By Christy Turnipseed
Mardi Gras is around the corner and I happen to love Cajun food — all of it. I love seafood and spicy food, so what could be better? For this Cajun-inspired recipe I decided to combine two of my favorite foods — Cajun shrimp and risotto. Yes, I know you’re thinking that cooking risotto is hard, but this is a one pot dish, making things a bit easier. It’s great for a quick weeknight meal and takes less than an hour from start to the dinner table. Plus if you’re only cooking for two you’ll have plenty of leftovers to work the next day. (And it’s even better the next day.
Enjoy and Happy Mardi Gras!
Cajun Shrimp and Pea Risotto
ingredients:
4 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon cajun seasoning, or more to taste
¾ pounds of shrimp, peeled and deveined (you can use frozen shrimp here too if you want)
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
¼ cup white wine
3 cups chicken broth (plus more if risotto is dry)
1/2 cup frozen peas
Juice of half a lemon
Hot Sauce to serve
- In a small bowl, toss shrimp in 2 tbsp. of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. In a dutch oven (or large stockpot), add the shrimp and cook on medium high heat until they’re opaque in the center, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and place shrimp and juices in a bowl. Set aside.
- In the same pot, add 2 more tbsp. of olive oil and cook the onion and garlic until translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add the Arborio rice and slightly toast the outside of it, stirring constantly. Gently add the white wine and cook it down until most have been absorbed by the rice, about 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Then add the chicken broth, bring to a boil while stirring often. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let cook for another 15 minutes, until the rice is creamy, tender and has a bite to it.
- Add the peas, stir to combine, then add the shrimp. Season with cajun seasoning, to taste.
- If the risotto seems too dry and not creamy, add more chicken broth, ¼ cup at a time, until you achieve the right consistency.
- Juice half a lemon on top of the risotto before serving, then stir to combine.
- Serve hot with hot sauce if desired and store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container
Christy Turnipseed is Birmingham born and raised. She’s a vintage jewelry designer for Lil’ Seeds. She’s a foodie, art and music lover and blogs at al.com and lifeofaturnip.com. She’s on twitter @cturnip.
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