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This easy Spicy Cajun Shrimp Boil is seasoning with lemons, onions, spices and Old Bay Seasoning! Double the recipe for a crowd! 

It’s been about six months since I was last in New Orleans, and I have to tell you, that’s about three months too long. When my husband and I dream about retirement, we dream of having a little studio apartment down in the French Quarter so that we can spend time soaking in the colors, sounds and tastes of that city.

It’s not perfect, but I never feel better than when I’m roaming the streets or seeing a great live show there. We love the food too, of course! I try to bring a little piece of NOLA back to our kitchen in Kansas City, and I have to tell you that this spicy cajun shrimp boil is absolutely the EASIEST way to make that happen! 

There’s one thing I omitted from this recipe, and that’s andouille sausage! I love andouille, and so does my husband, but it can sometimes be hard to find around here. If you’d like to include it, buy it pre-cooked and slice it into chunks about 1-1.5 inches long. Then, throw it in alongside the corn! It adds SO much flavor to this spicy cajun shrimp boil!

Spicy Cajun Shrimp Boil is something we really love. It’s an easier, year-round way to get the same flavors as crawfish boil, which are so fun! We throw one every year for my husband’s birthday with live crawfish. I have that whole process documented here: Authentic Louisiana Crawfish Boil

Serving Suggestions: 

It’s traditional to eat red beans with or without rice when you have Cajun food. If you need to prep dried red beans, I recommend this quick soak beans tutorial to save some time!

I hope that you enjoy this delicious Cajun Shrimp Boil! It’s a great thing to throw together for guests with next to no cleanup! I’d love to hear what you think in the comments. If you love this, you’ll probably also love my Cajun Shrimp and Grits or one of these awesome recipes:

PS- You will need Old Bay seasoning for this recipe. You can add it to your Amazon cart here. 

Cajun Shrimp Boil

Cajun Shrimp Boil

Ingredients

Water seasoning

  • juice of two lemons
  • 2 lemons, halved
  • 3 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
  • 1 tsp cayenne (lessen to reduce spiciness)
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 lb baby red potatoes, halved
  • 1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
  • 3 ears corn, shucked and halved
  • 24 ounces jumbo raw shrimp, thawed, shell-on, deveined

Instructions

  1. Fill 16 qt stockpot ¾ full of water. Set on burner, turned to high heat.
  2. To the water, add lemon juice, halved lemons, old bay seasoning, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil.
  3. Add baby potatoes, boil for about 10 minutes.
  4. Add onion and corn, boil for an additional 5 minutes.
  5. Finally, add shrimp and boil for a little over 3 minutes.
  6. Carefully drain the pot using a colander, serve shrimp and accompaniments while hot.

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© Michelle