Easy Cajun Shrimp Fried Rice

This hearty one-pot 30-minute Cajun Shrimp Fried Rice brings the fabulous spicy flavours of Louisiana to your dinner table! An easy, full-flavoured recipe.
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This Easy Cajun Shrimp Fried Rice is a spicy, wholesome, easy weeknight meal that would also be a fun dish to serve at a dinner party with friends. Place a large bowl or platter of this southern-flavoured rice dish in the middle of the table, and invite your friends to dig in and serve themselves!

We’re heading off to Nova Scotia soon to visit an area of Eastern Canada that we’ve never explored before. I’ve been reading about the history of the Acadians from this part of the country, how they were expelled from Canada by the British in the 1700’s, and where some of them settled in the bayous of southern Louisiana. “Acadians” became shortened to “Cajuns” and, as we all know, a fabulous cuisine developed there in the south.

The Acadians were known to be industrious farmers, hunters and fishermen leading a simple life off the land. Today’s Cajun cuisine reflects those roots. It uses simple ingredients, often stretching a meal with rice, and due to Louisiana’s location near the Gulf of Mexico, it often features seafood. Cajun flavours begin with the triad of celery, onions and peppers, along with a spice mix of cayenne, garlic, paprika and herbs.

While we’re looking forward to chowing down on scallops and lobster in Nova Scotia, today I decided to add some Cajun flavours to our dinner and I made this Easy Cajun Shrimp Fried Rice.

This dish is similar to Jambalaya (which actually had its roots in Spanish Paella.) The main difference between the two is the rice. Fried rice uses cooked rice so it’s much quicker to prepare than Jambalaya, where the rice cooks along with the vegetables.

You can buy pre-made Cajun spice mix, but it’s simple to mix your own. It uses ingredients you probably already have in your pantry: salt and pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, thyme and red pepper flakes. See How to Make Cajun Seasoning Mix.

This Cajun Shrimp Fried Rice is quick to prepare.

This recipe is a great way to use up leftover rice, but I purposefully cook and freeze extra rice to have on hand to make this quick and easy dinner. Brown the andouille sausage first (available in specialty delicatessens or butcher shops) then remove it while you sauté the celery, onion and pepper. Season with garlic and Cajun seasoning, then add the rice. Add the cooked shrimp last, heat through, garnish and serve!

If you’re looking for something different to spice up your meal plans this week, try this Cajun Shrimp Fried Rice. I hope you like it as much as we do. If you make it, let me know!

5 from 2 votes

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Easy Cajun Shrimp Fried Rice

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

This hearty one-pot 30-minute Cajun Shrimp Fried Rice brings the fabulous spicy flavours of Louisiana to your dinner table! An easy full-flavoured recipe.

Course: Entrée/Main Dish

Cuisine: Cajun

Servings: 4

Calories per serving: 490 kcal

Author: Flavour & Savour

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 andouille sausages, thinly sliced about 7 oz
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning store-bought or homemade*
• 4 cups cooked rice, cooled
• 12 oz large shrimp, (about 20 to 24) cooked and peeled
• sea salt to taste
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1 tbsp cilantro, roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. When it ripples, add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally until browned. Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon. Set aside.

2. Add celery, onion and red pepper to skillet and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and Cajun seasoning, and stir while cooking for about 1 minute.

3. Add the rice and continue stirring while cooking until rice is warm, about 3 minutes. Add the cooked shrimp and sausage and cook, stirring until heated through, about 2 minutes.

   
   

4. Check the seasoning, adding sea salt if necessary. Garnish with green onions (scallions) and cilantro and serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

*see recipe for How to Make Cajun Seasoning Mix

I adapted this recipe from Food Network’s Cajun Crawfish Fried Rice.