These Easy Cajun Honey Butter Shrimp are made in one skillet and ready in 20 minutes or less!  It’s an incredibly easy, yet flavorful meal that the whole family will love!  Plus, the silky honey butter sauce is to die for delicious!!

Hey hey, friends!

Today we are going to keep things nice and simple.  But don’t worry, we are still keeping thingscrazy delicious!

So, why am I invoking my right to K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid)?

Because, with Halloween less than 5 weeks away and the holiday craze quickly approaching, I need all the simple I can get.

Can I get an Amen?!

Easy Cajun Honey Butter Shrimp

Plump and succulent cajun seasoned shrimp coated and glistening in a silky, buttery, smoky and spicy sauce with a hint of citrus.  Garnished with a sprinkling of herbaceous parsley and scattered with fresh sliced scallions, these shrimp are seriously stellar!

Fragrant, flavorful and filling, these honey butter shrimp can be served with a carbohydrate and vegetable for a main meal, or served on their own as an addictive appetizer!

While these saucy shrimp are totally delicious, they are also crazy easy to prepare!   I am talking 20 minutes and one skillet type of easy here.

Basically, this is what easy weeknight dinner dreams are made of right here.

How do you cook cajun shrimp on the stove?

• First, whisk together the sauce.  Add the garlic, lemon juice and lemon zest, then set the sauce aside.
• In a large bowl, add peeled shrimp and toss with cajun seasoning.  Drizzle on half of the sauce and stir to coat.  Set aside in the refrigerator to marinate.
• Melt two tablespoons of butter in a large-sized skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the shrimp and season with salt and pepper.
• Cook, stirring frequently, until shrimp are just starting to turn pink.
• Add in the remaining sauce mixture and 2 more tablespoons of butter to the skillet.  Continue to cook until the shrimp is opaque and the butter coats the shrimp.

What to serve with Cajun shrimp?

There are a ton of side options for Cajun shrimp!

While we served our Cajun butter shrimp with white rice, don’t feel that is your only option!

Sides to serve with cajun shrimp:

• Rice – plain white rice, dirty rice or yellow rice
• Grits or Polenta
• Pasta – penne, linguine, shells, etc.
• Beans – red beans would be more traditional, but use whatever you like!
• Vegetables – roasted peppers, broccoli, corn on the cob, collard greens or green beans pair nicely!
• Crusty bread – you will want plenty of bread for dipping into the honey butter sauce!

What’s in Cajun seasoning?

Cajun seasoning is a blend of salt with a variety of dried spices, most commonly including cayenne pepper, paprika and garlic.

The homemade Cajun seasoning recipe for this butter shrimp is made up of salt, cayenne, paprika and garlic as well as onion powder, dried thyme, dried oregano and freshly ground black pepper.

Is Cajun shrimp spicy?

Cajun shrimp is mildly spicy.

The main heat source for cajun butter shrimp is cayenne pepper.  However, there is less cayenne pepper in Cajun seasoning compared to the other spice ingredients, therefore cajun seasoning (either homemade or store bought) is normally quite mild.

If you like your cajun shrimp more or less spicy, simply adjust the amount the of cayenne in the cajun seasoning accordingly.

How to make the best Cajun Honey Butter Shrimp (Notes, Tips & Tricks):

1.  While I used large shrimp for this cajun butter shrimp recipe, you can use any size shrimp you would like, just be sure to adjust the cook time up or down accordingly.
2. I left the tails on the shrimp for aesthetic purposes only.  Feel free to remove the tails or leave them intact.
3. You can purchase Cajun spice mix at the store, or you can make your own.  I highly suggest you make your own so you can control what is in the spice blend and adjust it to your own tastes.  Besides, you probably already have all the seasonings needed in your pantry, and making your own is cheaper than buying a prepared one.  The recipe for homemade cajun spice blend is in the notes section of the recipe below.

Ready in 20 minutes and made in just one skillet, these Easy Cajun Honey Butter Shrimp belong on your table!  Whether you serve them as an appetizer, or as your main dinner dish, these shrimp are definitely going to be a hit!

Until next week, friends, cheers – to succulent shrimp!

XOXO

Cheyanne

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The best Cajun Butter Shrimp recipe👇

5 from 4 votes

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Cajun Honey Butter Shrimp

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

6 mins

marinate

30 mins

Total Time

21 mins

 

These Easy Cajun Honey Butter Shrimp are made in one skillet and ready in 20 minutes or less!  It's an incredibly easy, yet flavorful meal that the whole family will love!

Course: Appetizer, entree

Cuisine: American

Keyword: brown butter, Cajun, Easy, honey, lemon, shrimp, skillet

Servings: 4

Calories: 365 kcal

Author: Cheyanne Holzworth

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds Large Shrimp cleaned and peeled
• 2 teaspoons Cajun Seasoning *
• 2 cloves Garlic minced
• 1 small Lemon juice and zest (about 2 TBS juice and ¾ tsp Zest)
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/3 Cup Honey
• ½ tsp Fine Sea Salt
• ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
• 4 TBS Butter
• 2 TBS Fresh Parsley roughly chopped

Optional for garnish: lemon wedges, diced tomatoes, sliced green onions, micro greens

Optional for serving: rice, grits, pasta

Instructions

1. Make the sauce/marinade:  In a small bowl whisk together: garlic, lemon juice, zest, Worcestershire, honey, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Marinate:  Place the shrimp in a large bowl and add Cajun seasoning. Toss to coat. Add in HALF of the sauce, reserving the other half (reserve about 3 TBS) of the mixture for later. Stir shrimp to coat. Transfer shrimp to the refrigerator to let marinate for 30 minutes.

3. Cook:  Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp to the skillet, discarding the marinade. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently to ensure even cooking, for 2-3 minutes or until shrimp are just starting to turn pink. Pour in the reserved honey mixture and remaining butter. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are cooked and the butter coats the shrimp, about 2-3 additional minutes. Remove shrimp from skillet with a slotted spoon and transfer to a serving bowl.

4. Increase heat to high and cook sauce, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Taste sauce and adjust for seasoning with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour sauce over shrimp in serving bowl.
5. To serve: Sprinkle shrimp with parsley and garnish with optional lemon wedges and green onions if using. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

1. You can use any size shrimp you would like, just be sure to adjust the cook time up or down accordingly.
2. I left the tails on the shrimp for aesthetic purposes only. Feel free to remove the tails or leave them intact.
3. You can purchase Cajun spice mix at the store, or you can make your own. I highly suggest you make your own so you can control what is in the spice blend and adjust it to your own tastes. Besides, you probably already have all the seasonings needed in your pantry, and making your own is cheaper than buying a prepared one.

DIY Cajun Seasoning:

1 TBS Smoked Paprika

2 tsp Kosher Salt

2 tsp Garlic Powder

1 ½-2 tsp Cayenne (depending on how spicy you want it)

1 tsp Onion Powder

1 tsp Dried Thyme

1 tsp Dried Oregano

1 tsp Ground Black Pepper

Nutrition Facts

Cajun Honey Butter Shrimp

Amount Per Serving

Calories 365 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Cholesterol 459mg153%

Sodium 1731mg75%

Potassium 196mg6%

Carbohydrates 24g8%

Sugar 23g26%

Protein 35g70%

Vitamin A 1005IU20%

Vitamin C 10mg12%

Calcium 255mg26%

Iron 4.2mg23%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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