Blackened Shrimp
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These delicious Blackened Shrimp are the perfect versatile and fast weeknight meal. Try them in tacos, lettuce wraps, on pasta, rice, or simply on their own!
I love having a big bag of frozen shrimp on hand for those busy weeknights when we need a fast, delicious meal! They thaw out so quickly in a bowl of warm water, and they only take 5 minutes to cook all the way through.
The incredible spice mix I paired the shrimp with double as a marinade, and the perfect coating to give these babies a beautiful blackened crust.
What Are Blackened Shrimp?
Blackening is a style of cooking that is most often associated with Cajun cuisine. Using a gorgeous mix of bold spices and a touch of herbs, the shrimp are completely coated in the spice mix before letting them sizzle on a hot skillet.
This mixture includes brown sugar which begins to caramelize the second it hits the pan, which helps the spice mixture cling to the shrimp and get crispy. So good!
How to Make Blackened Shrimp
First, mix your blackening seasoning well in a small bowl. Dump the mixture over your shrimp and stir until each one is coated generously. Set the shrimp aside for 30 minutes to marinate and soak up all those amazing flavors.
Next, heat a skillet up to medium-high heat. You can even go all the way to high heat if you want a nice dark crust. Coat the pan in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and arrange the shrimp in the pan in one layer. Let them cook for 2 minutes and then flip. Cook for another 2 minutes, add your garlic, and let it toast up in the pan for 30 seconds.
That’s it, you’re done! It doesn’t get any easier. Top these shrimp with some chopped up cilantro and serve with lime wedges. YUM!
We used frozen shrimp for this recipe, but you can use pre-cooked. Cook them for only 30 seconds on each side so that they don’t get overcooked.
How to Serve Blackened Shrimp
We served these as shrimp tacos, but you can enjoy them in so many different ways! Make a low-carb lunch or dinner by using them in lettuce wraps, top your rice or pasta with them, or just grab a fork and eat them as is!
Who’s ready to dig in?!
Looking for More Shrimp Recipes? Try These:
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Blackened Shrimp
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Marinating time: 30 mins
Total: 10 mins
Serves: 4
These delicious Blackened Shrimp are the perfect versatile weeknight meal. Try them in tacos, lettuce wraps, on pasta, rice, or simply on their own!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 1/2 lbs shrimp uncooked, peeled
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
Optional garnish
- cilantro fresh, chopped
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Combine the chili powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, brown sugar, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Dump the mixture over the shrimp and mix well. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Arrange the shrimp in a single layer and cook for 2 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the garlic, stir, and cook for 30 seconds. Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges to serve.
Video
Recipe Notes
If you use pre-cooked shrimp, cook only for 30 seconds on each side as to not over-cook the shrimp. Allow frozen shrimp to thaw fully before cooking. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.Â
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 227kcal (11%)Carbohydrates: 5g (2%)Protein: 35g (70%)Fat: 6g (9%)Cholesterol: 428mg (143%)Sodium: 1939mg (84%)Potassium: 234mg (7%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 1430IU (29%)Vitamin C: 7.9mg (10%)Calcium: 271mg (27%)Iron: 4.8mg (27%)
Nicole says
I wanna make these in a shrimp taco tomorrow for a lunch date with a very special man.. Do you have a particular Shrimp taco recipe that would go great with these bad boys??
jo says
You can serve them like this as in this recipe: https://www.jocooks.com/type/healthy-eating/cajun-shrimp-tacos-with-mango-salsa/
Nels Butler says
This is the best blackened seasoning for shrimp. The addition of the brown sugar really helps to make this work. Also I love that you don’t use Cayenne pepper in this seasoning. Every time i’ve used a recipe that had Cayenne in it, I found it way to spicy.
Audra Ottaway says
I use this not only on shrimp, but also on chicken tenders (my kids refuse to eat shrimp). I make a huge salad, blackened shrimp and blackened chicken, fresh sweet corn and everyone is happy. Wonderful combination of flavor.
Mama P says
Made this tonight and quadrupled the recipe! Had to “fry” in batches. When all batches were close to done i threw it all back in the pan. Cranked the heat, added the garlic, and 1 lemon juiced to male it pop. It. Was. Amazing! Served in corn tortillas with slaw. Everyone came back for 2nd’s & 3rd’s! This is definatly going on the dinner lineup!
jo says
So glad you liked this!
Amy Alton says
Two changes I would make Be sure to dry the shrimp off, as I had a lot of “juice” in the bowl after marinading. I would also add the garlic in before the shrimp, since 30 seconds in the pan is really just raw garlic.
Loved the spice combination!
Jo Cooks Team says
30 seconds – 1 minute is plenty of time for minced garlic on a hot pan like this! It can burn very fast and give you a bitter flavor. When no liquid is present garlic should always be added right at the end.
Mary Ellen says
This recipe was so delicious. I don’t like a lot of heat. I toned it down. Just enough heat,
Made a side of guacamole . Black beans and rice.
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