. Give a half of a large onion a nice dice and half up a pint of grape tomatoes. I do it the old fashioned way…one at a time but you can alway try this. Get out a big handful of parsley and chop it up. Now we’re in business…….

Spices for Shrimp and Sausage

Ya gotta have thyme, cayenne pepper and smoked paprika for this……..you just HAVE to! The Jamaican jerk seasoning I know is a little unconventional, and you could probably do without it, so don’t feel like you have to run out and get a spice blend you may never use again (except when you find yourself making this again and again, which you will, because this is that good). HOWEVER….I love the stuff!  I use it plenty and I suspect you might too once you try it. 

Fakin Cajun Shrimp and Sausage

Start by browning up that sausage really well in a medium hot pan. I like Hillshire Farms smoked sausage.  I know it’s not sexy but it is awesome!

Fakin Cajun Shrimp and Sausage

Add the tomatoes, and give them a stir. Not for long though. Have a bowl nearby and transfer the sausage and tomatoes into it. Get that pan back onto the heat and add a little olive oil to the oil left in the pan from the sausage……….whack your onions straight in there and let them cook and get nice and soft and luscious, about three to five minutes. Once you have them on point sprinkle in your spectacular spices and give this a stir. The heat and the oil will “bloom” all of those aromatics and make them even richer than if you had just added them at the end. 

Fakin Cajun Shrimp and Sausage

You will spin the spices around for only a minute or so, then sort of push your onions up and out of the way to make room for your shrimp. Add these to your pan in a nice even layer, do not let them overlap. By the time you’ve laid the last one out it will be time to turn the first one over! No lie! They cook that fast and believe me when I tell you, you do NOT want to overcook your shrimp. Unless of course you like really well seasoned rubber bands.

Fakin Cajun Shrimp and Sausage

Quick! As soon as you’ve flipped over that last little shrimpie go ahead and add the sausage and tomatoes back into the pan, and combine it all together! Add some kosher salt and a grind or two of fresh black pepper and flip this around for a minute. Throw in that fresh chopped parsley, and you, my darling, are ready. Get this off the heat and ladled over some some cauliflower rice (want to see how to make it? SO incredibly easy. I got you right here)…

Fakin Cajun Shrimp and Sausage

……or drape it over another one of my favorites, a perfectly roasted sweet potato.  Yeah, that’s a melted pat of butter you see…… mmmmmfmfmfmffffff. 

Fakin Cajun Shrimp and Sausage

I know, me and this plate of gorgeousness need to get a room, right?  😘  Hey, if loving this is wrong….well, you know the rest.

Recipe below:

Fakin Cajun Shrimp and Sausage
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Ingredients
  1. 1 Hillshire Farms smoked sausage or kielbasa, cut in diagonal slices
  2. 1/2 large onion, diced
  3. 1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
  4. 12-16 large raw deveined shrimp, shelled
  5. 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  6. 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  7. 1 teaspoon Jamaican jerk seasoning
  8. 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
  9. 1/4 cup (big handful or so) of chopped fresh parsley
  10. Olive oil
  11. Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
SERVE OVER
  1. Cauliflower Rice or...
  2. A baked sweet potato half or
  3. Rice and beans
Instructions
  1. In a large sauté pan over a medium high heat, cook the sausage slices until browned on both sides, about five minutes. Add the tomato halves and cook for another minute. Remove sausage and tomatoes to a bowl and set aside
  2. In the same pan, add a turn of olive oil and sauté onions until soft and translucent, three to five minutes. Add the spices and stir and cook for another minute
  3. Push the onions up to the sides of the pan and add the shrimp in a single layer. Do not overlap! After you lay down the last shrimp go ahead and turn the first shrimp over. Once all the shrimp have been turned over combine the cooked shrimp with the onion
  4. Add the sausage and tomato mixture back to the pan and combine all the ingredients. Turn off the heat, and add the parsley. Give this a final stir and viola!
Notes
  1. This makes four servings, if you are lucky enough for leftovers the next day this will make you very happy!
Kick and Dinner https://kickanddinner.com/

 

3 Comments

  1. Really delish over a baked sweet potato, I wouldn’t have thought so but IT WAS (& the hubby agrees)!!!! Yummmm

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